Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasmeen Fletcher.
Yasmeen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
So, for the majority of my life, I have loved the idea of entertaining. At the start, I figured I’d carry that drive out through singing, but life/time is a weird thing and after many weird coincidences, I ended up on a life track that included acting. More specifically, an old friend of mine I had met through singing had been an actress for years; we were super close and she thought I’d like it so she told me to try her acting class one day. (Being that I’m an actress now, I’m sure you can tell where I’m going with this.) I absolutely LOVED the class and the people in it and from there, it felt like a tiny snowball that just kept rolling and picking up more and more snow on the way down the mountain. Of course, it took a lot more than coincidence. Along with the things that I just feel like we’re “meant to be,” I had an amazing, supportive family behind me, the flexibility to put in the work, and a huge amount of work ethic to back that flexibility. Every little opportunity I had led to something even bigger and I couldn’t be more thankful for those little pieces of snow :’)
Has it been a smooth road?
It DEFINITELY has not been a smooth road… I can say that I’m sure I’ve had it easier than most, but the number of times I’ve been mid audition prep crying to my dad, “I can’t do this anymore!!!!!!!” is astounding. But seriously, if there is a single actor who has been in this industry with smooth sailing, I will be shocked and slightly jealous because I cannot even begin to explain to you how jaw-droppingly difficult and demanding this job can be. From the constant rejection to its overall competitive nature, the job itself is a rocky road.
Some personal struggles I’ve faced that have made this beautiful, rocky journey a little more difficult have a lot to do with insecurity. While I wouldn’t trade my life or career for any other one, I will acknowledge that insecurity makes this career far more challenging. In an industry solely based on looks and talent, you have to be confident (even if it isn’t entirely real). This took me a long time to wrap my head around and, in that time, I, unfortunately, took every rejection and comment personally which made me spiral a little bit. Like I said before, I’m so grateful for every experience this life has provided me but that is more definitely something that has affected me personally. On a more positive note, it is also something that has made me grow immensely as a person!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The entertainment industry is constantly changing and evolving and growing with the world. I personally think with the direction streaming services are going, that the industry will only expand and create more opportunities for itself. I also think, on a very good note that we will be seeing more women and people of color in front and behind the camera!!! This change is looooooong overdue and the statistics are very off so I cannot wait to see all of the beautiful media we will see due to the increase of inclusion and diversity!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @yasmeenfletcher
- Twitter: @yasmeenfletcher
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