Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn Carpenter
Hi Carolyn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m an actress and a film and television producer. I grew up in suburban Chicago, and started acting at the age of ten by taking acting classes and acting in local theater productions. After graduating from The Theatre School at DePaul University, I moved to Los Angeles and made the switch from acting in theatre to acting in film and television. It’s a medium I enjoy because I find it to be a more challenging and intimate form of acting. You’re performing for a camera that is sometimes as close as a few inches away, rather than performing to a huge auditorium full of people. There’s no opportunity to fake it on camera. It picks up when you’re not conveying an honest emotion. I’ve appeared in over 30 films and television/streaming shows. I just filmed a streaming series called “75 Cents” earlier this year, and I’m about to go into production on a film I’m starring in called “Above All Else.” I love keeping busy and having a full schedule!
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?
No, of course it hasn’t been a smooth road. Is it ever smooth for anyone? I think we’d all like to believe the road is smooth but there are always challenges. I think it’s the challenges and having to overcome them that makes success so much more worthwhile once you achieve it. If you’re going after something that’s easy, that anyone can accomplish, is there as much honor in the achievement? For me personally, I don’t think so. I think the biggest struggle actors face is keeping a positive mindset despite all of the ups and downs and setbacks that can occur. When your livelihood depends on booking roles, and there’s so much competition for so little work, it can be tempting as an actor to fall into a fiercely competitive and dark mindset. There was a period of time where I was looking at the challenging aspects of my life and getting into a victim mindset, constantly thinking “Why is this happening to me? Why can’t I succeed?” My mentor/life coach, Samantha Jo Harvey, helped train me to reshape this thinking. I’ve learned to embrace life’s challenges and shift to an opportunistic mindset, thinking “This is happening for me, not to me,” and embracing the lessons and opportunities for growth. For example, my dad died when I was young. We were very close, and it was a hard loss. I recently completed a feature film script that I’ll be producing in 2025, and it’s amazing how much of the script was written from my own personal experience. The characters I’ve written embody very honest, raw emotions as a result. I’ve learned never to underestimate the brilliance that can come out of our moments of deepest darkness. When you look at life this way, darkness becomes something beautiful and beneficial, something to embrace rather than fear. We need darkness to appreciate the light.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well, I’m known for my work as an actress, and I’m most proud of having built my career by producing my own films and television shows to showcase my talents as an actress. Back when I was getting started in my film and television career, no one knew who I was or what I had to offer an audience. It was very hard for me to get auditions, let alone book roles. Several other actor friends of mine were experiencing the same struggle, so we teamed up to write, direct, and star in our own films. Our first feature film “Sons of God.” won Best Narrative Feature at a major film festival in Hollywood, which gave us the leverage to continue producing more work. I produced six films, two pilot television shows, and two web series with that production company before everyone decided to pursue different career growth options. I’m focusing primarily on my acting work right now, though I’m in the process of founding a new production company and look forward to producing my next feature film in 2025.
What sets me apart from others is that my top priority is to foster a sense of warmth, light, and compassion both on the sets where I work as an actress and on the sets of projects that I produce. We make movies and television shows, which inspire people and speak to their hearts. I can’t tell you how many people run into me and tell me how much one of my roles or films has made an impact on their lives. I feel it’s important to always remember that, and treat the creative process and people we work with on set with the appropriate kindness and respect. My highest priority is to bring this positive energy to every set I work on.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Like I said, I think learning how to manage your mindset is critical in the entertainment industry. This business has a way of wearing people down, and you have to embrace a sense of resilience when it comes to all of the rejection and criticism we as actors face. I’ve learned to say, “here’s my art, my interpretation of this character, my way of telling this story. I hope you like it. If not…well…okay, no worries on my part.”
Secondly, be comfortable with ambiguity and change. In the entertainment industry things are always changing. The script changes the night before you shoot and and you show up on set and they give you a whole bunch of new lines to memorize. The shoot schedule changes and now you’re working days you weren’t expecting to work. The location changes and you have to make adjustments for how you planned to play that character in the environment. I think life is the same way. Everything is moving and changing. Learning to be adaptable, to detach from the specifics, and maintain your self-assuredness despite ambiguity and change, I think is really important. I’m still working at being better at this. I think mastering this also involves having a place where you can escape to when the chaotic ways of this business get to be too much. For me, that’s escaping into nature. My favorites include going boating on the ocean, surfing, snorkeling/scuba diving, and hiking trails – especially where there’s forests.
Finally, I think learning how to truly connect with people on a personal level is important. I used to hate networking. I thought it was sleazy and gross, so fake. I hated doing it because I didn’t want to come across as the person that’s just trying to get something out of someone. Once I shifted my mindset around it and stopped “networking,” I focused on building a genuine connection with people and everything changed. My goal now is to try to figure out where I can be of value to other people, how can I help them out in some way — even if it isn’t related to the entertainment industry. Now I build amazing connections within the industry, meet incredibly impactful people, and best of all I’ve made a ton of friends!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carolyncarpenteractress.com
- Instagram: @carolyn_carpenter
Image Credits
Tiffany Modino
