Today we’d like to introduce you to Dorée Seay.
Dorée, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
To be honest, I only wanted to be an actress after hearing my friend say that she was interested in becoming one (around 12-years old). This friend…I always competed with her in everything, haha. I wanted to best her in every way. So when she said she wanted to be an actress, I told her, “Oh, me too,” and then I set out to be better than her; more hardworking, more talented, more knowledgeable…
I somehow convinced my parents that the only way I could become an actress and get roles was to go to a scouting agency’s agent and casting director showcase. There, I auditioned a with commercial in front of dozens of said industry professionals and hundreds of other actor/model-hopefuls. I did not receive a callback that day (which, for the event, meant that you would sit down with the agent or casting director who choose to meet with you after your performance). I went home quite devastated actually, haha! I wasn’t used to hearing the word “No” or getting rejected when it came to my artistic skill and work ethic.
I reported this rejection to my friend/”competition” and she gave words of encouragement right before telling me that in the time I’d been preparing for the event, she’d quit her pursuit; that acting – and the business of it – was too hard. I thought about quitting as well to follow her into her next venture, but something about that “No” bothered me. So I worked harder, studied on my own a bit, got slightly better photos and attended the next showcase where I got two callbacks – one of which came from who would become my first-ever talent agent.
I got my “Yes” but I had no idea at 14 what that meant. I told people I was an actress and I did actor-things (like do a few short films and some industrials here and there, and move to LA to pursue a career a month after graduating from college), but I wouldn’t say I took the art or business seriously until a few years after my move. At around the two-year mark, I’d gotten myself an LA talent manager and through her, I had my first LA audition and callback for a reoccurring role on a television network show. I didn’t get that role or the few others I’d auditioned for, and I was starting to get that bothersome feeling I had back when I’d first been rejected in 6th grade. I figured there was a way to “fix” that feeling and I could finally book something if I were “an even better actor.” So I enrolled myself into a two-year Meisner program.
It was the best decision I ever made, to be honest. Not only did I grow as an actress but I also graduated from the program with life-long friendships and lessons I don’t think I could get anywhere else. During that time and since then, I heard the word “No” more than ever, but I’d also had stronger auditions, done better short films, lead two feature films (both can be found on Amazon Prime), have won a Best Actress award, and have received positive reviews from The LA Times and other audiences. At present, I’m in the middle of production for an indie action/horror film and have a western feature in the works – both of which I have the pleasure of leading.
I’ve become a person and artist I like a lot more than I used to and I’m working hard at becoming even better all the way around. I’m now becoming the type to appreciate the “No”s and being genuinely grateful for all the “Yes”s. I’ve still got a ways to go, but I’m finally at a place in my life where I can be proactive in my journey and love the process – the awesome, and the “I wish I didn’t have to go through that” of it all. As corny as it sounds, I think I’m starting to get why people say it’s the journey that matters in the end, therefore, we should enjoy it while we can.
Has it been a smooth road?
I wouldn’t say that since getting proper training my career and journey has been easier. Instead, I’d say it’s pleasantly different. In a practical sense, it gave me more tools to help shape my skills and natural talent, and thus, I am a better actress. But I do use that particular experience as a milestone to gauge growth in my art and as a human being. That space and learning period was one where I could honestly reassess why I chose to pursue acting as a career in the first place and come up with a new “why”; I’ve been met with even more emotional and mental challenges and experiences than I care to admit, but I do my best to work through them with prayer, and incredibly supportive family and friends; I’ve taken breaks, quit and come back to the art several times, each time coming back with a fresh determination because I’m terrible at quitting things…
We’d love to hear more about your work – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
There are loads of actresses in Los Angeles. Can’t throw a rock in any direction without hitting one of us. So naturally, it’s important to stand out. Being a Black actress and having certain physical aspects will automatically put me in certain categories in Hollywood. I combat some of the usual tropes and stereotypes by improving my skill and niching my talent wherever possible. I consciously choose to do roles and projects that are interesting to me (meaning the project is clearly opinionated on a social-political topic, involves anti-hero or an unlikely hero, or could raise the eyebrows of anyone not expecting to see someone who looks like me in a lead role). Because of the projects I choose to do and their themes, I am mostly known as a dramatic and action film actress. I’m quite good at relating to the circumstances and emotions of characters and pride myself on that; it’s my favorite part about acting, and I think it shows in my work in most cases! This (the understanding of and quickly relating to challenging characters in equally challenging stories) is what sets me apart from other actresses who I would visually be categorized with.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
First off, I’d only recommend you move to LA if you aren’t already from here if you’re dead serious about acting as a career. I wasn’t really at first and my lack of seriousness cost me a lot of time I couldn’t get back and money. Make the move if you’ve got no other thing you’d rather be doing instead.
Secondly, and a little less straight-forward: Hollywood or Los Angeles, CA is definitely a place you need to have access to as an actor. Most of the opportunity – the lead and reoccurring roles will most likely come from here and will probably film here, so you’d need to be prepared to go with very little turn-around time. I’ve been told that to be successful as an actor I need to live in LA, I’ve obviously made the move, but then…self-tapes (auditions you film yourself and send into the casting director) have become an extremely popular way of auditioning. If the casting director allows, you could literally be anywhere in the world to tape yourself for a role, send it into them and book it. Even while living in LA I’ve had to do self-tapes to audition, I’ve been put on Hold or Avail (the final step where they decide to cast you for the role or not) for major roles just on a single self-tape.
So, does an actor need to live in LA to be successful?: YES/No. The decision is ultimately yours, but I’d say make the move if you’re serious about acting as a career. If you just wanna dabble, get a talent agent in your area, get good, and see if you can’t do some self-tapes for major roles!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dorseay.wixsite.com/officialdoreeseay
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyitsdoree/
- Other: http://IMDB.me/doreeseay
Image Credit:
Broomhorse Pictures, Second Collective, Ludo Productions, Persephone Productions, CMS Photography, Kathrine Basallo Photography
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