Meet Bonnie Jean

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bonnie Jean.

Bonnie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a child, I KNEW I was destined to be a famous country singer with rhinestone everything and album after album of songs that would tell life stories young girls like me could relate to. I practiced at every possible karaoke set up at every backyard bbq and Friday night truck pulls at the mud hole outside of my hometown, Lakeland, FL. My first role in a musical was as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. My choir director for the musical joked in rehearsals that we had a “Polk County, country bumpkin” Audrey. I thought that was a compliment. I auditioned for my college theatre performance program after falling in love with the art of acting and shying away from singing. My professor asked me to sing and I performed a Dolly Parton song that I’ve sang on the Karaoke machine a million times. He said I had a twang. I thought this was a good thing. My first audition at college was for Sweeney Todd and my vocal coach told me to sing “On My Own” from Les Mis. I’d never heard of it. Up until now, my parents had only exposed me to old westerns and country music… that’s all we knew. During my song, the directors in the back of the theatre began whispering and then laughing. I cried for a long time afterwards, confused as to why I had to fall in love with an art that I wasn’t very good at. In fact, I was so bad, it was apparently laughable. I took vocal lessons every single semester and invested extra time in acting classes. Over time I found myself caring less about what people thought of my singing voice because I was getting so good at acting, and even better at directing. My last semester in college, I took an acting for the camera course.. and fell right into it. Suddenly, after years of trying to become the perfect basic theatre performer- I found camera acting wanted all of those quirks I had been trying so hard to erase, made me unique. I graduated college and studied Shakespeare in England for a month, no idea what my next move would be. My girlfriend and I made plans to move to New York together. She would go after her singing career because she had the voice blessed by all of the Gods.. and I would pay the bills. I loved her so much it sounded like a fair deal. After she cheated on me and moved to New York with my roommate instead, I thought.. might as well get as far away from New York and Florida as possible.. let’s go to Cali. I packed up my 1999 single cab Ford F-150 and cried the entire drive. Saying goodbye to my mom was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. My drive consisted of tears, deleted texts I wanted to send to my ex, one Gary Allan mix CD on repeat, no air conditioning, and panic attacks that sent me to the side of the road where I would lay flat on the back of my truck and ask God about the point of my existence. Driving through Canyon, Texas and seeing some old coworkers from summer stock theatre reminded me to live life. I stayed there for a week in recovery of love and support. Then I restarted my Gary Allan CD and finished my drive to LA where I’ve been for just four years now. I’m a working actor now in both film and theatre. I sang in a showcase last year called “Authenticity & Badassery” lead by strong and supportive queer professionals. I cried every rehearsal because I didn’t want that laughter from the back of the theatre ever again. Show night came around and I heard my loving girlfriend of two years drunkenly screaming for me in the audience, I see my best friend from Texas in the front row, and I perform my three songs. I lived and breathed through every moment on stage as I looked out at the crowd and overcame this crippling fear I have been clinging to since my very first audition in college. Now I work harder than ever to create my own content, to support queer people, strong women, and love myself more than I thought possible.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s definitely been bumpy. I arrived with absolutely no connections in an industry that’s all about who you know. All of my experience is in theatre and film/tv people don’t always like that. Agents and producers can spot a green actor a mile away and they will take advantage of you until you educate yourself. I found my agent taking 40% of my pay and I thought that was normal. Time and time again, people.. not just men assume they have rights to my body because they’re in a position of power. Being a queer woman with a more femme look tends to become a distracting talking point.. One actor said, “I can’t do this love scene with her because I know she isn’t into men” and one boss made every talking point about my sexuality. I work with a traveling theatre company and ran into awkward moments where some women didn’t want to share a room with me so I roomed with the guys and one guy threw a box of condoms at me as I was getting into bed. I found myself falling into heavy alcohol abuse after months of overwhelming feelings of isolation when I first moved here. Scams became more and more often and homesickness tempts me to move back home and become a hairstylist. I’ve been bitten by the bug and no amount of torture has been able to fully pull me away.

Tell us about your work – what should we know?
My main job is as the assistant director and immersion improv actress for the LA Murder Mystery Company where I get to entertain private parties as well as movie premiere parties. I’ve had the honor of performing at premieres such as “Murder on the Orient Express”, “Game Night” and “Murder Mystery”. I’ve also done some really fun true crime re-enactments, a wonderful web series with some early 2000s throwback Nickelodeon stars, and was featured in Teen Vogue representing the LGBT center and modeling Rio Sport clothing. It’s been a crazy adventure.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My mom is my rock.. my mountain really. She’s had to overcome a lot of prejudices that she grew up with in order to support me. My cousin Barb took me in when I first moved to LA and played therapist for my first two years here. My girlfriend Alyssa coaches and supports me through every major choice in my life. My friends keep me grounded Fonzy, Matt, Christina, and cousin Jenny. My acting coach Tanya Smith has whipped me into shape and never lets me stay down too long.