Meet Courtney Thomas of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Thomas

Hi Courtney, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story begins like most actors’ stories: I became OBSESSED with this musical! “Chicago the Musical” movie directed by Rob Marshall and starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Queen Latifah. By the time I was 16, I knew I loved television and movies. I grew up on reruns of “I Love Lucy” and “In Living Color.” My family even made sure to get me to a few plays by that age so the performing arts were no stranger to me. Little did they know…or did they? Around that age, I had developed a little tradition of watching a movie on Saturday or Sunday mornings in my parent’s room – they had the big tv with premium cable. It was around my 3rd or 4th week in a row of watching “Chicago” and doing Fosse choreography around the house when my mom asked me, “Would you be interested in doing something like this?” I shrugged and responded, “Sure, why not?”

Now, up till this point, I was a very average student. A’s and B’s with the occasional C sprinkled in sufficed to keep me off my parents’ or schools’ at-risk radars. As the daughter of two doctors and youngest sibling of a Howard University scholar who had skipped kindergarten and another on the way to Morehouse College, I knew education was a priority – I just wasn’t that into it. I was still trying to find my thing. I started dance classes (ballet and jazz) as a way to stay active once sports like basketball and volleyball became way more competitive than my 5’4” build could keep up with. So when my mom took my casual “Sure, why not?” and enrolled me in the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Youth Academy in San Francisco for weekend acting, singing, and dancing lessons, it came as a bit of a surprise to me how I actually wanted to do my homework: reading scripts, learning lines, deepening character, rehearsing dances, practicing songs – and no one had to tell me to do it. That’s when I knew I was onto something.

What sealed my fate was the acting bug biting me right on stage in front of an audience of family and the general public who came to see our final presentation of “Mufara and His Beautiful Daughters” – a modern-day retelling of Cinderella that takes place on the continent of Africa. I was cast as the evil step sister which 16yo me accepted graciously; I thought it would be more interesting to play the villian. Deep – I know. Toward the climax of the play, when the prince chooses Cinderella, I was so into the scene listening to my cast-mates, I went up on my line for what felt like eternity. But in reality I quickly snapped into it, looked back and forth between my cast-mates Cinderella and Prince Charming, grabbed the actress playing my sister Cinderella in a huff as I had been directed to, and dragged her down-stage away from the prince. The audience let out a huge, unified laugh. No lines necessary. Just life happening on stage. The bug had bit.

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?
I have a different way of looking at this question. I believe the moment you declare yourself an artist or creative, you are “on the road.” And that’s your first and most foundational win: the courage to start. The courage to take your own path is the win so many people in this world don’t achieve. Whether your road is smooth or not is about mindset or perspective. I can look at an actor or performer whose career I admire that appears smooth from my vantage point, but the reality is they’ve had plenty of what they would call “struggles” on what I perceive as a smooth road. When a person, an institution, or an -ism tries to throw an obstacle in your path, claiming what you will or won’t achieve on said path, what they’re actually doing is acknowledging your road. They’re saying you’re doing it. From there, it’s levels to this shit.

Ever since I said I want to act, I’ve acted. Ever since I said I want to create, I’ve created. I’ve studied the craft of acting at some of the most respected institutions in my field. I’ve worked Off-Broadway and commercially ever since I first stepped foot in NYC. There have been people and institutions who attempted to be an obstacle on my road. But all weapons formed against me have failed. They failed to stop any opportunity that was meant to come my way. A perfect example of nothing that’s ever meant for you will miss you: Close to graduation from graduate school, a classmate and I were told by our conservatory director that we both might potentially be able to audition for a new show by a Tony award-winning Playwright premiering at s major regional theater in the area. The conservatory director told us to email the casting director of the upcoming show and mention that she had told us to reach out to her.

My classmate and I both were so excited. We typed our emails together, sat side-by-side proofreading each other’s emails on our laptops, and clicked send at the exact same time in our dressing room. Only my classmate received a response.

Fast-forward a few months later that same year, I moved to New York, signed with fantastic agencies upon graduation, and received an audition for the exact same show whose leg of the run was now playing Off-Broadway. They needed a replacement for a main cast member. Only this time I would be working with the NY casting director, playwright, and producing team that boasted some very powerful women who would go on to mentor me for years to come. It was a quick audition process. I was invited to come see the show to prep before my audition the following day. And before I reached the subway after Ieft the audition, I received the call from my agent that I had booked the job.

I wrote to the original casting director I emailed all those months to follow-up with the good news that I had in fact booked the show. I never heard back.

As I mentioned before, I ended up creating a personal relationship with one of the executive producers on the show who would then hire me the next year to work at the Paley Center For Media. There I gained a foundational understanding of the television industry, helped out on red carpet movie premieres, getting to meet industry titans, and made some lasting friendships. It was always all meant to be. No one could have stopped it. If they tried, they failed.

No one can stop you from what you are meant to do. It may come later than planned. It may come unexpectedly – in a way that you did not perceive or predict. But it’s coming. In fact, you’re already doing it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What do I do? I do my best.

No, seriously though, I consider myself an actress by trade. You’ll probably recognize me from a television commercial or a social media ad (recent credits include UpWork and MonopolyGo!) these days. I was last featured in a Dorito’s Super Bowl ad campaign alongside Jenna Ortega that went on to broadcast in the 2024 NBA Finals. I was also recently a part of “The Mountaintop” by Katori Hall at the Geffen Playhouse – what I now consider to be my theater home in LA. I absolutely love doing theater. The stage is my training ground, and I’d return to it at a moment’s notice.

Currently, I’m focused on my on-camera work, launch my dating podcast, and filming the pilot episode (or short film) for a script I co-wrote called “Smokeeasy” – a stoner buddy-comedy for the girls set in Oakland, CA – that was 6-time festival official selection in 2024 and named “Best Comedy Short Screenplay” at the Atlanta Women’s Film Festival. You can check out the trailer at www.smokeeasyproject.com and follow us @smokeeasyproject to stay updated with our progress!

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck has definitely been a factor in my life and my work as an artist. I’ve always known I’ve been a very lucky person from birth – with my family, our successes, and our good looks – so instead of those hitting the casino, I decided to try my luck by hitting the pavement and audition – audition for the Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts (accepted), audition for the American Conservatory Theater MFA program (accepted), and audition for opportunities in NYC, LA, SF, and anywhere else that has an opportunity for me in the craft of acting. And there have been many so I sense are a lot more to come. With that said, I’ve know that other lucky people (even luckier than me!) have chosen this field, so that’s where I believe hard work, dedication, and authenticity come into play to continue increasing one’s odds.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.courtneyt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omgitscourtneyt/

Image Credits
Nickolas Vaughan
Elisa Cicinelli
Michael Roud
Lanny Nagler
Rana Faure