Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Actor, Director, Writer, & Producer Seri DeYoung Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry
1: Stop obsessing about being skinny. I had pretty disordered eating when I first moved to LA and I truly wish I had occupied my brain space with literally anything else.
2: Show up early. To everything. This career can be stressful enough, and stress about being late is totally preventable!
3: Just spend the money on the expensive headshots. The cheap ones just won’t be good enough, trust me.
4: Get into a scene study class that you love. Audition technique classes are great, but a good scene study class will feed your soul.
5: Don’t think of “networking” as something slimy. Think of it as making new friends!
We had the pleasure of interviewing Seri DeYoung. Seri is an award winning actor, director, writer and producer who can currently be seen in her fourth season in the role of “Claire” on the hit Freeform/Hulu series “Good Trouble.” Her latest directorial effort, Distance, had its World Premiere at Dances With Films 2022 and has been selected to screen at the Burbank International Film Festival. She also recently completed her first feature-length documentary called Tender Points: A Fibromyalgia Journey, which she directed, wrote and produced. The film, about a young woman with a chronic and incurable illness and her brave search for hope, has been acquired by Virgil Films & Entertainment. DeYoung made her professional acting debut on the critically acclaimed AMC series “Breaking Bad,” filmed in her home state of New Mexico. Other notable credits include episodes of “S.W.A.T.”(CBS), “Forever” (Amazon), “Adam Ruins Everything” (TruTV) and the film Culture Shock (Hulu). In addition to Distance, DeYoung has directed 8 other short films. The ambitious films she has directed have been screened across the globe, including Throw Like a Girl which received multiple awards including “Best in Show” and “Best Cinematography” and has screened at prestigious film festivals including SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Austin Revolution Film Festival and Dances With Films. She also picked up a “Best Short” and “Audience Award” for her film Still Life, which received distribution with ShortsTV.
Thank you so much for doing this with us Seri! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Of course! I was raised in Corrales, New Mexico and the older I get the more I am just stunned by the beauty of my home state. You know, growing up you don’t really see it because you don’t know any different. But now anytime I go back to visit all I think is no wonder this is a haven for artists. The skies and the land are like a painting. I’d love to make a film there someday.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
When I was a kid, New Mexico instated a tax incentive program for film and TV productions so I was incredibly lucky that as a kid from a small town Hollywood came to me! I had been doing local theater productions for years, and I started auditioning for film and TV and booking a handful of roles while I was still in school. One of the first roles I booked was this western film that shot at Bonanza Creek Ranch outside of Santa Fe. There was this one moment on set — we were outside on the ranch, the weather was beautiful and the sun was setting, the energy of the production buzzing all around me — I knew right then that I was home. Shortly after that, I made the move to Los Angeles.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
This is so embarrassing. One of my first auditions was for a role with a German accent. My grandmothers are both German so I thought “No problem! I got this!” What I failed to consider is that both of my grandmothers had been in the U.S. for many decades and their accents had become very diluted. This was mistake number one. Mistake number two was that I had it in my head that I should walk into the room and introduce myself with the accent! So I get there, and I get really nervous about the accent, but I go for it. We do a take, and then casting says “Okay, can you do it again, but this time with the accent?” Oh no! I thought I was doing the accent! I honestly don’t even know what happened after that, I think I blacked out from cringe. So lesson one — check your sources! And lesson two — don’t introduce yourself with an accent, just be yourself.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I couldn’t possibly pick one person who has helped me because it truly takes a village. Between representation, casting, filmmakers who have offered me incredible jobs and opportunities, to the writers, directors, and actors who have mentored me along the way, and all the friends who have given me strength and faith when I’m feeling defeated, there are just so many people who have had my back. My community is so strong, and I could honestly cry because I’m so grateful to all of them.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Ask for help. When I started out I desperately wanted to appear like I knew what I was doing. This is silly. Ask for advice, ask for guidance. The nature of this industry is so brutal, there’s so much uncertainty and rejection, and yet it is full of the kindest, warmest, most generous hearts you could meet.
What drives you to get up every day and work in TV and Film? What change do you want to see in the industry going forward?
I am truly obsessed with what I do. There’s nothing I love more than getting a new script and bringing it to life, either as an actress or as a director. It is the coolest job in the world and there’s nothing else I could imagine doing. For that reason, I want to see more sustainable filming put into practice. I care deeply about taking care of my crews. This is my driving force for being as efficient as possible when I work. Reasonable rest and sustainable working hours are a new norm that I intend to carry out. I have so much respect for these hardworking, skilled, and talented individuals and I’ve seen them get worn out. I believe that beautiful and impactful art can come from a place of safety and support. And I want to learn everything I can to make that happen.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
I just wrapped up my fourth season of playing “Claire” on Good Trouble and I am beyond grateful for the continued opportunities I have to learn and grow on that show. Claire has really gotten to evolve over the seasons and in season 4 she really comes into her own in a way that’s been so fun to explore. Additionally, I’ve gotten to shadow the directors of two episodes, Troian Bellisario and Laura Nisbet Peters — both incredibly strong directors — and I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to learn from them! I’d love to be directing episodic television in the future, as well as the feature script that I’m currently writing. I can’t say much about it now, other than I’m completely obsessed with it and can’t wait to share it.
We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share why you think it’s important to have diversity represented behind the scenes in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?
Having a role model is one of the most powerful positive influences you can have in your life. I am so grateful that things are changing in this industry and women directors are being given more opportunities than they were in the past. Growing up and in the early stages of my career, I could hardly name 5 female directors if you asked me, whereas the list of male directors I could name was endless… and that’s sad. I truly believe I would have started directing a lot younger if I had seen more women doing it. It really just didn’t seem like a job that the industry let women do. Thank god things have changed. We certainly don’t have gender equity yet when it comes to directors, but we are a heck of a lot closer now than we were when I was growing up.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1: Stop obsessing about being skinny. I had pretty disordered eating when I first moved to LA and I truly wish I had occupied my brain space with literally anything else.
2: Show up early. To everything. This career can be stressful enough, and stress about being late is totally preventable!
3: Just spend the money on the expensive headshots. The cheap ones just won’t be good enough, trust me.
4: Get into a scene study class that you love. Audition technique classes are great, but a good scene study class will feed your soul.
5: Don’t think of “networking” as something slimy. Think of it as making new friends!
Can you share with our readers any selfcare routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.
My number one self-care practice is being physically active. It’s almost laughable how predictable it is that if I haven’t been active in a little while, my mental and emotional health get a little wonky. If I’m not feeling great, a quick walk up in the hills really straightens me out. Also for me, self-care has a lot to do with my friends. I feel the most balanced and happy when I’m seeing them regularly.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I don’t have a quote, I have a whole book for you! The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Yes, I did it. I did the Marie Kondo cleanse and you know what? It did change my life. In the past it was truly so hard for me to say no to things, and I’d often find myself stretched too thin, overburdened and overcommitted. Letting go of the things that I don’t need, that don’t “spark joy” has allowed me to become so lovingly protective of my space, my energy, and my time.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could inspire a movement it would be really really simple. We’ve become so politically obsessed as a society and while I absolutely and passionately believe in the democratic process — please vote! — I’ve been spending more time lately thinking about the people and the communities that surround me that I can truly impact, as opposed to spending time dwelling on things outside of my immediate control. So if there was a movement where we all like stopped looking at our phones so much and instead focused on being good partners, family members, friends, neighbors, and doing good in our local communities, I think we’d all be a lot better off. Lasting change starts at the community level, and that begins by paying attention to your local community and caring about those surrounding you every day.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Yes, the Daniels. Everything Everywhere All At Once is the best time I’ve ever had at the movies I really can’t even put into words how much I loved absolutely everything about that film and they just seem so fun. I’d love to be friends with them.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Yep! @serideyoung on ig and twitter and I’m @serixoxoxo on tik tok which I’m still figuring out so bear with me please.
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you I will take all the positive vibes please!
Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Actor, Director, Writer, & Producer Seri DeYoung Is Helping… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.