Today we’d like to introduce you to Janet Carter.
Hi Janet, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m in a rather interesting phase of my life where I feel like I am starting all over again.
I came out to LA to be an actress and go to acting school when I was 16. When school and an additional repertoire year were over, I was working two jobs and going to auditions and life was pretty difficult. I wasn’t handling it well. I made a decision then that I would go on to regret for many years. I gave up on myself and I moved back to the east coast. I justified my decision with thoughts that I could never be the kind of actress I really wanted to be and that instead I would be a spectator, be creative in other ways, and have a family.
I spent the next decade living life; I completed an Ironman distance triathlon, spent time in an ashram in India, traveled, worked hard, fell in love, experienced heartbreak, wrote some poetry, wrote some books, fell in love again, got married in Florence, moved, restarted, and restarted again. When we were going through some really big health scares, my husband decided he didn’t actually want to have children anymore—I believe that we are all allowed to change our minds—but it struck me that I had left one dream for another and now they were both to some degree gone to me. Obviously, I am simplifying what was a very large and intricate thing between two people and I cannot do any of it justice in so few words but eventually, we separated, tried again, then filed for divorce.
When I moved back to LA, I wasn’t ready to reclaim my dream right away. There was something so painful about the way I left it. It was gut-wrenching to think that I’d “wasted” so much time chasing, with tenacity, career paths and life paths that didn’t include what I REALLY wanted for myself. Also, I’ve met a lot of people who are very willing to minimize actors as a “type of person” and acting as an unworthy pursuit. I had spent a number of years writing and that was a safe space and “writer” was a safe title. So, when I reclaimed my dream of being an actor it was an interesting wound to undress. There was still so much pain and regret around it but also there was a hopeful, flowering bud too.
A little over a year ago, I was in that blooming phase when the pandemic hit and things started closing down. Like most people, I closed down too. I was on a wild rollercoaster of emotions and uncertainty. Then one day, I was having a conversation with someone and I opened up a bit about my acting and I felt this pushback, the rejection of the idea, the starving artist thoughts, the unpredictability, and their energy just flat out rejected me in that moment. (That’s a very LA thing to say I know.) Whatever really happened in that conversation, I went home feeling the sting of rejection and a pulse of anger.
I had a huge cry. HUGE. And I realized something. That I was going to come back around for myself.
I don’t think that day would have been so memorable for me if I hadn’t followed it up with action. But I did. And I am. I’m all in.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I read somewhere that an airplane on autopilot is NEVER actually on course. It is in a constant state of course correction. I love that. I feel the same way.
One big mental shift that has come with this year is the way I look at struggle. I used to have this strange idea that I should be able to think something then just do it, like a robot, and I was weak or undisciplined if I didn’t stick to the plan. But I am human. I will fail. I will make really big mistakes, I will say the wrong thing, I will look stupid, I will mess up the plan. BUT. But I will get up, get back, I will course correct, and I will move forward. I have nowhere else to go.
So yes, I struggle all the time, but I’m also making an incredible amount of progress, I am working extremely hard, I am playing extremely hard, and I am having the best time of it—even though I still experience all of my human failings and emotions.
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?
First, let me say that while I think I am talented and very hardworking I also know so many gloriously talented humans who work their butts off. I think we are all naturally set apart because as actors, artists, and creatives we are 100% unique. We are ourselves.
So what makes me… me?
I am captivated by human behavior and psychology and I am always fascinated by my own inner workings. It is baffling that as a full-grown adult, I am still learning so much and discovering so many things, and probably always will. I love people. I love seeing people out in the world living their lives, I love people with enthusiasm for life who are interested. I am extremely good at human interaction but also need a fair amount of downtime to recharge. I dance to any beat, anywhere, whenever I can—my kitchen is my specialty. I work out every morning and the music always makes me smile at some point. I paint when I can, books hold a very special place for me, I journal and meditate when I can. I used to write a lot and now I write a little. I am all in on acting, I want it to be what I do for my career and my life’s work until I am a little old lady. And I am working hard to make that my reality.
I also have a good business sense. I think of myself as a start-up company. I reply to emails right away, I submit myself for roles/auditions right away, I follow-up, I send thank you cards, I am constantly working on up-leveling my acting skills and trying to find places I can make even the smallest change. I just started a “drop everything and tape” practice for projects I really drool over. Sometimes it is impossible but when I can—I drop everything, wash my hair and blow it out (this is a real thing, lol), put on makeup, memorize the lines, find a scene partner, put it on tape, and send it in.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I’m not sure I know. I think my personality helps a lot, I like most people and most people like me. Enthusiasm might be my superpower. When I’m really excited about something, I can’t help but be all in on it. I’m sure I can be too much for some people though also. I’m authentic and real.
I also make it a practice to be honest with myself. To see myself, my work, my practices, my habits, all of it as it really is. I don’t have to share it with the world but I need to be real with myself about myself.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.janetmcarter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetmcpheecarter/
- Other: www.imbd.me/janetcarter
Image Credits
Photo 1 & 2 Stephanie Girard www.stephgirardheadshots.com, Photo 3 is a still from 218, Directed by Sam Pinnelas, Photography by Nick Eagleston, Also pictured Billy Carlos Saleebey Photo 4 is a still from a Cliffside Malibu Commercial Directed and Shot by Jonathan Thorpe Photo 5 & 6 are stills taken from a project Shot by Michael Bromberg.
