Acting Has No Plan B | Why Messeret Stroman Wheeler Chose the Hardest Path

Are you an actor who is tired of waiting for permission to create? In this deep-dive interview, Lydia Nicole sits down with the multifaceted Messeret Stroman Wheeler to explore what it truly means to be a working actress and producer in today's ever-changing industry. From her early days interning at the Negro Ensemble Company to producing award-winning short films, Nazareth shares her blueprint for longevity and creative fulfillment.

Discover how to maintain your joy during the dry seasons of your career and why viewing your partnership as a team can be a game-changer. Messeret and Lydia discuss the vital importance of pivoting, whether it is moving from stage to voiceover or transitioning from acting to producing your own content. They also tackle the modern challenges of the business, including self-taping, social media, and the rise of AI, offering practical advice for actors of all ages on how to stay relevant and resourceful.

This conversation is more than just a career guide; it is a masterclass in faith, resilience, and the power of community. Learn why you do not need a million dollars to tell your story and how being small but mighty can help you take down the giants in the industry.

Chapters
0:00 Intro and meeting Messeret Stroman Wheeler
4:15 Finding joy and honoring a legacy
9:30 The power of partnership and teamwork
14:45 Black women at the ballot and historical storytelling
19:20 Pivoting from stage to audio dramas
25:10 Paying your dues and the Connecticut commute
31:40 Walking in faith and handling rejection
37:15 The transition from actor to producer
43:50 Embracing technology and social media
49:10 Navigating the AI landscape as a creative
55:30 Human connection vs digital images
1:01:20 Finding funding and creating your own game
1:06:45 The making of Keepers of the Flame
1:12:15 Grieving with grace and the value of interns
1:18:00 Resourcefulness and the 5 Heartbeats documentary
1:23:10 Writing the vision and aligning with purpose
1:26:00 Final advice for the discouraged actor

If you are ready to stop talking about the dream and start working the dream, make sure to visit actingsmartercircle.com for more strategy and support. Subscribe for more interviews and career coaching to help you become unstoppable.

#acting #producing #careercoach #filmmaking #actingsmarter 


🎬 Welcome to Lydia Nicole’s World! 🎤
Acting Smarter Now with Lydia Nicole
45 years in Hollywood. Hundreds of episodes. One mission — to help you stop guessing and start booking.

I'm Lydia Nicole, actor, comedian, writer, and producer. And I built this channel because nobody was telling actors the truth about the business.

If you're talented, working hard, and still not booking , this channel is for you. I've seen what separates the ones who make it from the ones who give up, and it's not talent. It's strategy. It's knowledge. It's having someone in your corner who tells you the truth.
Here you'll find industry interviews, career tools, and real talk that cuts through the noise. No hype. No gatekeeping. Just what actually works.
Subscribe. Get smart. Get booked.
👉 @lydianicolelive |

🛒 Planners & Courses: https://tinyurl.com/2p835r47
🎭 lydianicole.com, actingsmarternow.com
Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://lydianicolelive.kit.com/8825e750a1

Get the Acting Smarter Digital Planner and Course bundle for free until Oct 15, 2025

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:57

People say, oh, well, you know, acting, you know, what are you gonna do? Push your plan B. Like, no, this is my all my plans. Plan A, B, C, D, all the way to C.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Hey, actor, I'm so glad you could make it. Grab your drink, get your notebook, and pull up a chair. Cause I got some good stuff for you today. And if this is your first time here, welcome to Acting Smarter Now. My name is Lydia Nicole. I am an actress, producer, and a career coach. I've been doing this for the last 13 years, not to mention I have been in the business for the last 45 years, making things happen on my terms. So if you are tired of guessing, tired of grinding with no game plan, tired of seeing other actors book work while you just stay on the sidelines watching. That is over. Today I want to introduce you to an amazing actress who is making things happen on her own terms, Nazareth Strowman Wheeler. She is not only acting, but she is also producing, and she is leaving her mark in the business. So let me take you right now to this incredible interview. Let's go. You are what I would call a true working actress. You know, we hear the word actor, but not everybody works. They work at working, but they don't work their craft. And so what I love about you is that you do TV, you do commercials, you do stage, and you just keep plugging away. And there's a joy to your art, to what you bring, to what you do. How do you keep your joy in the dry seasons?

SPEAKER_01 2:54

I keep my joy in the dry seasons by being prayerful and as active as I can. And I'm involved in a couple of things where I have a director's workshop and a playwrights workshop where I'm acting with directors who may not be working right now. So they're trying to keep their craft warm or playwrights who don't necessarily have a show going right now, but they're keeping their craft warm and writing scenes and writing plays. And I as an actor get to play with them. And so I guess that's keeping the joy in that way. And just, you know, life. I mean, um feel very fortunate to have great friends. And so if something's going on with a friend, being able to help or hang out or support them in any way, going to see a show of theirs or just hanging out and having fun or going to see a show of interest to all of us. I have some friends who are singers and they work with uh Broadway Inspirational Voices, and we all got together and went to see Wicket together. So, you know, it's just enjoying life. I think that's what the joy comes from, just enjoying life.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

In keeping your joy, you were married to an incredible man for three decades, and he passed about a year and a half ago.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

First of all, tell me about this man that was your partner for three decades.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Oh wow, Lydia. He was the love of my life. He was a beautiful soul. He was warm and giving and generous and had a huge heart. And I loved him dearly. I still do. I adored him. He adored me. We had respect for each other. Everybody who knew us knew that about us. I had a couple of people actually in the industry who reached out to me personally after he passed away, and they said, you know, you're one of the few couples that I've met that have kind of had a just a beautiful love story. And I've always looked up to that love story, and um it gave me hope. So yes, and he was a brilliant, wonderful actor as well, but also just a great human being and a great spirit.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

And his name is His name is Ed Wheeler.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Okay. So what do you think your success was in your relationship? Because you were both artists, you both were working on the same thing, and yet you connected in in a way that we don't see a lot. You know, we we see competition with couples, but that doesn't seem to have been your case.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah, I think with us it was we were a team. We felt like we were a team, and so we worked together. If he booked something, I'd help him with his lines. If I book something, he's helping me with my lines, and we talk through things a lot. So there would be times if he was away doing a show, then of course the home front fell on me and I'd have to take care of it. Or if I was away, the same thing, he would have to take care of things. And so I think because we had a strong sense of team, partnership, love, uh, and respect for each other. I think that's what really kept us going. And, you know, we had a lot of fun together too. So um, every once in a while we'd have some parties at the house and have some friends over and do some games. I remember when we first came out and we had a Wii game. So we invited some friends and, you know, tennis and bowling and that kind of thing. So that was really fun. So it wasn't about competition, but yeah, but teamwork.

SPEAKER_00 6:55

You seem to be a fantastic collaborator. What I've read and what I've uh I've watched, you have a collaboration with playwright and writer Judy Tate. And you have done some amazing work. You know, as an actor, you are doing amazing amazing work, but as a producer, you're also doing amazing work in that you are tapping into pieces from real life, from his history that you are sharing with an audience that, well, most of the audiences don't know about some of the work that you have tapped into. What got me was black women at the ballot. You know, especially with the last few years of voting and the politics and all of this. We don't really get to hear the black perspective at the turn of the century, especially women. Black women have been the mothers who have carried this country from slavery on up. We don't talk about that. I wasn't planning on going here, but we're gonna go here now. And so I'm with you. And so to hear about the writings that uh Judy Tate has done with the African slavery project, the the slaves that are buried in Lower Manhattan, which I learned about in 2001 when I was back there doing a play down at Clemente Sotovelez Theater, and someone said, Did you know that there is this burial ground of African slaves? And so we went and and the it was sat in the church, but that's again, that is not something that history, that that type of history I learned in school. I was not taught that. And unless you go seeking for history that's not taught in school, you don't know a lot of that. So, what made you, first of all, decide to connect with Judy Tate?

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Well, Judy and I go way back. So Judy and I met doing a play called Joe Turner's Come and Gone, which that's actually on Broadway now. But we did it at Delaware Theater Company and in Springfield, Massachusetts, some years ago. And she had just started writing a play called Fast Blood, and she had me read that script, and I thought, oh my gosh, this is such a great play. But that was the she was just starting to write at that time. And so I'll fast forward, we did some readings of it where I played uh the younger version to the main character, and I remember, you know, doing those readings, Judy saying, at some point, I'll probably be able to do this play, but when I produce it, you'll probably be at the age where you can play Effie, the lead character. And that did come to pass. But I'll get back to she started American Slavery Project. And I remember Ed and I went to see the very first performance, which uh she had called Unheard Voices, and she uh commissioned 17 playwrights to write monologues about those individuals who were buried at the African burial ground where you were just talking about. And so, in seeing that, I thought, oh my gosh, this is really great what she's doing. I'd love to be able to help. But at that time, she really didn't need any help, so we contributed, you know, we give some money every year to help her out. Fast forward to 2015, and I wasn't really on social media. I was on LinkedIn, and that was it. And my commercial agents were asking, oh, what social media are you on? What's your handle? What are your followers, how many followers? All of that things people are asking for that. And I thought, oh, okay, I'm gonna have to get on social media. So I took some courses, and I don't even know how I found these people, but I found some people who taught about social media, what each platform was, what hashtags were, tagging, all of that. And so Judy and I met because I hadn't seen, we hadn't seen each other in a while, and I told her, Oh, I'm on social media now. She's like, Yeah, I see. And so I said, Yeah, it's it's fun. I'm figuring out how to do this. This is fun. And she was saying that she wanted American Slavery Project. They're now, she's rebranded to ASP Arts Collective now, but wanted them to be on social media. And I thought, well, I can help you. This is fine, I'll do it for you. So she said, okay, I'll pay you. And you can be my associate producer. So that's really how it kind of started. That's how I got involved with helping her and just helping in any way that I could. And then it just kind of grew from there. Different events started to happen and reaching out to people to, you know, even friends who have their own theater companies to say, hey, we're doing this. Can you share our event on your pages? And, you know, so it started simple like that. And that's how it, our uh relationship, I guess, grew from friendship or actors working together all the way to being her associate producer with American Slavery Project and helping to move uh the projects forward that uh she had in mind. And and Black Women in the Ballot, actually, we did during COVID. That year, we had performed one of the pieces called In the Parlor. We performed it at a school, I remember up in uh Westchester. And the day after that, they started shutting everything down because of COVID. And the original day they said, Oh, two weeks. And of course, it was much longer. And we had intentions of performing that piece live later in the year. We thought we'd do it in the fall and you know, just have it as a theater piece in the fall. But because COVID happened, you know, that changed. We had to pivot. And one of the things that Judy wanted to do was to present it as audio dramas. And so we worked on doing that with everyone in their own spaces, presenting it, not just that piece, but two other pieces to sandwich and it make it a full evening of stories about black women and voting and the history. So that's the way that all came about.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

The pivot. Let's talk about the pivot because when the pandemic happened, everyone had to pivot. And I love the story of you guys just going, all right, we were gonna do this as a play, but we can't. So now what are we gonna do? And then to decide we're gonna do a radio piece, and you all recorded it in your homes. So everybody recorded it in their homes, and it got edited together, and it it the rest is history. It is now a piece that people can listen to in your experience as an actor. Because I think actors have to pivot all the time. I mean, uh you know, the pandemic is a huge example of a pivot, you know, the whole world had to pivot together. But actors are pivoting all the time. When did you first discover that you had to be flexible with different things? Or did you discover, hey, you know, as an actor, it's never gonna go the way it's supposed to go, and I gotta be ready if, you know, whatever happens, I gotta be ready to do it. The show must go on, as they say.

SPEAKER_01 14:55

Yeah, I think I started figuring that out when I came to New York. The very first thing I did when I came to New York, I interned with NEC, the Negro Ensemble Company. Then I did a tour, uh, understudied in uh the tour of from the Mississippi Delta with them. And then after that, I did extra work and temp jobs. And I think then was when I discovered, oh, I've got to be able to do everything. I was doing uh teaching aerobics at a Living Well Ladies Spa gym. And so it started off just not even with acting, but life in general. Like, okay, I gotta be able to support myself, so what am I gonna do? So, in doing extra work after that, I started doing commercial work. And I was doing theater, then I started to do commercial work, and with the commercial work I was doing on camera and booking right away with that. But then when things got slow, the voiceover department started to submit me and I was booking. So the voiceover department said to me, you know, you're a voiceover artist now. And I thought, oh, uh, okay, uh, I'll take it. And so from there, it's really so some of it is just a kind of natural progression of things that have landed my way, whether they say you plan and God laughs, or man plans and God laughs. So as much as I might have thought, oh no, I'm gonna do theater, I'm gonna do film, or gonna, no, I, you know, it was good, and I feel very fortunate and blessed that I've been able to be versatile so that I can nail each category when I need to.

SPEAKER_00 16:43

I'm gonna go back to you interning at the Negro Ensemble because it wasn't an easy thing for you. You lived in Connecticut, you had to travel two hours to the city, then two hours back for four hours of work at the Negro Ensemble. First of all, let me just say, bravo, my sister. I know, you know, because uh people don't talk about paying your dues. That's part of paying your dues, right? And the hunger that comes across to me that you had that you were like, okay, well, if it's if I'm gonna be in there four hours, I'm gonna be in there four hours. And if it means that that's a four-hour commute, I'm good with it. What did you get out of that internship?

SPEAKER_01 17:29

I will tell you, first of all, I when I came to New York, well, I was in Connecticut, so I was living with, I have a twin brother, and I was fortunate enough that he said, yes, come stay with me. And so in going back and forth, it really was I went, I did my job, I got on the bus and was back to Connecticut. So it helped me to get a foot in the door. I think that's a foot in the door and a solid grounding in being surrounded by the industry. And quite honestly, I went and I did the work, which was telemarketing. So I really didn't get to do anything else. I learned about the plays that they were putting on at the time and got to be a part of knowing those stories and of the people hearing their names, but not really being too much able to participate because it was really going, doing my job and getting home. So I guess it was just a kind of a foundation of um doing the work and moving forward when the time comes, and just kind of um what is that, the joy in that, you know, being in New York, surrounded by theater, which is what I studied in school, and being around these people who were living the dream of performing, of being a part of this epic theater company that has produced so many wonderful talents.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

What is one of the the memories that you have of failing, but it then turning into something amazing?

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Well, I mean, there have been jobs that there I remember there was this time, there was a play that was going to be on Broadway, and I remember I wanted to get an audition. I did not get an audition. And I thought, oh man, I would have been perfect for it. But years later, I spoke with someone because the play never got done. And I remember speaking to someone, and I said, Oh, do you remember when that was gonna happen? And I was so upset. You know, I was a little bummed because I didn't get it. And she said to me, You didn't want to get that. It wasn't a good, it wasn't a good story about that. I was like, oh, okay. So she knew the inside dealings of what was happening with that. So I guess that's a good one. You know, sometimes you don't get things and it's for the best. I mean, I've I've truly believe things happen like they're supposed to happen. So, you know, of course, I've you live and you learn, and at this point, if something doesn't happen, it's not supposed to happen. The next thing will come.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

How do you keep your faith? Because I'm hearing you, uh, it sounds like you are walking in faith with your career, you walk in faith with your life.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Prayer. God. Yeah, that's how I keep my faith. And and knowing, do you ever have this feeling, or I've always kind of felt this is what I want to do, and it's gonna work out. Um, there are people who say, or maybe, and you may have come in contact with this too, with people say, Oh, well, you know, acting is a, you know, what are you gonna do? What's your back, what's your back? Um, what's your plan B? It's like, no, this is my all my plans. Plan A, B, C, D, all the way to C. This is it. And it will happen, and you have that sense of this is your purpose in life. This is what you're meant to do. So that has always kept me going because, and I've studied it. I feel like I have a strong sense of the craft. I've been fortunate to be around good, solid people who support me. I have uh family and friends who, like you were saying, I have a friend who one time I had said to, she's not in the business or was not in the business at all. And I said, Yeah, okay, well, I'm waiting for the next thing. And she's like, Mizra, you're always working. And I said, You think so? She's like, Yes, you're always working. But in those moments when you kind of feel like, okay, well, the next thing will come. And it and it always does. So you just kind of keep the faith and knowing that what's meant to be will be, and the next thing will come when it's time.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

I love that because I believe that what's yours nobody can take from you.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

And I think as actors, it's important for us to know that because sometimes we operate in the lack instead of the abundance. You know, I've always, I I have always been able to see the abundance of something, not oh, well, if you get it, then I won't get it. Going back to what you were saying earlier, having a good core of people, being connected with people who are supportive is so important because whoever you hang out with will affect you positively or negatively. And if you're if you're hanging out with people who can't seem to get a break, that stuff is contagious. You're not gonna get a break. But if you're around people who are always working, always moving, always doing Doing something that affects you as well. You know, it's like you get to choose. The Bible talks about life and death being, you know, death and life is in the power of the tongue. And so if we're around people who are always speaking negatively, then we will reap. We'll reap a negative garden of sorts. But if we're speaking positive, then we're growing a beautiful garden. As an actor, there's so many opportunities that we don't even know when we get into acting, right? You you only see one lane, but there's so much. It's like you you were acting, then you got into voiceover, you're doing commercials, you're doing stage, it it's all connected, but it's all different facets. So going back to pivoting, because as an actor, you pivoted from doing extra work, then doing stage, then doing commercials, then doing voiceovers. And they all carry a different focus, right? There's there's a uh the intention is a little different. How do you pivot when you're doing, you know, you're doing stage, and then all of a sudden your agent calls you and says, Okay, you got a voiceover, you're doing it tomorrow at nine o'clock. What's the pivot for you in that moment?

SPEAKER_01 25:48

I think, you know, with all of them. Look, I'm fortunate to be able to do it all and happy about that. Um, with any and all of them, I think it all boils down to you're a character in each, right? So for TV, of course, you're giving this much, even though you're still doing all of the work that needs to be done to create the character, their backstory, their intention, conflict, all of that. So I think theater, TV, and film, of course, you're giving all of your body, they're seeing physical, your physical presence, but also have the voice. So with theater, it's very much everything. You're giving it all all of it, and it's so much bigger. TV and film, it's so much smaller. Voiceover is your voice, and you've got to be able to make everything believable in how you deliver each line. With gaming, for instance, well, when I did it and what I've done in the past, you don't see the whole picture. You know, you get your lines, and then that's it. So you have the director who, on the other hand, on the other end, they know, well, okay, this character is walking with their best friend. So you'll deliver the line, you know, hey, let's go get some chocolate. Okay, the next, we want to do that line again, but the the best friend is a block away. So you're like, hey, let's go get some chocolate, or going through a door and there's a ghost, and so you deliver it another way, or to another door and you delivered another way. So with the voice, it's very much about making everything believable. And and when you get direction, they can also, they also help to shape, you know, the sound of it, or the intention, because we don't always know what's happening in the gaming world and the turns that a character may take. Uh, so I try to be as flexible and versatile as I can to nail the character and make sure I know who each character is for whatever uh area that I'm working in.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

Pivoting from acting to producing. What's the difference?

SPEAKER_01 28:01

Well, you know what? With producing, you're doing everything, right? I was telling a friend of mine that producing very much feels like it's been a part of who I am. I feel like I got it from my mom, even though she wasn't a producer. She was very active in the community and did a lot of events and things for the church and the community. And I was like Lexi is to you, her helper, her aide, her assistant. So I was helping along the way. And all of those things that she did or that I assisted her in doing, I feel have helped me as a producer because you know, you've got that big picture, but you've got to focus on, you know, A, B, or C D as things go. You know, you can't just go, okay, I'm doing that, let's do it. No, there's so many steps that you have to take care of to get to the big picture. So the professionalism, the on-time, all of that was, I think, a part of that's from a mommy. But with producing, you've got to wear all the hats, and you have to know who you want to collaborate with to help you in getting this the big picture done. Whereas an actor, you're stepping in, you're doing your role, and you're out of here. Uh, so it's been a great pivot and a wonderful pivot. And I had a friend actually, when I was acting in my 20s, who said to me, I think you'd be a good producer. And I thought, no, I'm acting. What are you talking about? But I think, you know, and I just didn't see that. I didn't realize, I guess, at the time, that we could do both. And you know, you can be an actor and a producer and wear other hats and still be uh fulfill the role as an actor as you'd like.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

And because of the pandemic, we are that. The roles of the actor has changed in that we have to be the actor, we have to self-tape, so we have to be the cinematographer, we have to be the audio person, we have to be the live person, we have to be our own director, we have to do many things. We are coming in really as a filmmaker and the actor. And so the pivoting is really important today. You know, when you started, I don't know when you started, but I started in 78. And all you did was you were the actor. Uh well, I wasn't, but all you did was be the actor. When I started, there were not a lot of roles for actors of color, especially if you didn't sing and dance. I did not sing, I did not dance, and and I had to figure out, okay, what what else can I do to get in front of the line because I don't do those two things. God didn't give me that. So I started doing stand-up comedy. But almost from the beginning of my acting, I was producing showcases for myself. I was doing different things for myself. And and now, after pandemic or because of the pandemic, I see that all those skill sets have paid off because that is what is expected of the actor. You're lucky now if you get to go into a room for the callback. That's not the norm anymore. If you go in for the callback, wow, that's a lot. But it's everything is done through Zoom. So you have to know how to situate the camera or your phone. You have to have a good backdrop, you have to make sure that everything looks aesthetically pleasing for your audition, for your self-tape. A lot of older actors that I've talked to, people who, you know, maybe came a little before me, have a difficult time with the technology of it. And that's where we're living. So, how how do you deal with it, first of all? And what kind of advice or encouragement could you give somebody over their 40s about embracing technology, including social media?

SPEAKER_01 32:17

Okay. Can I just go back and say one thing that I want to like fangirl over you for a minute? Because you were in a lot of shows in the late 70s, 80s, and you were one of the young actresses that I was looking up to. So to be able to have, yeah, I mean, it was you, Tina Andrews, yes, Chip Fields. I feel like you guys were really working. And of course, being a young black girl, I'm looking at people I identify with. So I'm like giving you virtual flowers right now because it's a real pleasure to be in your company. So I really admire you and admire what you have done and continue to do. So you're uh an inspiration. With technology, I say with everything else, like what do they say? Uh the only constant is change. So we have to be able to embrace as much as we can. Sometimes we might, you know, beat our heads up against the wall because we don't want to change. We don't want to embrace it. But I think the sooner we embrace it, the sooner we make the decision to embrace the things that we need to move forward, the easier it'll be. Sometimes that means becoming friends with younger people who it's it's easy for them because this is the world that they were raised in. So sometimes you gotta make friends with the young folk, or you know, at least figure out a way to do that, find a way to help yourself to move forward with it. Because I'll tell you, for me, it was with a lot of things, just kind of trial and error and figuring it out. And I'll tell you something, because I have a twin brother who's in IT, one of the things that he told me when Ed and I got our first computer, he said, you can Google everything. You can Google everything and YouTube. So if you have difficulty and you don't have access to a young person or to someone that's very close to you, Google and YouTube. And I don't know, there are probably so many other sources nowadays.

SPEAKER_00 34:37

Let's talk AI because AI has opened up the world. I I know, you know, so many people are afraid of it, but AI, if finding the right AI pieces really can help you as an actor. I've been in the AI space the last two years. I have an incredible AI master who has been teaching me all kinds of stuff. And I also go on YouTube looking up other AI people. What are they doing? But right now, Claude.ai is phenomenal. We know Chat GPT, they're good. And I'm not dogging ChatGPT because I use it a lot. But Claude AI is pretty amazing, as is perplexity, because I use it for my research. When I'm researching people that I want to interview, I will go into perplexity and say, okay, so who is this? And then from perplexity, then I'll go into into Claude AI because they're like all the AI things tenfold, you know, they they just are big. And then there's uh Gemini, which is part of Google, which you can go in there and and do it. What is great that Google has is called Notebook LM. So if you're researching a character or a P, you know, a time, you can go in there and put in different books and different uh videos, and it will give you just the rundown. You can even have it do a podcast of all the information that you got. So AI is opening up the world on a whole nother level. I know as actors, we have to be diligent, we have to be vigilant in making sure that it's not taking our jobs, but but if we embrace it in the right way, it can be a wonderful tool. And it's it's finding that thing, you know, it's like there's so much erroneous information on AI. It's taking everybody's job. Well, it's not really taking everybody's job. If you are lazy and you don't know to do your job and you've been at a job that you really shouldn't have been in in the first place, yeah, then maybe I think AI will take your job. But if you are smart and and you're you're good at problem solving, you're good at pivoting, then AI can be a fantastic tool for you. We as a society have been using AI for a long period of time. I mean, Surrey is AI, the echo, and the, you know, you talk to the machines, and that's AI. So we have been doing it for a long time, but all of a sudden we're seeing it flooding into the marketplace, and then you hear people sounding the alarm. This is terrible. Oh my God, this is this, you know, it's like, hey, we they did the same thing with the car, they did the same thing with the lights, they did the same thing when the cell phone came out. It is the, you know, technology is coming, it is here. AI is not gonna go away. So, how do we embrace it? You know, it's like going from uh coal to solar uh panels. It's like that the coal is had coal has had its time. It's time for you to start moving into the solar world and get those panels, you know, start updating, upgrading, because change does happen. So as actors, we have to move in that area. Just as you have pivoted in your career on different levels, you're also now adding technology to it. How does that feel?

SPEAKER_01 38:31

I don't know how it feels. I've you know, the thing is, I don't know that I have come into any area where I've worked on it yet, you know, incorporated. I mean, of course, I'm like you, I will Google or do chat GBT and perplexity, but you were naming some I hadn't even heard of. So I'm ready to find out about those. I guess it's interesting to see how we move forward because I know the union is fighting really hard to protect us as actors. So it'll be interesting to see how we move forward and incorporate these things because, you know, when they first got color TV, they didn't think that was a thing. And, you know, you talk about these new inventions and technology and how people thought, oh no, that's not gonna happen. And then, of course, we embrace it and it becomes a part of our lives.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

I remember the VHS. I had just joined the union, and a month later we went on strike because of the VHS and wanting to get residuals, and we were on strike for nine months, and then it's the DVD, and then it was cable, and then it's the streaming. Technology keeps moving, and we as actors, we you know, uh the unions have to be able to move with it and embrace it in a way that helps the actors instead of styming the actors, right? Because you got all these people that are saying, Well, I don't need to use actors, I can go to Hey Jen and just create a person. Uh, I can prompt do my prompts and create a person. And uh it's not the same, but there are people out there who don't see the value of the actor. That they go, I can just, you know, I can be in my computer, I can create a commercial using a fake person and get what I need to get. Our job is to let them know that's good that you can do that, but they don't bring the heart and soul that we can bring. So um, why don't you try us? Let's see what we can do for you. How can we, you know, instead of going, oh my God, it's coming, uh, there's always gonna be actors. We're always gonna be there. How do we work together? You know, that that's the thing I'm always looking at. It's like, hey, this is here, people. You can do whatever you want to go ahead and have another strike, but that's not gonna help. It's here. How do we work together? You know, we have to, you know, have your boundaries about, you know, let's not cross that line, but uh, how do we work together? How do we make it together? And especially now, since the pandemic, where you have a young group of people who don't know how to interact with other people, they're so comfortable with the computer, be it with gaming or, you know, uh I I just read something about young boys falling in love with images on the computer instead of people. And so it's like, how do we start taking back some of that stuff as actors?

SPEAKER_01 41:55

I'm not sure about that, but I what I'm starting to see that I think is promising is that younger people in school, they're starting to do away with phones in the school. And I've seen a couple of things on TV where they're talking to high school students and the phones have been taken away or technology is taken away while they're in school. And they love it because now they're talking to their friends in the hallways. There's much more communication and one-on-one personal interaction where they didn't have that before, and they're seeing the difference, which is great. I'm thinking they see the difference on their own. That is promising. I'm not sure about actors and AI and what that future is gonna be. Like you said, they can't get rid of us. We're here to stay. The the human, the emotions, the the choices that we make as human beings cannot be it. I mean, they could try, but you won't get the genuine uh feelings and quality that you'll get from a live human being. And I think the choices that we make give m much more life to what we what we do.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

Have you seen the play Maybe Happy Ending?

SPEAKER_01 43:15

I have not.

SPEAKER_00 43:16

Go see that play. Okay, the the the writer does a magnificent job of putting robot with people. And it it takes place in the future. It is amazing, really well done. As actors, we want to know everything, I think. We want to be able to know how to utilize certain things. So I I just think it's important, you know. I remember when uh years ago when they were talking about you putting your resume and your picture online, and I was like, that's not gonna happen. And and having someone uh having somebody approach us about ringtones before there was ringtones, and my boss, who I I was assisting at the time, they wanted to use some of his clips from his movies to make ringtones out of it. I was like, that's some nonsense. And you know, it wasn't even two years later, all of a sudden, Apple had ringtones, and ringtones were being, you know, it's like from that, what I learned is pay attention. When you hear something coming down the pike, evaluate it, um, research it, find out what is there because there are things happening, and we want to be on the train with it and not behind it going, I missed that train, I missed that train. So that that's the reason why for me it is important. It's like one of the things that I've noticed going back to as as the unions have fought technology or fought for pieces of the pie with technology coming in, is like pay attention to that. That's that's something that's gonna be around. There's like cable, pay attention, cable is gonna be around, and it just keeps getting more and more and more. And with that, going back to when I started, we had three network channels. Three ABC, NBC, and CBS. And if you were lucky, you got PBS. Yes, and then you could get the UHF channels, which were like telenovelas and you know, some random stuff. But now we have the choices are so vast, and with that, actors are needed. Actors are needed. Now the problem is with all the all the stuff that is needed, actors are not getting paid. Going back to you gotta be an actor and a producer, if you're acting, because there's so many outlets now, you know, used to be three gatekeepers, ABC, MBC, and C B S, but now there's so much available, and everybody wants content. But how do you as an actor utilize your creativity, make your own content and get paid for it? And so you as an actor and producer, how are you looking at that? How or or are you looking at that to go, you know what? I have to make stuff here that's gonna bring in a monetary gain. Not just, you know, we want to create, but we also have to eat. That you know, we gotta pay the rent or the mortgage.

SPEAKER_01 46:44

Right. There's a couple of projects that I have in mind. So my husband and I did a short film called Keepers of the Flame that was based on a play that Judy had written. And going into the film festivals and getting awards and all of that really made me see that there are other things that I want to do. But in doing those, in being in the film festivals and screening at different places, I had people approach me who said, Okay, I want to help you. I they basically want to give money. So I I had to go, oh, okay, just give me a second. I'm not ready yet, but I I know you're here for me and I thank you. But when I'm ready, I'll I will reach back to you, or you know, we'll and I stay in contact with them as well. But I I think that that's the thing, right? We have to know, we have to have money for our projects. And I think that we have to be open and uh know your people. So I my my some of the people who are interested go way back with me, and they're not in the arts at all, but they realize and they see they need to help fund projects, especially for people of color and women, and that they want to be a part in that way to be able to help fund things. So I think um if you've got, you know, just like you say, know you know your people. You never know who maybe you've been friends with or who has a friend that maybe they're in finance or whatever that may want to help. And I find more and more there so many people want to help and are ready to help and willing to help. So I think befriending people who are not just artistically based is where the and and hey, you know, maybe some AI people too to know that, hey, help with funding so that we can get projects and things on the road and done and pay our people.

SPEAKER_00 48:58

That's right, and not waiting for the entertainment industry to see us and give us the same paychecks that they give our white counterparts. It is not our game, it is their game. So, how do we make our own game? How do we how do we grow our community? How do we tell our stories and do it with pride and do it with confidence and say, people want to know these stories too? Just because the industry as it is doesn't recognize that we could create our own industry, we could create our own stuff, and I'm always looking at that. How do we tell our stories? No one is gonna rescue us. How do we rescue ourselves? You talk about people coming and wanting to give money. I love the idea of starting an initiative or some kind of production company where you are getting money, you are partnering with dentists and and doctors and lawyers who have nothing to do with the business, but they want to contribute. That to me is is exciting because you're not waiting. You know, as uh I'm I'm going back to you and and Judy take collaborating and pivoting. You're making projects, then you're pivoting because you thought it was gonna be a play, but hey, theater shut down. So what do we do? How do we how do we move it? You know, seeing all the different aspects. It's like making your short film. How do you now take that short film and make it into a feature and not only produce it yourself, but distribute it yourself because we are in a time right now where that is possible. 20 years ago that was not possible, but you can put the film in a theater yourself. If you have the 20 grand for the week and you have your DCP ready to go, you can put it in a theater, you can four wall it and from that then start creating a buzz. You know, we don't have to wait for the industry to recognize us or to, you know, you're pitching stories and they don't get it and they don't buy it, and then you feel like a failure, or you feel like you don't have the goods, and that's not true. The truth is that you are relying on somebody that doesn't see your vision. How do you do it? You I heard you say on an interview about you and Judy, we are small but mighty, and that's all we need. All we need are small and mighty people, all we need are small and mighty people. You know, uh uh David killed Goliath. He was small, but he was mighty. He took out the giant. All we need are small and mighty people. So I'm just telling you that, Miseray. It is about taking the reins, taking your reins and saying, I'm making this happen. I'm taking this to the next level. I'm doing it. Believing. As I was listening to you talking through this interview, I hear faith is believing in something that's not there as though it is there. You know, we have to have faith, right? You have faith as an actor, it's gonna work out. I have faith it's gonna work out. Well, I have faith it's gonna be huge. I have faith it's gonna be huge. I don't know how, I don't know when, but I know God is working on my behalf and it's gonna work out. It's working out. You know, it's it's that thing that the joy comes from knowing that God is working on your behalf.

SPEAKER_01 52:51

Can I just say about faith? And um, so I'll go back a little and say the play that we did that I did with Judy was called In the Parlor. I'll I'll tell you the venture and how it became the short story, the short film. We did that as a play, as a part of a series for ASP Arts Collective, American Slavery Project, and people loved it. Well, I have to backtrack and say when I first read it, when she sent me the script, I thought this would be a great short film. And emotionally, I was so taken because it was black women in the 1800s and their sisterhood and their brilliance, and I don't know that I had ever seen it. And the first rehearsal that we had for it, our director was Diane Kirksy. And one of the things she said to me was, Oh, this pick a great short film. And I agreed with her, but she'd done short films of written, directed, produced. So I thought, surely at some point when she wants to do it as a short film, I'm gonna help her in whatever way possible. And then we had some friends when we did it as a play, we had some friends who came to see it from DC and thought, this needs to be in DC. And they helped us, they sponsored us in being a part of uh March on Washington Film Festival, uh, where we performed it. And again, we got standing ovations and people loved it and wanted to know where it was going. So fast forward 20, well, Diane Kirksy passed away. So I thought, well, she's, I don't know if it'll ever be done as a short. COVID happened. You know, everybody's pivoting, and we're kind of reassessing where are we, what are we going to do. And in 2022, I remember uh having a conversation with uh my ed and saying, This'll be a great short film. What do you think? And he agreed. And so we knew we'd have to reach out to Judy right away. So we reached out to her and she said, Yes, but make sure you get people who know what they're doing. And so this is when, you know, uh being um active in so many parts of the industry comes in handy because I was able to reach out people to people who I knew who were in the film world, and that was their expertise to be able to help. So I got uh Sherry, our director, who said yes, and I was very happy to get her, a friend who's also worked behind the scenes in the industry. I had talked to about producing and was telling her I was interested in Sherry, and she said, Oh yeah, she's got a keen eye, she's multifaceted, and she'd be a great candidate. So once Sherry said yes to uh directing it, I thought, okay, this is gonna be great. And Ed and I were very straightforward with the people that came on to collaborate with us. We were very straightforward and saying, listen, we've never done this before. We're very green, but we are embracing this. This is gonna be a steep learning curve for us. And so we may ask a lot of questions. So just please bear with us as we move forward. And thank you. Um, there was also always the thank you, and you will get paid. It's small, it's a small budget, but you, you know, we really, you know, just kind of loved on our people and know that we didn't want to, we always felt like everybody needs to be paid for the work that they're doing. Understanding that yes, our budget is small. This is us pulling from our savings to get this done, but everyone came on uh very much um in love with the piece, in love with what it stood for. And so we had really strong collaborators, and I was always feeling like you talk about faith and things happening, and then I was always feeling like Diane, although she had passed, she was there to kind of help us along because so many things fell into place. And um, our line producer, Tia Dion Hodge, uh, we had said that her cousin sent her uh our way because her cousin was Mike Hodge, who was the president of SAG, and he had passed away. So we we did a dedication to them at the end of the film because we really felt, you know, there were forces that were helping us to make this uh a success, and the way that things fell into place, the house that we used was built in the 1880s, and our piece took place in 1913, so it was in the space of that time, and the woman who owned the house was very much on board with helping us in any way. She had said, I said to her, I don't know if we can afford you. What are you charging us? And she said, Listen, you let me know what you can pay, and that's what I'm I want to help you with this. I'm on board to help this be a success. And that's what we were met with constantly. And so it was a great, it has been a great road. I have had people who have said to us, Mesareth, this doesn't happen. People don't do their first short film and get into festivals and get awards. That's a kind of rare thing. And I thought, oh, okay, well, I'm happy that it's happened. It hasn't been about the awards or, you know, it's great to get the validation and the acknowledgement, but getting it done was just uh just made us feel really good in and of itself. And, you know, so since then, our our Judy, she's writing for the soap now, um, Beyond the Gates and having a good life. They're doing really well. With me right now, I've had to give myself grace and take my time. I've had friends who say, you know, you're still grieving, and you have been going at this really hard for a good uh, you know, how many years? Well, three or four years. And so just allowing myself grace and moving forward and not feeling like I have to do something right now. I mean, I am still working little by little, but I think I have been um a little hard on myself. So I'm kind of at the point where I go, okay, let me just take a breath, and it'll happen like it's supposed to happen. So I'm in what one of my friends called, you're in the research stage right now. So take your time, do the work you need to do, and you'll you'll get there.

SPEAKER_00 59:42

But give yourself space and grace and find some people to come under you to help you with the stuff. Get some interns. You know, there's some fabulous uh schools right near you where you can seek out interns from the film department or the theater department to help you and you know, write the list of the things that need to be done so that as you're moving and moving with grace and gently, that you also have other people that are helping because sometimes we think we can do it all by ourselves. You know, you did it all with Ed, he's not here. So, how do you keep it going and how do you celebrate him in moving it forward? He obviously was a big part of this, so how do you get other people to fill those big shoes? Because it sounds like he had big shoes, and so we we want to be mindful of okay, these are the people here's what here's what Ed did. Okay, so if he did these things, then I need to find people who can fill in those spots so we can move it, we can move it forward. What I do know is that a lot of times we try to do it by ourselves and or we don't ask anybody because we don't have the funds, but there are people out there who are willing to support us either financially or just in time that maybe they have two days a week they could offer, you know, five hours a week. What does that look like so that you continue to move the stuff because you are an actor, but you're also a producer. And as producers, how do we align ourselves with people who need the experience, are hungry, and want to be part of something? I can't speak for you, but I can speak for myself. And I'm always looking for interns because what I do know is that when you're a small company, if you bring in an intern, they're gonna get so much more out of the experience than an intern going to a big company where, like the Negro Ensemble, they just want you to sell those tickets for a young person to come into a place where you're moving and you're building something, they get to learn so much. They get they get so much that they can take to the next job and get paid. You know, so so I I I just want to offer that because I've been in the independent filmmaking space for the last about 18 years, and a lot of uh how we've moved our stuff has been through getting interns. You know, I I have found that you gotta give them a little money because if it's just for credit, they ain't coming. They have a lot of excuses, they're not coming. But if you give them a little money, whatever it is that you can't afford, to say, hey, if you can give me five hours a week, I will give you whatever the minimum is. Let's say$100. I'm not good with math. But I'll give you$100 a week, and this is what I need you to do, how much you'll get done. And and if that means sacrificing, going to Starbucks or whatever, so you can pay them, uh, then that's what you do. You know how to work diligently. You your work ethic is impeccable. So being able to bring in interns and then teaching them work ethic, because a you know, that's something that we uh the society is kind of uh falling short on is teaching people work ethic, you know, that there's something to be said about taking that train for two hours to get in the city and then having to take the train back two hours. You know, when I was listening to you telling that story, I was thinking, you know, I did stand-up for 14 years. And the first couple of years, I used to get online at the laugh factory here in Los Angeles at 12 o'clock in the afternoon for eight o'clock show to give three minutes of stand-up material. Three minutes. I had to wait in line eight hours, and we got a half-hour break, enough to go run across the street to McDonald's, get our stuff and run back. And and they would time us. The the other comics would time you because they wanted your spot. So if you weren't back in half an hour, they kicked you out of the line. That kind of stuff grows you. It it forms you. It it says, how how badly do you want this? How badly do you want this? And that that's something you can start giving other, you know, you're an elder now. You can give that to other people. You know, you can give that to young people and say, hey, come on, let me help you. I mean, I went through a period where I had six interns in my house Monday through Friday, and I had them up until uh the pandemic shut us down. I made them breakfast and lunch every day because it was like, I don't have a lot of money to give you, but I can feed you and I can give you gas money. And so we created a lot of work because I had this little team. So I'm just saying, I don't know why I'm saying this to you, but I just want you to know that you're not alone. You just have to cast the net so that you can get the fish. You know, a lot of times we don't think about casting our nets, but I'm telling you, cast your net, bring in those fish. I know you're going through your mourning right now, but what helps us in mourning is to have a purpose to keep us going. And sometimes if we're if we're in too much pain, we don't move. And what keeps us alive is movement, you know, and how do you honor the love of your life by moving that ball, girl? You honor him by moving that ball. You know, this is for you, Ed, every day. This is for you, Ed. We're making this happen. You started it, I'm gonna make sure it gets finished. I'm gonna make sure it gets finished. So it it is, you know, you have a lot of gifts and you have a lot more life to live. And so now move gently. Uh I'm but keep moving. Move gently, but keep moving because there's a lot for you to do. What is great about you is that you are not walking with your ego in front of you, which is what has made you a really wonderful collaborator. So we need those people, we need people like you to say, let's move this ball, let's move this, let's, you know, we're small but mighty. I'm a believer in the small and mighty. You know, my my thing is we're the little train that could. The could, yes. Yes, we see. Yes, you can.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:18

Yes, you can, yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:19

You know, it's like it's it's not about because it's your first time you can't do it. It's about, are you hungry? You know, it's are you hungry? Let's go. You're hungry, let's go. You're not you're not trying to jump in front of anybody, but you're hungry. And when you're hungry, you get to eat. You know, it says if you're willing and obedient, you get to eat the good of the land. It doesn't say, well, if you worked for 10 years, then you get to eat the good of the land. It says, no, if you're willing and obedient, willing and obedient, okay. You know, God's given you a purpose, He's given you a mission, He's given you a vision. And with that vision, we have to ask for the provision. And the provision is not just the finances, but it's the people. We need people to help us move that train. We need people to help us get that that project finished. And so it's like, okay, God, you gotta bring it. You gotta bring it now. Let's go. Bring it. Let show me how. Show me. you know, show me how to do this with two dollars and fifteen cents. It's not just pivoting. What I've learned is that it's being resourceful without what you think the resources are that you need. Right? Because we sometimes uh we think, well, I need a million dollars to make this movie. No, you don't. You just need to be resourceful. Cause you go knocking on doors and say, hey, can we use your place? Uh when do you shut down midnight? Can we be in there from from 1230 to 530 and we'll clean up before you come in and we'll do whatever is needed. We'll put it back in order. It's how bad do you want it? And and you are sitting on some beautiful work that the world needs to see. So how will you get it done? The short film is great but that's just the beginning. How do you move that piece? How do you honor Ed by completing the mission? I will shut up now.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:30

I will I will go back to uh I will go back to uh asking you another uh another lovely question here thank you because everything you said I I heard and I will be able to put into action at some point so I I got it all and and thank you I'm I'm open to receiving the the blessings that you're giving me today with all of that yeah your experience and uh whoo thank you man and you will and and you will you will get it done and I'm speaking to you not ethereally I'm speaking to you because I know it can be done.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:13

I've produced several things but one of the things I'm most proud of is um we did a documentary called Making the Five Heartbeats and we did it with no money we did it with so many challenges I used an intern to edit the film because we kept losing in uh editors and there was challenge after challenge after challenge after challenge after challenge after challenge after challenge and it didn't stop but let me tell you when we completed the film I said we are going to win awards we're going to get awards I had no clue uh how to go about it but I was proclaiming we're gonna get awards we're gonna get awards so I submitted it for uh the academy and I submitted it for the NAACP image awards we made it into not the long list of the of the academy but the medium list we got we got to the list right before it it cut off to the five that was huge considering didn't know what to do and I kept calling the guy so what do I do next? Okay so I kept calling I know I drove the guy at the academy crazy okay okay so I did this now what do I do okay okay so you got to tell me what's the next thing okay wait a minute okay hold on I gotta write it down and I just kept calling and calling till I got the answers and then with the image award um I I found out how many people were voting I said so how many people actually vote for this and they was like oh it's about 1520 I said well okay how many people do you have in membership they said 300 okay tomorrow I will bring you 300 videos for your membership in bags we had them ready to go to be mailed out everything was packed how did I get it done with my interns my interns we're doing this we're doing this we're getting this done so I'm just saying to you that it's about being resourceful yeah and not looking at asking questions keep asking questions okay so what do I do how do I get this done what do I need to do who do I know who can help I need to call you know and then as we were going we found out oh we have to have a a screening we have to screen the movie for seven days in a theater in Los Angeles we have to screen it in a theater in New York oh okay what does that what does that entail oh we need a DCP but we can't use the same DCP here that we use there because it's a different machine so we had to get different DCPs in order to give it to the theaters and and then we had to have little press screenings and and it was like okay well we can't afford to cater it so I made the food I cooked all the food that was needed for these screenings. I did well I'm just saying to you how hungry you have to be in order to get your vision to come to pass.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:35

No I was going to say just in all the things you're you're doing and didn't know and asking questions we were blessed enough to have I mean she was an actor I knew her as an actor but she also did her own shorts and a series I think she did on YouTube so I knew she would know how to do it. I brought her on as our line producer for the short and so she knew the steps ahead but I think this is funny I was thinking okay we get it done and she'd say you know well at some point we're gonna do festivals and get into festivals and I thought okay but I want to stay focused this is what we have to do today. We're trying to get you know the form filled out for SAG because it's a lot. But I didn't know I'm thinking okay yeah we want to get into festivals. Well we'll just reach out to the festival and we'll say we would like to be in your festival no that's not how it's done we don't make the decision the festivals make the decisions. I had no idea so when we started to get accepted you know we were jumping for joy oh my gosh this is great. So it was good to have people who knew you know all the steps ahead the 10 steps ahead so they were very much keeping the eye their eye on the ball for the end or where we needed to be so that really helped me out so much. So I completely understand that thing of when you say ask questions and Ed and I were asking questions all the time okay so what do we do here and what happens here and when do we so we we started a year kind of a year before we actually did it and gave us ourselves that time uh to do everything and to get the collaborators on board that we needed to get on board to move it forward. And so it was you know it's it was a good life a good journey and it still is a good journey we had intentions of it going into colleges but the way that the climate is right now some professors that we were in talks with they don't have you know the budget. And so we're there's other interests there was interest in screening it.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:44

So you can get it sponsored by certain corporations this is where if it's for higher learning or if it's for high school you can put together a little curriculum with the with the film maybe do a four week thing and reach out to some sponsors that are not DEI adverse that you know that are for the youth that are for education what you know that there still are people out there who didn't buy into the nonsense of uh GEI and Sue but if you put it out there you're gonna get a return I just I just want to encourage you in that because sometimes we go oh well it's bad right now it just who are you talking to right well there is somebody else that is interested in sponsoring a screening of it so there's still things happening it's just time I guess yeah and also you got a lot of HBCU schools that you can run it by start there you know community colleges Megrevers think outside the box of where to put it and bring in people that the thing is just to come up with a proposal that really speaks to people's hearts why is this project so needed you know why why this project we think this project is needed because and it would help the young people because and in this climate turn it around in this climate we need this we need this in this climate what can you help us with so I just think there's a lot there for you and not to get discouraged in the middle of your grieving but to see opportunities in the challenge because there's a lot of opportunities there is just looking past the challenge is looking past the no's and going oh wait a minute I can do this I can do this it's it's there's no stopping you you know if you have faith in God he's gonna he's gonna carry you through is just you opening yourself up you know okay God bring it bring it Lord I'm ready send me that there's a scripture in the Bible that says send me send me Lord send me and so just just so you know just so you know that's available to you.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:30

Thank you thank you so much. Yeah because I have things in my head and I have people in my head it's just you know when the the time will come when it will happen I'll maybe that's the best way to say it. And in the meantime last year I did four acting things so that was you know I'm and I'm still doing stuff so it's it's it's balancing those two things and life which we all are doing.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:55

And what would you like to be doing let's say five years from now what would you have liked to have accomplished okay see now you know in my head I'm thinking man plans and God laughs. But let me tell you because we are told I believe it's Joel 225 it says to write the vision down, make it plain maybe it's not Joel. I think it's Joel and it will come to pass. So it it's not about God laughing at our plans he wants us to be in alignment with him. Okay Lord I'm bringing this to you tell me what I need to redo you know let's work on this together. It's not God laughs at our plans he laughs at our plans when we don't include him and we don't seek him to show us I have this idea Lord how can I move it forward or is this the idea you want me to move forward because there are good ideas and then there are God ideas and we want to be aligned with the God ideas. When we are aligned with the God ideas doors open that they just fly open even when we're ignorant they fly open i and I think the thing is to write the vision down. The Bible tells us write the vision down and though it tarries wait for it for it will surely come so we write our goals we write the vision we write what we want and then we keep presenting it to God so that he can tweak it the Holy Spirit can come in and and and just have at us if if you have a vision if you have a goal and you keep looking at it okay what what can I do here? What can I do here? And trust I love sitting with it at night and then asking God what do I do with it tomorrow and then waking up and writing down what the answer is because God does talk to you if you listen. So I just want to be specific in we have to have plans.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:53

I have some plans in my head and I'm and I'm very much in the I guess you could say research as my friend says the research stage of it um so okay so to answer your question in five years it would be great to have finished those or at least be involved with them that they're happening.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:13

Okay so let's put that in in the faith in five years I will have finished this God will have brought what I need and we will have it done. In five years God will have brought in every piece of equipment and and people and collaborators yeah he will bring it all it will be accomplished within five years. Our mouth is powerful what we say is powerful. If we believe then we can we we can have what we believe the Bible says if you believe it you'll receive it. It doesn't say you may get it you may not get it it's all about are you believing for it and if you say it you will you know it will come to pass. That's what the manifestation that we hear about is what they've taken from the Bible. They've taken that from the Bible they just haven't given God credit for it but that's you know say it believe it walk in it in the book of Joshua uh chapter one it says you know meditate on the word day and night and you will make your way prosperous the fact that we are focusing on it day and night we we make it come to pass there's there's other scriptures in the Bible that talks about our faith making it happen our faith that we have the faith for it so it is it it's it's going it's going it's the trust factor of yeah God God gave me this vision I always believe I was supposed to be an actor and I am doing what God told me to do. I'm not listening to knuckleheads I'm not listening to the naysayers I'm not listening to the haters I'm just walking in what God told me to do. And I'm not saying it it it happens in five minutes, but I am saying it does happen.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:55

And can I speak to something happening? We were just finishing doing uh the play and Ed and I were coming home and I remember saying to him I never thought of being a producer but I love this this is such a joy I'm able to you know not only act but be able to use other talents that I just didn't even think about and other skills that I have and when I was telling him this I kept hearing filmmaker filmmaker filmmaker and I said oh and maybe someday I'll be a filmmaker and then it stopped and four years later we did keepers of the flame. So sometimes it's being still and listening to I don't know our guardian angels listening to God and where they're trying to take us the journey that we have ahead of us. So there's that you know faith and also being open and you know listening to our instincts because I think that's very strong in guiding us where we need to be and what we need to be doing and they help to keep us on the right track. And thank you for all of your wisdom oh my gosh thank you Lydia you are on God's journey and so he's opening the way for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:28

When things come flying out of our mouth like that it is because it is in us. Yeah you know it it's just in us it's like you may not have realized that this was the mission God had you on but he's been downloading and downloading and putting stuff in you and it's like oh okay all right that's what I'm supposed to be doing. That fifth grade girl who won five dollars for memorizing the Gettysburg address it it it that was the beginning of God planting in you saying I've I've given you this okay I want you to do this that that that incentive to memorize that$5 incentive to memorize the whole Gettysburg address got you to be the narrator of a school play then it got you to go forward and and and go into college and I know you had started as a dancer but he wanted you to be the actress so there was no dance department at your college it was just acting so he has guided you along the way he has made a way for you where there has not been one so it is just he's bringing it he's bringing it so I I just want you to know that God's got you and as you are ready to walk he is ready to provide sometimes we have so much clutter in our way that we cannot move. We're overwhelmed by the clutter of of hearts the clutter of mind the clutter of relationships and we can't see past it. But when we clear that and we start walking then he provides then he brings the people he brings the resources he brings whatever it is that he's it's needed he brings it I don't know if you've ever done the artist way yes yes I did the book I have the book yes so it it's part of that you know as you start clearing things out that are keeping you from being the artist that you are then synchronicity shows up and God is able to then appear and go, okay, I I got this for you I got this for you let me let me take you here let me take you there I'm bringing this person that's gonna come right in your face today and tell you something good. That's what he does. That is what God does and it happens because we are walking willing and obedient to the call okay I'm gonna do this I'm gonna do this I'm gonna do this and you and you walk with such a humility that you are not encumbered by much you know it's the actor or the creative who is so ego driven that they they can't get out of their own way so God can't God can't show up because their ego is so big and they sabotage along the way you know but you just I'm I just want you to just breathe and walk. Just breathe and God will give you what you need I just breathe and walk girl that's all I can say to you is that that's what he's got and even though you didn't get to dance with prince you can dance with princes you will dance with princes oh thank you oh my gosh so Lydia you have done so much work I'm thinking uh yeah did we just talk yesterday did I tell you any of this stuff oh my gosh yes before we go what can you tell the older actor out there who has lost hope who has felt like they are no longer relevant I would say think back to what made you started your career what made you want to be an actor latch on to that perhaps that will help to open you back up to the joys of what you were doing and perhaps even open doors for you.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:44

I think sometimes if we get to a place where we feel despondent despair sometimes it's just about going back to the beginning just sitting still for a minute and reconnecting and prayer right prayer is essential and whatever way you know some people may call it meditation whatever you want to call it but just reconnecting to the source and um remembering what brought you to it what the joy what was it that made you want to do it I think will help.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:21

Oh my goodness Mazarette Mazarette Mazarette she is fire let me tell you actor you two are fire you just need the right tools you need the right guidance you need the right help so let me help you come join the circle that is acting smartercircle.com where we support we give strategies and we bring in industry to give you more information don't go anywhere because we got another great video coming up right now and remember don't just talk the dream work the dream so that you can be unstoppable.