Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Lee Roberts
Hi Courtney Lee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have had a passion for acting since I was in my first play at just 5 years old. Throughout elementary and middle school I jumped at any opportunity to be on stage and by eighth grade, I was running and directing the drama class. In high school, I had an exceptional drama teacher (Jeffery McKinnon) who introduced me to the wild world of physical and epic theatre through his drama classes and directed me in 8 shows over the course of 4 years. Jeff inspired me to take my gift for acting seriously, and I was accepted into Southern Oregon University’s theatre program my senior year of high school with the intention of pursuing a career as an actor upon graduation. The day before classes started I received a phone call that my dad had not shown up to work for the past two days after dropping me off at school, and it was soon discovered he passed away from a massive heart attack the morning after he returned home. I tried my best to stay in school for him as he was my best friend who had endlessly supported my dreams of becoming an actor;but losing him was absolutely devastating and rocked my entire foundation. Due to a multitude of reason I dropped out of school within 6 months and fell into a dark period in which I thought I would never pursue acting again. I worked in kitchens, grocery stores and a variety of retail jobs; and tried to forget about my old dreams as best I could. However, this all changed when I was working at a smoothie food truck in a small town in North idaho. I briefly mentioned to a customer that I ‘used to to do theatre’ to which she responded “Courtney! You’re fun! You should start a kid’s theatre group’. This small comment eventually inspired me to start a beginning youth theatre program(Sandpoint Showstoppers) with a local non-profit (Pend Oreille Arts Council), and eventually led to me partnering with the local school districts and other arts based non-profits to produce and direct multiple youth theatre programs year round. After two years of running two different youth theatre education programs, and seeing the passion that my students had for acting; I slowly began to remember my own dreams of pursuing a career as a performer. It started with the desire to rekindle my love for physical theatre at The Flying Actor’s Studio (a physical theatre school run by Master Mime James Donlon), but eventually led to me realizing that I wanted to give my all into pursuing a career as an actor. Without a doubt, I know it was my students that inspired me to follow my dreams again and I will always be grateful to them for that gift. I knew I would be unable to do this in the secluded town of North Idaho and while teaching full time, so I decided put aside my career as a youth theatre teacher and make the leap to pursue a career as an actor in Los Angeles. I arrived in Los Angeles in September of 2023, and have done my best to start my career as an actor and artist. I have worked on a variety of short films, acted in the Hollywood Fringe Festival and shot my first feature film in the summer of 2024.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would not describe my path to LA as a smooth one, but I would not change it as it has made me the person that I am today. Losing my father greatly impacted my early adult hood. My father and I truly were best friends, and he was one of the wittiest and kindest men that you would ever meet. He was constantly described as the type of man that would ‘give you the shirt off his back’ and was a true friend to all those close to him. Even though he was highly rational and more on the analytical side, he supported my intentions to have a career as an actor without a doubt, and always made it to every performance, which meant the world to me.Two years after he passed I lost my cousin, Kayla, who was another central role model in my formative years. She was brilliant, funny,intelligent, and genuinely lit up every room she walked into. She had just passed the bar and settled into a cabin in the woods with her girlfriend when she suddenly passed away the day before Thanksgiving at just 30 years old. Seeing her lose her life at such a young age with so much potential brought on another immense period of grief, but also an appreciation for how short life is and to live life to the fullest as you never know which day maybe your last. My struggles of overcoming grief have been central to my development as an artist and human. Learning to live with loss, accepting that some days are harder than others(and that’s okay!), and finding little ways to honor those that I have lost have helped me grow and move forward with my life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At my heart, I am an actor as my favorite, most natural form of storytelling is understanding behavior and then fully inhabiting a character. I love the challenge of learning a new world and how my role works within the circumstances of the story. I have a background in physical theatre and mime which brings a unique type of physicality to each role that I take on. I also have quite a wild imagination which I use to vividly bring each of my characters to life. The stage is where I first started acting, but LA has helped me find a new passion for acting on camera. I have recently been studying at Berg Studios, his teaching and technique has helped me refine my approach to acting. It is my goal as an actor to make my audiences feel something, and make them think more deeply about the human condition.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see this industry evolving with the development of new technologies (AI) and entertainment formats (vertical productions). However, I don’t believe that you can ever truly replicate the craft of acting except through another human. The task of understanding behavior, circumstances and emotion is an immense undertaking which (hopefully) leaves an audience in awe and challenges or enhances their world view. So while I could see screen acting having a major shift in the near future, I truly believe that you can never take away the magic if live theatre.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.courtneyleeroberts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneyleeroberts_?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://linktr.ee/courtneyleeroberts?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=5f850d78-218d-4d2f-adf8-f9ec1c3a25c2
Image Credits
Headshots: Lily Lilova
