Meet Claire Dellamar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Dellamar.

Claire, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always wanted to be an actress. I grew up in Denver where there was little to no opportunity and while my family was supportive of my dream they were also adamant that I get an education before pursuing my career fully.

I moved to NYC at 18 to attend NYU and earned a BFA in drama. I then spent a few years traveling and living abroad to figure out if I really did want to be an actress or if it was more of a search for validation. Traveling and choosing to remove myself from the industry really reinforced my love of performing and creating, so I got my answer loud and clear and moved to Los Angeles to recommit my efforts.

The road has definitely been bumpy with many challenges and many closed doors. One of my strongest assets, I believe, is my ability to keep trying and moving forward even in the face of challenges or perceived defeat. So even though I spent years without getting any auditions, I chose to spend that time creating my own work, taking classes, performing as often as I could, and collaborating with my peers.

I found an incredible community at Anthony Meindl Actors Workshop (AMAW) where I spent over five years taking classes and growing as an artist and as a human. I’ve also been a student at the Groundlings for many years where I’ve learned the terrifying and wonderful art of improvisation. At both of these spaces, I met other artists who I’ve formed life long friendships with and also found countless ways to collaborate with.

My first self made project was a comedy web series called The Upside of Down. I co-wrote/co-created the series with Tamara Perry, an actress I met at AMAW. We filled the cast with other actors from the studio and created a first season of three episodes, completely self-funded and filmed almost entirely in my apartment. We did a Kickstarter campaign and raised 10k to film another 11 episodes for season 2.

After that, I wrote, produced and starred in my first short film, Solely, a story of a couple struggling with mental illness. This led me to write, produce and star in a second short film, Jezebel, about a sex worker in early 1900s England who turns out to be more dangerous than she seems. I went to several festivals with each film and won a few awards, including Best Actress and Best Short.

Around this time I finally landed an amazing commercial agent who completely changed my life. I was suddenly getting auditions and booking! Since signing with them, I have booked several national spots, including Amica, Think Thin, and Discover Card, as well as joining their voice over department and landing a Carnation spot.

All of this led me to receive health insurance through SAG and, most excitingly, allowed me to quit working as a waitress! I’ve now been, officially, a working actress for over a year. During this time I formed an all-female sketch group called Whoa Man with a few other talented actresses from AMAW. We put on a show of all original sketches written, directed and starring us.

The show was such a success that we were offered a residency at Three Clubs in Hollywood, where we have performed a brand new, original show, written, directed and starring us, every month. We have also produced a handful of digital sketches online and are currently working to develop a TV series.

Has it been a smooth road?
This is a very difficult industry to break into, and my story is no exception. I think the hardest part is actually getting auditions. For so many years I haven’t even been considered for any roles because I didn’t have an agent, or I did, but that agent wasn’t able to get me into the rooms.

The agent element is very difficult. You need a good agent to get you auditions, but good agents don’t want to take on clients who haven’t booked anything. It’s a catch-22. You need to have worked to get work. So how do you get that first gig? I tried many different avenues, casting director workshops, headshot mailings, inviting industry to shows I was in and hoping they’d actually come. I was told over and over by agents that I was fantastic but that they couldn’t help me. It was incredibly frustrating.

Another hurdle in this industry is that there is no clear path to success. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. So it can be hard at times to even know what to do. I’ve been at the same agency as a friend, and they get auditions, and I don’t, or vice versa. I’ve been told by agents that my ‘look’ isn’t marketable. I was even convinced to dye my hair to try and be more marketable, only to find it made no difference.

Even with the projects I’ve self-produced or roles I have gotten, you have such high hopes that maybe this will lead to a break, and more often than not, the film or tv show comes out and seems to make no difference in your trajectory.

But overall, I think it does all add up. You keep proving yourself to your peers, and people take notice and opportunities come. Luck meets preparedness is my motto. You just have to keep trying anything, and everything you can think of and eventually something will work in your favor.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
A lot of people ask, do you prefer drama or comedy, and honestly I just really love all of it. I’m a very passionate person, so I’m definitely drawn to stories and characters that make an impact on the audience. I am so moved by theater and film, so to get to be on the other side of it, to tell a story and move an audience is so rewarding.

So far in my career, though I have done more comedy, and I have no complaints! Comedy is so fun! There’s really nothing like making a whole room of people laugh because of the way you’ve delivered a line. I’ve recently gotten into stand up, but I mostly specialize in improv and sketch.

Definitely, the most exciting part of my career right now is Whoa Man. We came together because we were frustrated at how limited the roles for women were, and because we wanted to lift each other up and encourage each other to step more fully into our brilliance. We pushed each other to write, direct, produce and to create roles for ourselves and each other that we were actually excited about playing.

Not only is it so much fun, but it has really allowed each of us to more fully understand and express our voices as artists. People really respond to our material I think because it feels really honest. We set no limitations on what we can talk about, the style, genre, topic, tone, any of it. We told each other, “write whatever you want and we’ll put it up on stage,” and I think that’s why it feels so authentic.

We’ve got a nice fan base now and a team behind us helping to turn the live show into a TV show which is incredibly exciting. After so many years of doors closed there are now doors being opened and people getting behind me and the group. It’s so rewarding to finally see all my hard work paying off.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I am a huge fan of Los Angeles for many reasons, not least of which is the glorious weather, and the multitude of national parks just a few hours away. But, I definitely believe, it is the place to be if you are pursuing a career in the film/TV industry.

There are definitely other cities with markets, NYC, Atlanta, London, to name a few, and I’ve heard great things about each. But all of the big studios, agencies, production offices, they all have their hubs here. And beyond that, there is such a huge community of actors, writers and creators here. And I think that makes all the difference.

When I lived in NYC I didn’t really find a community as easily, but in LA, I’ve met so many people who share my goals, and this leads to so many things: people to commiserate with when you are struggling to stay positive, to stay hopeful. People to collaborate with. People to give advice and suggestions about where to study, or ways to get a foot in the door. I’ve made connections with customers while working as a waitress.

The director/co-producer of my short film Jezebel was a regular at the bar I worked at. We got to know each other over several years, and now we’ve worked on several films together. Or another example, my current manager and the manager of Whoa Man stumbled on our show one night when he was out getting a drink with a friend.

Because LA is filled with so many people involved with the industry you never know where you might make a connection that turns into something great. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Clairedellamar.com www.whoamancomedy.com
• Instagram: @clairedellamar @whoamancomedy
• Facebook: @ClaireDellamar @WhoaManComedy
• Twitter: @clairedellamar

Image Credit:
Chuck Espinoza, Kevin Mathison

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