Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Lee Weaver.
Hi Jennifer Lee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well…I came from humble beginnings in Northern Jersey, the close-to-but-not-quite-and-not-as-cool suburbs of New York City. I came to Los Angeles with a little cash from bonds I got as a kid and a lot of dreams. This city almost killed me, no, I am not being flippant. But I am still here.
Whilst pursuing my artistic endeavors I came out as bi-sexual, fell in love, got married, overcame cancer, lost my mother and then 18 months after that I lost my wife to cancer. Since then I have a wonderful new romantic relationship and a great career team with newfound hope. If that’s not a comeback story, I don’t know what is!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been filled with potholes, much like the streets of this city! I did always have a great support system and for that, I am quite grateful. All of those struggles could have been compounded otherwise. Perhaps there was always a sense of strength buried somewhere deep down that kept me going forward. Losing my mom, my uterus, and my spouse all in a few short years is a lot.
People in my life often told me I was brave. The thing is, I felt I didn’t have much choice. Like the old adage, yes, what didn’t kill me made me stronger. But like Indiana Jones, I really could have done without those obstacles so I am the reluctant hero.
I recently was in Mexico at a resort since my partner had a stand-up comedy gig there. At the resort was a Dia de Los Muertos Ofrenda (altar) and I was encouraged to print a photo of both my mom and my late wife to put on it. The last time I was in Mexico before this trip was with my late spouse almost 7 years prior. You can’t write this stuff. Life is strange. It was such a weird moment but also healing…
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a trained union actor who loves all the things: stage, Shakespeare, TV, film, comedy, drama, and some improv. I have a nerdy penchant for history and am always looking to meld those worlds together. All that I have gone through (namely watching both my mother and my spouse die in front of me and my own cancer journey) live in me in a way that’s palpable. Maybe that’s why they say the older you get the more interesting a performer you can become.
Proud moments were when I got to be on Freeform (formerly ABC Family) and Netflix mainly because they followed particularly difficult moments in my personal life. The workshop of my solo show, “The Great Brain Robbery,” which I am revamping, is a feat. Taking up ballet as an adult is another!
My late wife had several projects in varying stages of fruition I would help develop. “Last Seen” was the last project we worked on together. It is a short web series but more of a proof of concept for a full true crime genre television series. I hold onto hope that and her other amazing projects find continued life along with the new projects and collaborators in my journey. There is room for all of it.
One of my latest endeavors with a friend is a pretty tall order, a docu-series called One Love Forward. With this project, we hope to show the similarities of those humans around us in this increasingly divided climate. OneLoveForward.com explains more!
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Travel, performing, dancing, finding fun vintage or antique things. A spirited, inspiring conversation with an old friend gives life to my week. My partner and I found an old cabinet at the Rose Bowl Flea Market before they closed up for the day and you couldn’t wipe the giddy smile from my face! I love places with a rich history and I just love talking to people from all over. There is a great quote from a play I was in that says “It’s the banality of things that makes them holy.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jenniferleeweaver.com
- Instagram: jenniferleeweaver
- Other: OneLoveForward.com
Image Credits
Theo & Juliet (headshots)
