Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Cardace.
Taylor, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I would love to say that I first caught the acting bug when I saw an incredible performance by Meryl Streep in one of her many Academy Award-worthy performances, but instead I had big dreams of being one of those child actors who got to draw the Mickey Mouse ears and say, “Hi, I’m Taylor Cardace from (enter tv show here), and you’re watching Disney Channel. Well, that’s only half of it. Growing up on Long Island, New York, I was extremely privileged to be able to see many Broadway shows, and the one that stands out to me the most as far as recognizing I wanted to be an actor was when I saw the actor playing Bobby C from Saturday Night Fever fall to his death. How moving that moment was and only later was it quite ironic since the area of acting that caught me the most was comedy. Quite the opposite. While a member of Thespian Troupe #132, I was quite active on my High School theater scene but was never given the lead or any real opportunities. My greatest accomplishment was winning “Best Ensemble Member” during Senior Arts Awards Night. No joke. This didn’t discourage me, however, and instead, I auditioned for many top theatre schools around the country, my first pick USC being where I ended up. I pursued a B.A. in Theater which gave me extra time to focus on my other interests like Cinematic Arts as well as auditioning outside of the University. I saw going to USC as a way to be in Los Angeles (although I loved the education/experience, don’t get me wrong). However, I knew what I wanted the second I got off the plane. The summer after my Freshman year of college, I got my first agent and began auditioning for tv and film. Since graduating, I’ve continued to audition for tv, film, commercials, and voice-overs. Refusing to wait for the phone call telling me that I booked a gig, I have dove into the worlds of stand up comedy and even started my own podcast as great outlets to be creative.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As a comedian and actor, I’m somewhere in the mix of Lenny Bruce, Fran Drescher, and Sebastian Maniscalco. A lot of my bits, as well as topics I talk about on my podcast, tend to be geared towards what frustrates me. Sounds pessimistic, and sure it is, but as a Jewish New Yorker, I honestly don’t know of any other way to express myself. When I get on stage and open with, “You know what fucking pisses me off…” the audience laughs hysterically because they just don’t expect that. Here’s this 28-year-old woman complaining about Bed Bath and Beyond coupons. It’s crazy, but it’s completely relatable, and I’ll leave the sex and raunchy jokes to the other comics because that just isn’t my forté. Both in my art as well as my everyday life, I just tell it like it is. No bullsh*t.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
This sounds awful, but I think there is just too much competition these days. I do think it’s wonderful that more and more artists are expressing themselves and trying to pursue the impossible, but I’m finding more and more people that look like me in the waiting room these days. I’m constantly on the fence about changing my hair to a ridiculous color just to stick out from the crowd. The positive side of this though, especially in the acting world is that there are so many different outlets to pursue. Not only have the number of television channels increased but we also now have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. We also have outlets like youtube and podcasting where anyone can just pick up a camera/mic and start recording. This is both a blessing and a curse, but if you love it, nothing will stop you.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I’m currently on a short hiatus from stand up, but when I get back into it, I can be seen mostly at Flapper’s and The Comedy Store. My podcast is called Yeah. Okay. Whatever. And that can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, etc. And as far as keeping up with my overall ridiculousness, my Instagram is @taylorcardace. My page is a mix of comedy, mental health awareness, body positivity, inspirational quotes, beautiful landscapes, and baseball. People keep telling me to “have a theme” but ahhhhh screw ’em. This is me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @taylorcardace
- Twitter: @taylorcardace
Image Credit:
Taylor Cardace
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