Meet McKenna Burns

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful McKenna Burns a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

McKenna , thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?

I used to never take risks. I enjoyed the comfort of my small hometown bubble in Illinois, where no one stepped into the unknown. Everyone wore the same clothes, had the same hairstyles, listened to the same music, went to the same colleges, and so on. It was simple. The only goal was to fit in and be liked. The cost was high, and I didn’t realize that until I left. The cost was my true happiness, true friendships, and most importantly, self-love.
So I left. I flew for 10 hours straight. And I landed in sunny, palm trees, clear skies, and ocean breeze, Honolulu. My dream school was Chapman, but their acceptance rate for acting on the screen majors was nearly impossible. So I said F*ck it and left for Hawaii. That was the first of many risks.
In Hawaii, I risked my life by buying a moped to get around the island.
I risked everything by exploring my sexuality.
I risked my dream of acting to surf, swim, and laugh until I couldn’t breathe.
I risked it all, though, because I had lived trapped in a bubble for too long. I needed fresh air. And that’s exactly what Hawaii gave me. Until it couldn’t anymore.
I knew the cost of moving to Hawaii meant I may not get the chance to pursue my dreams of acting on the screen. I couldn’t risk that, though. I couldn’t risk my dream. So I left, 10 hours back home to Chicago. I started work at 4:30 am for YogaSix and ended work at 11 pm as a server for a hometown pub. This was all so I could fly to Europe and train intensely for acting in London.
Then the actors’ strike hit.
And for some odd reason, one night as I was lying in bed, I changed my plane ticket from London to Bangkok, Thailand.
F*ck it!
That 10-hour flight to Hawaii was nothing compared to my flight to Thailand. Not to mention the 19-hour layover in Abu Dhabi because I wanted to “Save Money.” Note to self, just pay for the 3-hour layover instead*
I was all alone. Just me and my backpack, which I bought from REI. I slept in hostels. Some 5-star, some 2-star. Some with dog piss on the floor as soon as you walked in, and some with private bathrooms.
I backpacked across northern Thailand, flew on a propeller plane in a rainstorm to Laos (a country I had never heard of until I met Yaz, a girl from North Carolina who had just finished teaching English in South Korea, who quickly grew to become a close friend). I got stranded in Laos because my Visa for Vietnam wouldn’t clear. I accidentally booked a stripper hotel in Laos *Another note to self read the google reviews for even the really nice looking places*, I finally flew to Vietnam and rode motorcycles in the mountains for 4 days, trekked in rice fields while holding onto bamboo sticks because of the mud, made bestfriends that will get an invite to my wedding one day, ate the most unbelievably delicious food (And to think my mom used to call me a picky eater. Look at me now!), I fell off a motorcycle on an island in Vietnam because I pressed the wrong brake. I spent Halloween in Cambodia, saw Angkor Wat at sunrise in the rain.
And then,
I sat on a flight and landed in Bali, Indonesia. I went into the middle of the rainforest for a month and attained my 200-hour yoga instructor license. I met the most wonderful souls there, ate only vegan food (Not counting the time I sent a driver to get me KFC). I was at peace. I took the biggest risks of my life by stepping into the unknown and letting the waves take me as they wished. I gained a whole new perspective on life. Waking up at 4:30 every morning before the sun rose, sitting in meditation, flowing in yoga, eating nutritious food, ecstatic dancing, laughing with true friends. The love I had for myself was like no love I’ve ever felt before. True self-love was a feeling I had never felt until then. Leaving Bali was the biggest risk of my life. I knew I would lose the healthy habits over time and never find true, genuine friends like that again. But I left for Singapore and then Malaysia.
I flew home for the holidays with my family. The actors’ strike came to an end. And my biggest fear came face-to-face with me. I still think to this day the biggest curse a human could have is a desire to fulfill 2 dreams that will eat you alive if you don’t fulfill. I want to be one of the greats in acting. But I also want to travel the world and never turn back. I can’t have both; it’s a hard realization I’ve had to come to over the years.
So I stayed in Chicago for a year. (Minus the month-long trip to Hawaii and the trip to California.) I trained intensely for acting. Every day I would sit in rush hour traffic to go be as emotionally honest as possible in a room for 3 hours.
While all of this was going on, I became extremely depressed. A mental health concern I had never dealt with before. I couldn’t get out of bed for days except to go to acting. I was in a toxic environment. I needed a change. But leaving my family and the security of a roof over my head with home-cooked meals every night and my best friends living a short drive away was a huge risk.
But that didn’t stop me. I sat on a flight this time, only 4 hours. And I landed in Los Angeles, California.
The best risk I’ve taken.
I knew this meant pushing my dream of traveling around the world further away. It meant watching my family grow old over the phone. It meant working hard hours every day just to have running water.
But it also meant I was one step closer to becoming one of the greats in acting.
Just some of my accomplishments to name a few that I’ve had in my successful year here so far in Los Angeles,
Attending Ellen Pompeos private star signing ceremony in Hollywood, Acting in a video for the non profit Saving Innocence and getting invited to walk the red carpet at there annual gala, Meeting my girlfriend and truly falling in love for the first time, Leading multiple short films, music videos, acting in feature films that will get a theatrical release, and watching my modeling career take off. Getting recognized on social media has led to numerous sponsorships and collaborations, getting invited to the Magic Castle, and so much more.
I became so involved in the arts. Watching a movie every day, studying Shakespeare in my free time, listening to film scores, and listening to podcasts about editing in movies just because. My passion for acting grew immensely.
If I had never taken the risk of leaving my small hometown bubble in Illinois, I would’ve never done any of this. Backpacking, surfing, acting, living, loving. I would’ve graduated next year. I might’ve had true friends who would be my bridesmaids at my wedding one day. But I wouldn’t have some crazy life stories at 21 as I do now.
Take the risk. Step into the unknown. We were put on this earth to explore it and ourselves. So go explore, go make a change, step away from the known. And you may just find the answer you’ve been looking for all along.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an actress. I’m currently studying and working to become one of the greats. I know people don’t usually talk like this, as Timothee Chalamet once said, I agree with my whole heart and soul with him on this. I want to be one of the greats. I have the passion to be one. I’m learning Shakespeare, Butoh, Alexander technique, Combat, Dance, Pitch, and Tone. I’ve driven in so far that there’s no turning around. The arts are so beautiful, and they really are the core of our earth. When you’re sad, you turn on music; when your kid’s making a fuss, you turn on their comfort show; when you’re mad, you can just paint it all out on an easel to relieve the anxiety. The arts are so beautiful, and I’m so grateful to have found a career in them. I want to make people feel seen. Young black girls who just want to see someone who looks like them on the screen. I want people to watch me on the screen and step away feeling something. I want to bring people back to the movie theaters so the community can come together again. I want my work to make a lasting impact for centuries.
I want to be remembered as an actress who stepped outside of the box and created cinema that will have people cry, laugh, yell, confused.
I watch a movie a day. I am so serious about this craft. I sit in front of my mirror for an hour listening to a playlist on Spotify and imitating emotions in a mirror so I can learn my range and expand my emotional ability. I’m constantly gaining real-world experiences so I can connect with my characters more.
I recently acted in a short film called ‘Blue Notes’ directed by Misha Edwards. It was such an honor to work with her. I portrayed Clara, who’s an artistic boho painter. She falls in love with Miles, a saxophone player. And the pull between following love or your dreams is the center of this masterpiece. It’s a black love, jazz story, and we’re hoping to gain the funds to generate this into a full-length feature film. This film was so emotionally and physically beautiful. I cried tears on screen, and I laughed so much my cheeks hurt the next morning. I’m so proud of myself and how far I’ve come since leaving Illinois and chasing my dreams.
I also acted in a feature film called ‘Dog Belly’ directed by Jovon Rashaad and Desiree Dizard. I portray one of the Strange Girls. Dog Belly is about a relationship coach who runs into a psychotic woman and her grandfather, who find mind games as a torture stunt. Horror is one of my favorite genres to act in, and this one really challenged me. It included a lot of physicality and stillness. As an actor with anxiety, stillness is very hard to portray on camera because I feel like somehow my anxiety can show on screen. The results I saw on the director’s playback were incredible. The whole team was so talented and such a pleasure to work with.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Love yourself before stepping 1 foot into this industry.
You truly have to love yourself because this industry comes with a lot of criticism. A lot of unfriendly feedback that you have to learn to take, learn from, and then let go, all without it affecting the love you have for yourself.
2. Get really comfortable with embarrassment.
If you can’t embarrass yourself on a screen, then no risk will ever be taken. And all artists’ greatest works come from taking risks.
3. Study movies, don’t just watch them.
As an actor, we have an easy homework assignment: to watch movies. As kids, we watch them for comfort, as teens, we watch them at slumber parties, in our 20s, we watch them after a stressful day at work. As an actor, though, we have to watch them in detail. Once you look at cinema through a different lens, your whole perspective changes. You’ll learn why Guillermo del Toro created a tilt frame in Frankenstein. Or why a close-up made everyone cry in Beautiful Boy. The lighting, frames, set design, costumes, hair, makeup, rhythm, and physicality all make a movie a movie.

If you’re early on in your journey, take a deep breath and go have some fun. Fall in love with the craft, not the fame and fortune. Fall in love with directors, and film scores, fall in love with emotionally intelligent actors, fall in love with the black and white classics. Fall in love with it all. There’s always so much to learn. And even the greats never stop learning.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for folks to collaborate with. I’m looking for anyone who wants to create art. Whether that’s a photoshoot, short film, feature film, music video, play, etc. They can connect with me through my Instagram DMs (mckenna.burns_) or my agents at BMG LA or Chicago. I love action, romance, comedy, drama, and so much more. I’m based in Los Angeles, California, but am available for travel domestically and internationally.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckenna.burns_

Image Credits

Noelle Simpson
Jan Wouter
Jean Evans
David Chan
Yury Sharlou