Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Craig.
Hi Julie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started performing when my parents put me in dance class at age three. But I really fell in love with storytelling when I was about seven years old. I saw my brother in a production of “Finian’s Rainbow,” and I begged my mom to take me to every performance. The following summer I did the play at that theatre, and for the rest of my childhood, I was never NOT in a play. Sometimes they’d overlap or I’d be doing three at once at three different theaters! At the same time, I was juggling dance and voice lessons with play practice and homework. I managed to be a straight-A student, but not because I was naturally super smart. I just worked really hard. My brother set a great example. He was a good student, and I wanted to be just like him. In this way, early on I found the balance between my creative brain and my logic brain to be pretty equal.
Ultimately it was this dynamic that led me to where I am today. I studied acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Funny enough (to illustrate the point actually), I almost graduated with two degrees. My guidance counselor told me I was accidentally a double major – acting and mathematics – because I had been taking a bunch of math classes for fun. That’s a nerdy little fun fact. I always loved math! I was acting three days a week and taking Calc 3 and Statistics the other two. Hence the right brain, left brain balance. I ended up dropping the math degree and graduating early with just the BFA in Drama. After many years of doing theatre in NYC and film/tv in LA as an actor, I have started to add in the hat of Producer more and more. My left brain has finally found its very fulfilling place in my career. I started with producing my own short film, then my first album, and now I am producing other people’s projects that inspire me. I find the balance of acting and producing to be very rewarding.
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?
Is it ever smooth? For anyone?! Ha! The trials and tribulations truly make meeting our goals so rewarding. I struggled with (and still do sometimes) the process of STARTING. Once there is momentum, it’s easy to continue. But starting something, especially something I’ve never done before, is scary. There’s a fear of the unknown, of the unknown unknowns, of embarrassment if I don’t know how or what to do, and most importantly of failure. I recently heard this on one of Oprah’s podcasts…a quote from Wes Moore, “I’d rather flirt with failure than never dance with my joy.” That’s how I feel about the fear when I am met with it, which can be often. The risk is worth it. You don’t get to success without many many failures along the way. Ask anyone who has ever succeeded at anything. Your courage shows up by just doing it. Being an actor is useful in that way. Even with all the preparation in the world, when you go to shoot a scene, if you’re truly in the moment, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You just jump off the cliff and go, dealing with what happens as it happens. It takes trust and vulnerability. Finding that trust in myself as a producer has been hard because it’s new for me. But trust is built in little tiny bits, day by day. Asking for help when I need it can be a struggle too because it’s vulnerable. When I realize that I’ll be no worse off if that person says no, it makes the asking feel a little more like I have nothing to lose. So I try to stay in that headspace instead of the fear-based one.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actor. My most recent recurring role was on an Apple TV+ show called “Truth Be Told,” which is out now. I did 9 episodes of Season 2 with Octavia Spencer and Kate Hudson. Talk about the best of the best in terms of actors and just all-around people. They were a dream to work with. Mekhi Phifer as well. The best.
I am a producer. Most recently, I produced a short film called “Fanatic” starring Andrew Chappelle from the original Broadway cast of Hamilton and directed by Taran Killam who did some of my favorite characters during his 6 seasons on SNL. That film just wrapped post-production and is now being submitted to film festivals for a 2023 premiere! It’s very funny and I can’t wait for the world to see it. I play a small role in it too, and the cast is stacked. It also stars Caroline Rhea, who has a million credits including the classic “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and features a hilarious original song co-written by Este Haim of the group HAIM.
I am a singer. I have an album that’s currently out on all music platforms called “From Here”. I recorded it with a 47-piece orchestra in Budapest. It lives in the classical crossover style most akin to Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. My dream is to sing with them in concert.
I’m proud of my ability to be a multi-hyphenate and break any box the industry might try to put me in. I’m also proud that I’ve had the courage to follow an authentic version of my life. So much power rests there. And that I’ve listened to what lies at the bottom of my heart. No matter how much the world told me it would be too hard. Art is service to me. I love being an artist because it ideally creates connection which makes the world better. We can all feel less alone when we feel truly seen through a character’s story or a song lyric.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Oh yes! It takes a village. I’ve already mentioned one…Oprah’s Super Soul is a good podcast for inspiration. I love Glennon Doyle and her bold mindset about living an authentic life. Her book “Untamed” is one I just finished. Brene Brown’s “The Gifts of Imperfection” is currently on my nightstand. I’m loving it. Another book I found to be totally profound recently is an oldie but a goodie – “Letters to a Young Poet” by Rilke. Just beautiful. Anything by Don Miguel Ruiz too. I seem to not be able to get enough of the new Beyonce album and the new Lizzo album. Both have been on repeat and make me feel unstoppable. So I’d recommend listening to the music that fills you up. Something chemical and spiritual happens to my energy with the right music. Lastly, meditation is my secret sauce. I love the Insight Timer app, and Sarah Blondin’s mediations there are pure magic.
Contact Info:
- Website: imdb.me/juliecraig
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliecraig_/
- Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/juliecraig/from-here
Image Credits
Ericka Kreutz, Gerard Sandoval, Stephanie Girard
