We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leia Jacoutot. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leia below.
Leia, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I keep my creativity alive by trying to do something to feed it everyday. I go to museums, concerts, movies… I also take night walks, go see some nature or simply meet friends that also work in the arts.
For my job in particular I found it really useful to read plays or novels and try to imagine how I would interpret it as an actor. I love also just observing people in the street, it really helps to create characters after.
For me it is very important to keep my creativity alive but it’s also quite easy to do so I think. Our surroundings have some much to offer if you look closely and then if you force yourself out of the house to go and see something new you’ll come home full of new ideas.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Leia, like the princess in “Star Wars” and I’m an actress currently based in NYC. I was born and raised in Paris and I come from a very artistic family.
I got the acting bug early because of my mother who would bring me to set a lot. I remember observing everybody there and being so fascinated.
I really decided that I wanted to work in this industry a few years later after seeing “Pulp Fiction” by Quentin Tarantino and a production of Hamlet at the Globe Theatre in London. I just got very inspired by these two.
The Monty Pythons are also a big inspiration. I think they are geniuses and comedy is very important for me. I think laughter is our greatest weapon and we can convey so many emotions and messages through comedy. If I can make people, through my work, laugh and feel hopeful, I’ll consider myself very happy.
After that my parents really pushed me to audition for acting school and learn the “craft” of acting.
I’ve also always been very curious and wanted to travel the world. So I went to study acting in England and then here in New York City, at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.
My goal is to work internationally and not just in one country.
It has not been a smooth road or ever will be but that’s what is exciting about being an actor.
I always liked to plan everything and overthink about every situation but I realized quickly that I had to let that go. I had to really learn how to follow my instincts and not my brain if I wanted to get better and freer in my acting. So basically unlearn how to be a self conscious adult and go back to being a child. Which is not a natural thing to do in our society.
I really had to allow myself to make mistakes and embrace not knowing what is gonna happen in the next few minutes while doing a scene. To be in the present moment as my teachers would say. I try to apply this in my day to day life as well.
My last gig was at The Theatre for the new City in a play called Gandhi vs Kasturba about the untold story of Gandhi’s wife. It was my first play in New York and it was a very rewarding experience.
I tend to write also during my free time. I think it helps unlock creativity in general and I would love one day, when I’m a bit older, to write my own feature film. Aside from acting I like dancing a lot and telling stories with my body. I think it can sometimes be way more powerful than words. And music too.
Right now I am back in Paris for a little while to work on a short movie and other little projects.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For me it was really important to learn the craft. My goal was to learn as much technique as I could to then feel free when I would be working professionally and not be scared to try things on the spot. I was very lucky to be able to study acting in France, London and New York. That really allowed me to learn the different “approaches” or “methods” of acting. This helped me to know what works for me or not, and I think will set me apart from some people. The fact that I’m foreign too can be played to my advantage. Even in France, as I didn’t follow the general path of the other actors, I’ll have something different to offer.
It’s a very competitive industry and you often get rejected and if you can’t handle it, it can really become a huge obstacle in your career. It can still be an issue for me from time to time but I learnt to deal with it.
You really have to learn to live with it. But if you love your job you’ll do it.
Moreover the basics are very important (and will differenciate yoursef from the other) like be on time, be kind and work hard to create the most original and creative ideas.
Apart from that if you want to be a actor (or an artist in general I guess) you have to really be passionate about it. If you’re not you’ll never be happy because it is a very demanding and mind wrecking job sometimes (but the most exciting too for sure).
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
My parents have been and still are very helpful. They pushed me from the beginning to be the best version of myself, they also supported my career path and it’s truly because of them that I was able to study in London and New York.
My friends also-actors and non actors-helped me a lot to overcome some insecurities or personal challenges along the way. It’s a very harsh industry so you need to know that they are people who have your back and care about you. I’m grateful to have this.
Finally the wonderful teachers whom I have the chance to work with, really pushed me to go beyond myself everytime I got on stage and helped me build myself as the actor I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leiajacoutot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leia.jacoutot/
Image Credits
Personal photo-Pamela Torres
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