We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jenny Formica. Check out our conversation below.
Jenny, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
How much goes on behind the scenes! I recently started helping coach new actors with self taping and discovered just how much people don’t know about the entertainment industry. I have been doing this for so long, I forgot just how much I’ve learned along the way.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an actor, writer, and voice performer originally from Orange County. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling that’s heartfelt, with a smart wit. A lot of actors say they started in theatre, but I actually started as a child actor auditioning for commercials and TV. Yup, I was one of those kids that someone approached in a store and said I should act and it ended up NOT being a scam.
It did, however, end up with my dad driving me two hours to L.A. after school thus leading to me practically sleeping through every audition…Needless to say, I didn’t book anything and it didn’t last long.
THAT’S when I got into theatre. In middle school I took my first drama class and completely fell in love. All these years later, I’m still in love with it.
I am constantly training in and around LA and am currently focusing on expanding my work in film, voiceover and especially television. I’m also very passionate about authentic representation including creating space for natural redheads like me, whose stories often go untold or misunderstood.
At the end of the day, I just love finding the truth in every story and giving it a voice.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that constantly feels the need to prove I belong. The part that craves feeling “chosen.” It’s a common theme throughout my life, but especially in acting, where so much of the process does revolve around external validation.
Even after all these years, rejection still hurts. I’m not going to lie, it’s something I still struggle with. I’d love to let go of needing everyone else’s approval to feel legitimate. I know that releasing that would give me more creative freedom and peace than anything else.
I’d love to say I’ve mastered the art of internal validation… but unfortunately, internal validation doesn’t pay me.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Oh… multiple! Especially in the last year. Watching all your friends succeed while you stay stagnant is bittersweet. I’m genuinely so happy for them. I celebrate their wins, watch their films and shows, and cheer them on.
But if I’m being honest, every single win I see also makes me feel more like a failure. If you had asked me where I thought I’d be at this point in my life, it definitely wasn’t here. I really thought I’d be farther along, and it’s hard not to take it personally when it feels like no one “wants” you.
I often repeat the Olivia Rodrigo lyric “their win is not my loss” to myself. In fact, I even have that lyric hanging in my bathroom. Yes, my bathroom…it didn’t match my bedroom aesthetic, okay? I’m deep and also, so basic.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
This is going to be a long answer, but here we go.
That natural redheads belong on TV and film, and that there is a real lack of representation for authentic redheads.
Actors with natural red hair, including myself, consistently hear things like:
• “We already have one redhead on our roster.”
• “Redheads are hard to get auditions for.”
• “The contrast of pale skin and red hair is too harsh for camera.”
• “They cast redheaded kids because they’re cute, but no one wants the adults.”
Iconic redheaded characters are often portrayed in live-action projects by non-redheaded actors who are given wigs or dyed hair. This bias also shows up in new characters, where red hair is used as a quick way to signal that someone is “different,” “unnerving,” or “out of place,” yet real redheads are rarely cast in those roles.
For example, in The Queen’s Gambit, both the director and the lead actress said they made Beth Harmon a redhead, even though she was a brunette in the novel, because they wanted her to “stick out like a sore thumb.” In Wednesday, Tim Burton’s team said giving Evie Templeton vivid red pigtails made her appear “slightly more unnerving.”
When redheads are portrayed by dyed or wigged actors, it trains both viewers and casting professionals to see natural redheads as “too pale,” “too freckled,” or visually “off-type.” It becomes a loop (oftentimes even a subconscious one) that discourages authentic casting and reinforces a false aesthetic ideal that keeps real redheads invisible, even in the stories meant to represent them.
When I bring this up, I’m usually met with either “it’s just a joke, get over it” or “I had no idea.” Not many people are aware, and once they are, a lot still don’t agree with me. But what I’m saying is based on fact, history, research, and personal experience.
And hey, if you’re going to call redheads “feisty,” then I might as well be feisty.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I’m a big overthinker, to a fault. I’m constantly aware of how I come across and how everyone around me is feeling. I pick up on the energy of a room and notice small shifts in people’s moods very easily. (Wow, that sounds SO LA.)
It can be exhausting, but it’s also a gift.
I don’t want to claim that I understand this deeply and that others don’t, because I can’t know what anyone else feels. But with that said, I have been told by people close to me that I have a knack for sensing when something feels off, even when no one says a word. It’s something I’ve always noticed in myself too.
I have to not allow myself to go too deep with it or I will spiral, and not in a fun way!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jennyformica.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferformica/
