Check Out Katherine Swick’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Swick

Hi Katherine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My pursuit of acting started with a $2 improv flyer I found on a table in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2018. My background was in fashion design and business, and I was living and working in Cambodia helping train and employ women, that had come out of sex trafficking, at a production center. I thought improv sounded fun and would be a light hearted balance to all the trauma I was surrounded by at work. I left that class feeling I’d found what I was created for. When I moved back to the United States in 2021 after over 5 years abroad in SE Asia, I moved to Los Angeles and started taking acting classes and workshops. I studied abroad for a summer at LAMDA in London and then was accepted into the Stella Adler Professional Conservatory at the Art of Acting Studio in Los Angeles. From there I’ve been apart of short films, theater productions, voice over projects, and standup comedy.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m dyslexic and have ADHD, which means I’m highly creative, people oriented, but always take the scenic route, and am always running a few minutes late. My journey isn’t a traditional route in acting. I didn’t have my first role until I was 32, after I auditioned for the Vagina Monologues in Cambodia and I didn’t perform my first standup until later that year. I spent a lot of time worrying I was starting too late or was too old, but what I discovered along the way was, I had lived such unique life experiences, it added to and deepened my acting. I have such a deeper understanding of humanity. Nothing was waisted. It hasn’t been easy, I’ve sacrificed a lot to pursue what I love and what I was created for. I’ve had to work really hard on timeliness in an industry that isn’t very forgiving, which isn’t easy when you naturally don’t feel time. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that God always finds a way to provide for me and open doors as they’re needed, and his timing is always better.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Being such a high creative I’ve had quite a few artistic pursuits over the years from studying at the London College of Fashion, interning for the Crown Princess of Greece’s clothing line, making costumes for the West End and TV shows, tailoring on Netflix sets and for the GRAMMYs, making a gown for the red carpet, running my own clothing line, revamping retail stores, to painting murals and making custom art pieces. So stepping into acting, was just adding another hat to my creative pursuits. I’ve always had a very unique voice, so voiceover was a natural step into acting. I also love making people laugh, being goofy and playful, so improv and stand up comedy were also a natural progression for me. What I think has surprised me as well as others I’ve worked with is actually my ability to play more serious and complex roles, which I think comes from working for many years with women who have overcome abuse and trauma. I bring a very unique world view for a girl that grew up in a tiny town in Idaho, then moved abroad, lived in big cities, and traveled all over the world. My heart is to tell truthful stories that shed light on genuine humanity and my unique adventures have allowed me space to pursue this.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I’ve always been a bit of a wild child. My super cool purple bike as a child even said it. I never dressed the same as others, was quite the dare devil, and always was making someone laugh as a kid. I was an extreme extrovert and had friends from every social group at school. I had big dreams and honestly most of them came true, minus being an astronaut, but there’s still time left. I lived in the woods building forts and creating whole worlds with my imagination and best friend, I hiked hillsides and went skinny dipping with my great grandmother, I took dance classes, knew how to win an argument with my big sister, attempted multiple instruments, played every sport our little town offered, and spent almost every weekend skiing and snowboarding in the winter and water skiing in the summer. I was pretty blessed to have a very wonderful and involved family, to grow up in a small town and have opportunities to play sports and dance that would have been more challenging in a larger populated area. I lived outside from sun up until sundown, ran wild, and was raised by the whole town; I was even named most inspirational golfer and cheer captain and made most of my own clothes. Life has always been an adventure.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katherineswick.com
• Instagram: @kat_swick
• Other: IMDB: Katherine Swick

Image Credits
Headshots: Chris Jon Photography
Gallery Shot: Jonn Sherrill on Film