Life & Work with Amy Letcher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Letcher.

Hi Amy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It feels almost cliché to say it, but truly, for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an actress. Growing up on the outskirts of a tiny town in the South African countryside, that was actually quite a painful thought because I had no real access to the entertainment industry and it seemed like an impossible dream. So my start as an actor was creating worlds and characters and stories in the trees of the African countryside for an audience of birds and antelope. Sounds like a fairytale. Snow White vibes. But the reality – or at least what I was told – was that my tree-theatres were probably the closest I’d ever come to being an actor.

But for every nay-sayer, there was also someone who believed in me, and I firmly believe that I am where I am because of them. I have an incredibly supportive family, and I’m so thankful for them. My mother would scour the internet for theatre programs and courses I could take, and in her searching she found AFDA Film School in Cape Town. So I headed to the Cape. Living in Cape Town, finally getting a taste of the world I’d dreamed of since I could dream; it felt surreal. But it was short-lived (for the best possible reason). One of my lecturers at the university approached my family and me and suggested I audition for an acting conservatory in Los Angeles. So I did, and a month later, I was on a plane to a country I had never been to, with a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.

I’m so grateful for AADA – it was such a critical landing pad. I knew truly nothing about the industry, and AADA gave me invaluable training and friends in a city and culture that were so foreign to me. After I graduated from AADA, I started where I think everyone starts – going to every audition I could, working on student films to build up my resumé and reel, looking for reps. I really enjoyed the screen-combat classes at AADA, and so continued training with a sword-fighting troupe after graduation and ended up booking a role in a really top-notch student film that needed sword skills. On that set, I met stunt coordinators Jan Bryant and Dan Speaker, and they suggested me to another director they were working with at the time, which turned into my first paid gig as an actor!

I wish I could say that from there, it was a simple, step-by-step path to where I am, but the truth is, it’s been a real journey of faith. I had to go back to South Africa for a year in 2016, and it was a daunting thought; to be away from LA for a whole year when I’d just started getting work there as an actor. But South Africa is where I ended up booking my first guest star – as Lydia on Black Sails. It’s also where I found my feet as a working actor and developed the solo show that I ended up performing on Theatre Row in New York. I came back to LA, signed with my reps, and continued to build momentum with bookings on NCIS, The Romanoffs, The Left/Right Game, Overkill, and a number of international commercials. When 2020 rolled around, I was testing for series regular roles, and I’d just had a producer session for a new CW show when COVID hit. So I found myself in my apartment, with a homemade self-tape studio setup, auditioning for a new office comedy with my cat in my arms – because she attacks the backdrop, and who doesn’t love a good prop-cat? That audition turned out to be ‘PBC’, and now here we are, two years later, having just wrapped season 2.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anything but. I moved to Los Angeles as a teenager, completely alone. I knew no one in America and had never even been to the country before. It was a huge culture shock, and I felt like I was starting ten metres behind everyone else because I was surrounded by people who were (literally) related to Oscar winners and had been on Broadway when they were seven, and I didn’t even know what a headshot was! I could name more breeds of antelope (we call them buck, actually) than I could award-winning directors, and I’d never even heard of the networks that all my fellow actors wanted to be on. I was so out of my depth, so behind, and felt like I might never catch up.

I think belief is one of the hardest things to hang onto in an industry like this one. Belief in yourself, in the things that got you where you are. I’ve always been extremely tenacious, and I think a certain level of just-plain-grit is a must-have in this industry. But it’d be a bald-faced lie to claim that I’ve done this on my own; that it’s just skill and determination and that’s all it takes. So much of where I am is because of the people I’ve been blessed with – my family and chosen family. If I could give one piece of unsolicited advice; find your team. There will be times when the only person who believes in you is you. But there will also be many times when that belief falters because this industry is fickle and sometimes even heart-breaking, and in those moments, it’s so critical to have people who believe for and with you.

I stand on the shoulders of so many people who’ve held me up and championed me, and my hope is that I’ve done the same for them.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work? What do you do/what are you known for/what sets you apart from others? 
One thing I’ve always loved is working with accents – from a young age, I was captivated by languages and accents, and I would mimic anyone and everyone, every chance I had. When I moved to LA, accent work became my bread and butter. I’ve yet to play a South African in my professional career; every role I’ve had has required an accent that isn’t my own. And the more I became known for accent work, the more I’ve been able to stretch and challenge myself, and also help others. Over the pandemic, I had a number of friends reach out and ask for help with accents, and before I knew it, I had started the journey to certification and become an accent coach and researcher.

Over the past two years, that research and coaching has turned into Let’s Chat Accents – a community where actors (and anyone who’s interested!) can explore accents together and can also connect with me for coaching. I absolutely love helping actors portray accents from around the world with authenticity, respect and love – whether it’s for one specific audition or taking the time to build an accent that an actor can put on their resumé and use time and again like I’ve done! Traveling and learning about cultures around the world are a huge passion of mine, and accent work is a beautiful little window into that.

Whenever I’m not on set, that’s where you’ll find me – buried in some phonology breakdown or collecting accent samples from around the world. I love it!

What matters most to you? Why?
I think storytelling is one of the most powerful means for change that we have as a human race. It’s why I love acting; as trivial as it seems to play pretend for a living, I really think that stories have the power to change the world; to make a meaningful difference; to remind us that anything is possible; to leave an impact and reach places and people that I might never be able to go to and meet myself. Which is why I think it’s such an honour to be entrusted with a character and bring their story to life. In a nutshell, I love storytelling, and I love the stories that I get to tell.

Contact Info:

• Website: amyletcher.com
• Instagram: @letcherhairdown
• Other: IMDb: Amy Letcher

Image Credits
Matthew Justmann Photography