Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Gardner.
Hi Casey, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I began as one of those kids who had an insatiable appetite for trying anything and everything. Unfortunately, my poor mother and her wallet had no other choice but to acknowledge this. Growing up in the suburbs of Kansas allowed me to expose myself to a number of extracurriculars, including sports, dance, choir, student leadership, and many, many more. I vividly remember rushing from a dance rehearsal, shoving a burger and fries into my stomach, then quickly changing into cleats and a softball uniform to make it to a game on time. I guess from an early age, I discovered the magic of becoming another version of myself. I found a deep thrill in exploring all of these passions. Attempting to mesh them all together before the curtain rose and it was my time to shine as the cheerleader or the chorus member. However, out of all of these activities the one that electrified me like no other was being on the stage.
My first-ever audition consisted of a horrendous case of strep throat, a pair of pink pajamas, and an unpublished 1-minute monologue that I learned overnight. Yet, despite the terrible odds, this ridiculous audition landed me the lead of our school play. From then on, I was hooked. I continued in all of my other endeavors but soon realized that it is much easier, and much more fun to act all of them out under a proscenium.
From then on, my love for the craft was graciously nurtured by numerous teachers and mentors. They inspired me to take this art form seriously. I learned the basics of a theatre, how to navigate it, how to take direction, and how to place my ego aside in order to serve the story. I am forever grateful to have learned these values so early on. I believe that it is this foundation that helps me flourish as an artist today.
In 2017, I attended the University of Southern California, moving halfway across the country in order to turn my dreams into reality. I sure as hell was not in Kansas anymore. I completed my Bachelor of the Arts in Theatre, graduating in 2021 with the surplus of skills necessary to finally begin my career. Since college, I have begun to understand what the life of an artist really looks like. I now know how to navigate the entertainment industry as a new talent. My training has paid off, and I feel very lucky to have booked numerous roles during my time post-grad. Some of my credits include All-American: Homecoming, BET’s TV movie The Missing, and the lead in the North American premiere of Miriam Battye’s play Scenes with Girls.
Although I am no longer the girl with a million activities to do, I still find her in the countless characters I get to play and audition for. This journey has only just begun.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Although I feel very grateful for all of the opportunities I’ve had thus far, it has definitely not been easy. Like many actors, I have really struggled to transform my passion into a career. And as we all know, merging art with business isn’t the happiest of matches. I have found it really challenging to figure out the kind of actor I want to be in an industry dedicated to deadlines and revenue.
When I first started acting, it was really simple to focus on just that – acting. I had all of the time in the world to play, explore with other kids, and try things in ways that were scary and unique. I felt limitless in my art. And I had a fearlessness in the ability to fail without consequence. I took chances, disregarded opinions, and felt unstoppable. However, I was in for a rude awakening because that kind of luxury is not really afforded in the ‘real world.’ Especially when time is the currency we’re all fighting for.
In order to be “successful” and truly make a life out of this career, I’ve had to pick up many technical skills along the way. Especially in a market that has become increasingly digital. The day-to-day of my life as an actor is not as glamorous as my 14-year-old self-envisioned. A lot of my time consists of understanding the basics of self-taping, website design, networking, and patience. Although, I am still working on the patience part. Throughout this journey, I’ve had to uncover my role in the entertainment industry as a whole. How casting offices see me, how marketable my complexion may be, and how to stand out in a virtual room of 3,000 are all things that I have had to adapt to. Yet, when combined, all of these tasks can quickly suck the beauty out of the job. And as much as I want to take all the time to explore characters and the worlds they live in, sometimes deadlines don’t allow this. Sometimes, there isn’t room for play, but rather technical execution. This industry moves fast, and I have to remind myself that my art must fit within the process and not hinder it.
I know that this objectivity is helpful, allowing me to not take myself so seriously. But, oftentimes, knowing that my passion is also a business can feel confining, frustrating, and overwhelming. I miss the days when I could spend countless hours getting lost in my own character’s mind. Dreaming of the day when my adult self would be able to act in movies for young girls like me to see.
It can be a real battle to not become bogged down with the logistics. Yet, the more that I learn, the more space I have to enjoy the artistic process. And the more time that passes, the more that I allow myself to tap back into that little version of me. I know that this is a business, but I also know it’s my business, and I get to decide who I want to become, no matter how long that takes.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an actor, and majority of my work can be seen on stage or on camera. However, I love to tell stories in any capacity, and I have aspirations in directing and production as well. One of my main goals in my career is to own my own production company dedicated to telling stories by, for, and with people of color. I think it is very important to not only tell diverse stories but to also create environments throughout the process that are reflective of those stories’ populations as well.
Within my storytelling, I tend to gravitate towards very complex, dark, and often misunderstood female characters. I love powerful women and showing the humanity behind the many masks that they wear. I find the most horrible characters are often the ones that are easiest to find a bit of ourselves in, as scary as that may be. Although many of my exploration into these types of women has been through my acting, I so look forward to directing stories such as these also. Some of my greatest inspirations for directing are Ava Duvernay, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Greta Gerwig. These women masterfully depict stories of womanhood full of intensity, ugliness, power, and beauty. While seeing women in this light is something that can often be shy’d away from in modern media, these directors dive right into the grit, not holding anything back. I plan to continue in this legacy and show the full breadth of a women’s power through the honesty in their stories.
I believe my tenacity and determination is what sets me apart from others. Growing up as an only child with her feet in just about everything has etched the notion of never giving up into my literal being. I’ve had many setbacks throughout my life, whether they be financial, racial, or even equitable, but I’ve never given up. If anything, these challenges have only made me stronger and maybe a little more determined.
This trait not only makes me a great artist – forever inquisitive and forever curious. But I believe it also makes me a great friend and colleague. I am willing to do whatever it takes to fight for the people I love and the things I believe in. There is no task too big or too small that I won’t happily do in order to get the job done. I use this determination as fuel. It helps me to know that I am doing something that I truly love with people whom I respect, admire, and care about.
Acting is a really demanding career. It requires laser focus, self-discipline, and an enormous amount of hard work. But anyone that knows me knows that that is something I gleefully run towards. I feel so grateful to be an actor, and I’mma keep on running until the good lord tells me it’s time to quit.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson that I have learned is to truly just enjoy the freaking journey. As simple as that.
I’ve spent a lot of my life fighting for control. I’m a hyper-aware, anxious, only child, for Christ sake. I don’t know if I’ve ever truly grasped how to ‘relax.’ And being in a major city, pursuing a career that so many people dream of doesn’t make relaxing any easier. However, this challenge has been a necessary life lesson for me.
Within acting, there are so many factors that I cannot control. Booking a job is dependent on numerous opinions and a plethora of finite details. Majority of this career is hopping on the audition conveyor belt and then learning to live a full life in the in-betweens. Initially, this realization was a really tough pill for me to swallow. How can I, Casey Gardner, be considered an actress if I’m not acting? This question became incessant as I witnessed many of my peers succeeding in the same thing I so desperately wanted to do. Movie premieres, rising to the coveted series regulars, a stable income; all of these things feel so far away. Like they are waiting for me at the top of a seemingly impossible hill to climb. “When will I reach the top?”. But that’s just it. There is no when. The real reward is all about the how.
Relinquishing control has given me a lot of freedom. It has helped me to stop comparing myself to others around me and to focus on the path that I’m on. I’ve begun to view my colleague’s success as motivation rather than competition. I see their wins as a sign that my time is coming right around the corner. I’m no longer concerned with proving to the world that I am accomplishing something. Rather, I’m much more interested in the things that I’m learning along the way.
I’ve been able to dedicate a big portion of my artistic journey to understanding myself outside of it. “Who am I?” and “Who do I want to be?” both as an actor and as a person. I think it has been very easy for acting to become my identity. To some degree, a career does slightly define us. Yet, we are not really what we do. Yes, I am an actor, but I’m Casey first. And for a long time, I was never forced to get to know who she really is. I feel like letting go of control is giving me the space to understand her: what she wants, what she likes, and who she wants to become. I would be lying if I said I had the answer to all of these questions. I think I might spend a lifetime searching for them. But that journey is the thing that keeps me going, even in moments of great self-doubt. I am still learning who I am, but I won’t forget enjoy all of the in-betweens.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.caseygardner.net
- Instagram: Casey_Gardner
Image Credits
Camilo Urdaneta
Paul Smith Photography
Dillon Matthew
Craig Schwartz
