Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Heiner.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in San Francisco, east bay , California I started in church plays as a young girl. , and one several singing and dance competitions before the age of 11. I was in a traveling improv troupe called creatures of impulse in middle school and performed at the iconic “Tommy Ts” comedy club. I received my thespian cord for drama after attending classes all 4 years of highschool. I booked my first speaking role as a supporting actress in “A fighting season” and my co stars were Lew Temple and Clayne Crawford, director oden roberts. It went to Cannes and won several awards and a grant at the San Francisco film festival. I became SAG eligible as a featured background in Bumblebee with Hailee Steinfeld. . I became SAG in February of last year when I booked a role on “lucky man” a true story about a man named Herbert Heller who survived the holocaust and owned a children’s store in Northern California. I play the role of his daughter Linda. Last December I had the honor of working alongside Pedro Pascal and Angus Cloud in a Bay Area film called “Freaky Tales” which premiered at Sundance this January. My first lead role in a feature film called “Punk Kids” written and directed by Mike Heff , produced by Jamal trulove and starring wynton odd and Jasmine Corley tells the story of a highschool band on a journey to make their dream of playing on a big stage come true. It will make its worldwide debut on September 17th. It will be available on all pay-per-view platforms, including Amazon video , iTunes , and YouTube red . We need 40 reviews for the algorithm to pick it up and make it visible on the explore page! help make our dreams come true and give it a watch 🙂
Special skills: I’ve done runway and print modeling. I have a blue belt in kajukenbo (Hawaiian MMA that includes karate, jujitsu, kenpo, boxing, and Kali). I’ve taken vocal lessons and sing mezzo soprano range. I am an intermediate belly dancer (cabaret and tribal). I have taken ballet technique classes as well as contemporary and jazz. I cheered in highschool as a backspot. I am a beginner
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Moving from sf to La was my first challenge. La was much bigger then I realized and when I moved in 2019 I started out living in chino because that was what I could afford. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I was forced to move back to SF and was very sad. By December 2020 I found a small place in downtown that I could afford and I moved back. Unfortunately the pandemic persisted, making work hard to find. For the second half of 2021 I worked as a stand in for isabel May on 1883. I worked alongside faith hill, Tim McGraw, and Sam elliot as well, who all became like family to me! I am very greatful to have had that job. It was the first time I had left California for more than 2 weeks. I had no money left and didn’t know how I’d pay rent. We filmed in the scorching heat of Texas and the freezing mountains of Montana. But the experience I gained was priceless, and I will always be thankful for it because it allowed me enough money to keep pursuing my dreams. In 2022 I struggled to find work through the strikes , and it continued to current day with more strikes and talks of AI changing the industry. It it’s a mental battle to keep going even when there is no work. Thankfully, I have recently made some residuals from projects that have allowed me to keep afloat
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am most proud of my dedication to the craft. I’m proud of the way I take the time to uplift all of those around me on and off of set. I’m proud that even admist many obstacles, I haven’t given up but instead I have found ways to be flexible and move with the changes in the industry. I’ve never cared for fame, I got into this industry to have a platform to advocate for mental health. I recently graduated with my masters degree in Clinical Psychology and work as a AMFT therapist. I am intentional with each role I take, hoping to reflect back to the world the realities of humanity- hoping to inspire others to have more empathy and move to change the way we approach mental health in our schools, prisons, and on set.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned is to be intentional about “seeing” people. I try to make each person I interact with feel seen and cared for. This is also what I strive to accomplish through my work as an actress; to make those who watch feel like there is a part of them who is seen through my characters
Contact Info:
- Website: https://m.imdb.0om/name/nm9908806/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanie.heiner?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://starstalentstudio.com/portfolio/stephanie-heiner/#
Image Credits
Madison Cooper – graduation photo
