Today we’d like to introduce you to DaMya Gurley.
DaMya, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in the Hill District. We call it The Hill for short! August Wilson also grew up there and centered most of his plays in that very neighborhood, which always felt super inspiring to me. I would always force my cousins to do plays in my nana’s living room and my family eventually noticed that it wasn’t a little phase that I was going to grow out of. I eventually went to CAPA, a performing arts school in my city, as a theater major. That kind of solidified that I was going to be an actor for the rest of my life. I was in my second year at UNCSA School of Drama when the COVID pandemic sent us all home for 3 months. In that time, I remember it felt like my life took a pause. I started making TikTok videos during quarantine and would post every single day until one eventually had a big reach. I guess that was truly just 5-year-old me putting on plays in my living room again, except this time I did it alone. As someone who had done dramatic plays all my life, I was not expecting to go viral for comedy skits. Fast forward several videos and acting gigs and I ended up on my dream show, A Black Lady Sketch Show. Crazy!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think that the hardest part of being someone with a love of the arts is realizing that the love of the arts is not all that matters once you make it a career. I have to have discipline, work ethic, and most of all, tough skin. On the content creation side, I have to get used to lots of harsh comments and criticisms on my videos. There are some weeks when I’m consistent with posting and getting lots of amazing feedback, but there are also times when I get tired of worrying about algorithms and account growth. On the TV & Film side, I have to hear no after no after no and then pick myself up to learn the next set of lines. While my passion isn’t the only thing I need to reach my goals, it is still the very foundation for all that I do.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actress/content creator. While I have been making content for the past few years, I have been doing plays and musicals all my life. I was a theater/horror nerd for years and even majored in theater in college. One thing that I could never deny was that I had a longing to do film & TV, but I kind of wrote myself off and convinced myself that it would take 1,000 miracles to make that happen. It wasn’t until my videos started to gain traction that I realized that with consistency in everything, I could never really fail.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I remember I convinced Denzel Washington to come and watch me win an acting competition. Even saying it right now feels so unreal because it feels like a fever dream. In 2016, he was in my neighborhood filming an adaptation of August Wilson’s Fences. I guess the cast was on a break or something because I got to meet a few of them in between takes. This was coincidentally the same week as the August Wilson monologue competition. I remember he was standing in this crowd of people, and I walked up to him and asked him if he could come and see the competition, because I mean it was only right! He was super kind and told me that he was busy and sad that he didn’t know about the competition sooner. I was so excited to meet him that I didn’t mind him not being able to make it. A couple days later, at the competition, I remember me and all of the other kids were backstage warming up when Kenny Leon (another great!!!) came backstage and said that someone wanted to wish us good luck before we took the stage. In walked Mr. Washington himself. I couldn’t believe it. Of course, I had to win! I’m still so grateful for that moment, I haven’t shut up about it since.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damyagurley?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsdammywise?_t=8kbLk1ajO8Y&_r=1
Image Credits
Raya M Photography
