I Am Me
Celebrating people and their passions because nobody can do it like you can.
I love that everyone has a story that is unique to them. Our journeys are all different, but we can still learn so much from one another. I am grateful that through my own journey as an actor I have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people.
On my podcast you will get to hear their stories. This podcast is for the dreamers and the inspired. For the people who love people and are completely uninterested in living life by the status quo. Every person is unique to who they are. So look in the mirror and say it loud:
I AM ME!!!
I Am Me
I Am LaQuanda Plantt - Revealing the Magic Behind the Scenes in Casting, Producing, and Directing
Laquanda, the visionary behind ElleQ Casting, shares her tale of transformation from going back to school to founding her own casting company. Her journey is peppered with challenges, like juggling waiting tables with casting directing, yet she emerges with invaluable insights on professional development and the development of self.
Her narrative is a testament to the infectious joy found in the craft of filmmaking and the pursuit of happiness, even when roadblocks and struggles come.
As she recounts the importance self-care and self-validation while pursuing your dreams, Laquanda's story is an inspiration for anyone seeking fulfillment, encouraging listeners to anchor themselves in what truly matters amidst the ever-shifting tides of life and career.
Hey everybody, welcome back to I Am Me podcast. Today I am here with Laquanda Plant. She is a casting director local to Atlanta. She founded LQ Casting in 2009 and has been working, I think, primarily as a casting director since then. I did some stalking online to see what I could find out. Done we are, yeah, but we'll also find out a lot from you about your journey and what you do and how maybe other people can get into it. So, hi, how?
Speaker 2:are you doing?
Speaker 1:today.
Speaker 2:I'm great, thank you. Thank you for having me. Yeah, I'm so happy to be here on this lovely Sunday afternoon which the sun will come out.
Speaker 1:But you know, we had so much rain and I'm so ready for the sunshine.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God, don't you feel like you live in Seattle?
Speaker 1:Yeah, sometimes, which I hate.
Speaker 2:But you know what I heard yesterday which I was like really that we get more rain, like it seems like, when you think of Seattle, that they get more rain, but really we get more rain than they do.
Speaker 1:That's really bizarre because I feel like I feel like that's the place when I'm like I wouldn't want to live there because of the rain. That's what I say.
Speaker 2:I don't know how true that is, but that's what someone told me yesterday and I was like that's really interesting. I have to look into that, because if you think about it, like, we do get a lot of rain, but when we get rain it's like shh, and then it's like so much flood rain it's not like normal rain, it's just like, yeah, it's downpour. Exactly, exactly, all right.
Speaker 1:So my first question I always jump off and I'm like how did you get to where you are now? You're a casting director, primarily, and then you also do directing, and then I also looked at your credits and you have a laundry list of credits from production secretary. Some PA work in the beginning and so, which is just how this industry works, I would say. So what? Is your story. How did you, how did this come about for you? Was this something you're always interested in, or was this something that shifted in life for you?
Speaker 2:No, I actually always kind of I don't want to say always, but you know like as kids we go through career like I want to be a lawyer.
Speaker 1:I want to be this.
Speaker 2:And mine went from accountant lawyer and then, at 17, I wanted to be a filmmaker. So I've wanted to be a filmmaker since I was 17 years old and I wanted to go. According to my stepdad may he rest in peace he said I said because I originally I'm from Hartford, connecticut, and he said that I said at 12 years old that I wanted to live in Atlanta. I can only imagine me saying that, because my mom is originally from Alabama, from a small town called Atmore, and I spent a lot of time there, so I've always considered myself a Southern Yankee and so, I think, not wanting to live in Alabama. We used to drive through Atlanta and maybe that was like the closest city I knew. I went to live in a city but I didn't want to live in New York, so I think I just chose Atlanta. But I went to college here and I majored in mass media, film and video production and later digital filmmaking, and I always wanted to direct. But at the time when I was in school this was early 2000s Atlanta wasn't the film city. It is now. It was more news. So when we were taking classes we was learning like multi-cam, we was visiting news stations and that was all cool Nothing against news but that wasn't what I wanted to do and I always was always the only female in class as well, which, whatever. That didn't bother me, but I didn't really feel like I had a voice and it was also so technical. I kind of lost interest in it. And then, randomly, for editing class, we had to create a short film and I ended up casting it and I had auditions and I was like, wow, what is this? Let me, let me figure this out. Unfortunately, it was really hard for me to get like an internship. Like I kept emailing people and nobody would give me a chance. So I started interning at a talent agency, so I was on the other end of it and then I'm in their files, I'm emailing the people, like, give me a chance. And I ended up from that getting an internship with a local casting director, which I'm not going to name, but from there I started LQ casting in 2009. And from that I started producing around 2012.
Speaker 2:And then fast forward to 2016,. I want to say I went back to school because I had got my associates but I had never finished. So I went back to get my bachelor's in digital filmmaking and from there. I had to direct a film to graduate and that's how I started directing. But I feel like it was kind of like the universe, like back in 2000,. I was like 14, 15. I did extras casting on Selma. I met a director and I got the chance to meet Eva DuVernay and I was very inspired by her. But not too long after that, I went to a screening for the film called Mudbound and I met the director. Her name was Dee Reese and she just literally let me pick her brain answer all these questions. So these are women directors, right.
Speaker 2:And then my last year, because I graduated in 2018, I started PA. That's when I started to PA, because I was yes, I was casting since 2009,. But I was doing a lot of indies and so I wanted to get my foot in the door of studio and network. I'm like, how can I do that? Let me start over as a PA and what's interesting about that? And also a little tip like I think I I think I kind of prevented myself from doing that because years ago I had, first thing, you should come and be a PA, and I'm like I'm a casting director. You know, in my mind I already have this, this vision for myself and I think it prevented me from getting opportunities. Because in my mind I'm like this is what I wanted to do, but I wasn't where I wanted to be per se and so I started as an office PA on this show called Greenleaf, which came on the O network, and then the show called Step Up Highwater, which was on YouTube red.
Speaker 2:And being on Step Up literally from beginning to end, seeing 10 different directors come in and direct different episodes, and I was like and seeing them, different styles, like no director is the same, and that kind of lit a fire in me where I was afraid to be a director because I didn't like the technical aspect of it. That always was in my mind, like I'm not really technical, I don't really know all the lenses and the I mean I'm past cinematography but it just wasn't my thing and so I didn't think I could be a director because of that. Because I was like, well, I really don't know that much, but then working on Step Up, learning and seeing the different styles there's so many directors that are just creative. You have directors that come in that wants the storyboard. You have directors that come in that don't storyboard. You have the rest that come in that really are technical, and then you have some that are not.
Speaker 2:And then learning that, seeing that there are different styles of directing and different types of directors, I was like, okay, let me light this fire back in me and I directed a short film for my senior project called Valley Morgan TV Qualified. And not only did I get an A on that project, I was like best in show and my portfolio class and went on to you know, go into some film festivals. And I really only did that film to graduate. And then people were like, oh, you need to put this in festivals. Oh, you didn't do this with this, are you going to make this a show? And I'm like it's all kind of organically happened. But I say organically, but I really it was something that was literally something I wanted to do since I was 17, but was afraid to do it. So I kind of fell into casting, which to me was okay because it still was a love for film and I have such a love for the art of auditioning and the acting process.
Speaker 2:Like even before I became a casting director I was auditing classes. You know, I really took it seriously. I know a lot of people just say, hey, I wanna do this now. This is who I am, me. I need to do the work cause I just wanna be really comfortable with saying it took me a while to call myself a casting director. But I did audit classes, I took workshops. Any LA casting director that came into Atlanta, I went to their panels and workshops and you know, just really kind of I really like to know what I'm doing, even producing. I just fell into that because I really wanted to not just cast and everything I did I wanted it to be good. So I just naturally just did more things and that's how I started producing.
Speaker 1:I think it's great to hear that you struggled to call yourself a casting director, because I think myself included a lot of a struggle on the acting side to call ourselves an actor. I'm not really an actor until I've booked a network show or you know. It doesn't matter how many years of work you've put into it until you do something that gives you that stamp of being able to call yourself that.
Speaker 1:So I think that's a great point and something awesome for other people to recognize that that's also happening on the other side of the camera with casting directors and directors and this industry can definitely make you feel like an imposter a lot of the time, and I think a lot of it is just trusting your gut, trusting the little universal Godwinks whatever you want to call them where you're like. Okay, I got a little encouragement that I can keep going with this, and I think it's cool too. I have a question Was it hard for you because you really pivoted going back to PA?
Speaker 2:work.
Speaker 1:And I hear that and I, because I've done PA work too and it's very hard and it can feel like a step down I would say Do you feel like, did that like humble you or did you feel like it was hard to say? You know what? I need to do some PA work, because on the indie side you're doing pretty well as a casting director, but you want to get over into that network side. So how was that transition or that for you?
Speaker 2:That's a great question, because all of that. First of all, we want to rewind back to something you had said with regards to the stamp of approval. If you notice, it's really kind of like self validation within ourselves. No one else is looking at us like that. You know. People are just like, oh, you're doing this, you're doing that, and it was me that was saying, oh, I'm not good enough. So, even with actors out there, you could be acting in the school play. Then you're an actor. But it's also good to want to strive to be better. So, just finding that healthy balance of saying, yes, I'm an actor, but I'm consistently working on my craft to be a better actor, to be a bigger actor, and to answer your question, yes, it was a hard transition. Only because in my mind and in my ego space, I'm like do these people know who? I am Right, you know, but I still.
Speaker 2:I wanted the opportunity and I wanted to learn, and I think that was more so the producer in me, because I started as a PA. But when I was a PA, I walked around, I talked to everyone, from accounting to construction. I was asking everyone so what is it that you do? You know, Gryff, what is it that you do? I really wanted to know, and I've been an office PA and worked my way up in the office. I was a production secretary on Black Lightning, I was assistant production coordinator on a few shows and now I'm a production coordinator. But I've also worked in Crafty. You know what I'm saying. I worked in costumes for as a costume coordinator for a couple of weeks on the show. So I just really wanted to just learn as much as I can. I talked to the transpo captain and by what they do, you know, when I work on the studio products, I'm walking around the set to see how things are being built or seeing how these sets we watch are really built on a stage. I just really love filmmaking.
Speaker 2:So at first, yes, as an office PA, it was challenging because in my mind I'm like come on. But I also had people saying to me like, why are you going back to school? You're already in the industry, you know. But I feel like on your own journey, only you can know where you want to be and only whatever that looks like for you. So now, yes, I'm a casting director who's actively working. Yes, I'm a producer in the producers guild, but I'm also a production coordinator and so to me that opens doors for me to work, because before, when I was just a casting director, I was still waiting tables because I had to pay bills and I have two sons who were small at the time. So, but now I can work all these multiple jobs in the industry I want to be in, and a lot of people didn't know that, Like I literally probably quit serving maybe seven years ago, but I was casting since 2009, which is almost 15 years. So half of that time I'm casting movies, but then I'm going to Buckhead to work at a restaurant.
Speaker 1:Yeah me, I was just talking to an acting friend of mine about that, where people don't realize. I had a friend of mine who booked a guest star spot on found and I was and she's a waitress and it's like she had that spot and she had that part, but she's and she's like on network television, like you can go and watch her but then she's going after she's going and doing her film and she's going back to her job and I just don't think people realize that that it's not a lot of education happened with that to people who aren't in the industry around the like.
Speaker 1:after strike the sag strike.
Speaker 1:I think they're like, why is that such a big deal? And it's not about just the 1% up here. I think there's so many other working parts. But I think the point you made about going around and just being a sponge and absorbing I think that just works with anything, if you really because, one, people like to be cared about and people who are passionate about this want to share that with you. So going around from department department and like showing interest in what someone else is doing One cause you're genuinely interested. But two, that also is like cool, she's a hard worker but also I get to share what I love to do and what I contribute to this project with her, and I don't think everybody gets that opportunity.
Speaker 2:Right, and then also, in addition to that, like, this is an industry where it's who you know first and what you know second. So my job opportunities came, I think after I finished step up, I was referred to jobs from someone who worked in accounting, just by corresponding with her. So you just never know, because they'll be looking for somebody and they're like, oh, I know a great person who could do this.
Speaker 2:You know, and I did travel for a little bit on some really cool shows and I got those jobs because I was friends with the travel coordinator on my show, you know, and if she wasn't available, oh, I know someone who would be a great person for this. So you know, you just never know.
Speaker 1:Connections too, because the networking aspect really can stress me out, even though I'm outgoing and something like that. Oh, great networking. Yeah, like me and LaQuanda met at an agent, had a holiday, christmas party, and she came to it and then I ended up talking to her for like 45 minutes and I also had a moment I was like I was just talking to you and I was fine, but then I had a moment where I was like, okay, this is a casting director. You've like talked this poor woman's ear off, like disengage, but I think that's how we connected though.
Speaker 2:Because I think we both was like we don't like to network and talk and we just started talking because I will stand in the same place.
Speaker 1:Right, Well, I hate too. I'm a pretty genuine person and I don't like feeling like, oh, there's a casting director here, there's a directing here. It's like, okay, go kiss their ass. And I'm like one decent people don't enjoy that. I would say anybody who's normal is like I hate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like I don't want you to come and kiss my ass, but so there's like that component of it and I don't like it. It feels awkward and weird. So I'm like, hey, if I can come and like have a conversation with you, I'd much rather do that. And I don't like the idea of someone like hey, go talk to that person, like that's gonna help you.
Speaker 2:So I'd rather it be organic Because, if you notice, I didn't have on a name tag. I don't like to wear name tags when I go because I wanna see who's going to just come up and be polite and just speak to me, or who's speaking to me, cause they see big casting director on my name tag. So I don't really like to wear them and I've always been like that. I know it's weird, but I would go to network events and I would purposely not wear a name tag, because if I did, then I'm surrounded by people who would normally just walk right by me, right?
Speaker 1:I think it's nice to when you actually can have a genuine conversation with whoever is on the other side of the lens, because it's just it takes that stress off of it, or that I feel like as an actor. A lot of times, like CDs directors, producers, they can get put on a pedestal in my mind and then I'm like, oh no, laquanda's cool, like I don't have to.
Speaker 1:I don't have to like be stressed out talking to you and be like, let me be on presenting myself, and I think that's just really nice when you can kind of pull that curtain back and recognize, hey, we're all people here and we all just want to create this thing and we all love and we all have our peace to play in creating this really cool thing.
Speaker 2:So Right, no, I agree. I agree. 110% is also just knowing the time and the place. You know like, yes, I'm cool, I'm gonna always be cool when it's time to work. It's time to work.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so I think that's kind of like a fine line that a lot of people just can't really get right sometimes, because I could meet you and we could be cool when we're talking and then not saying this has happened. So I don't want anybody to think you did this, but just as an example. Then you're like hitting me up all the time Like hey, what you got working on, what's up, sis? You know like hey, what you got for me, and I'm like what you know? No, that's not how I do business.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So it's knowing to me please don't put me on a pedestal, but please respect who I am, because at the end of the day, it's still work and it's a job opportunity and it's a cast Like we're like entertainment, human resources, I guess you know like we give actors jobs. So me personally, yes, I'm going to be friendly, I'm a girl next door, but when it's time to work, just respect that space.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that. Yes, one it's professional. I think some of the best advice I ever got for helping me strip my nerves back a little bit was from an acting teacher that he's like what you have to understand is you're being hired to work. You need to show like it's. Yes, acting is a craft and there's that whole artistic component of it, but from a producer standpoint, I hired this person to come and do this job. Come and do your job, be on time be, prepared and do your job.
Speaker 1:So I think he said that to me a couple of years ago and I was like, okay, that actually helps take the nerves off of it a little bit, because there's always nerves with it anytime you perform but at least recognizing from other standpoints, hey, you've been hired to do this thing, come do this thing, Just like you've been hired to be a casting director. Wouldn't be great if you then were not casting a movie, if you were like just you know, like not auditioning actors or whatever.
Speaker 2:Right right, right, right, right.
Speaker 1:No, I agree, it's good advice, for sure, yeah so, and the next question I have for you is what has been some of the hardest parts of this journey, and then what have been some of the best parts?
Speaker 2:I would say the hardest parts. One thing about me I feel like I've always been an advocate, I feel like, for actors, because I feel like I understood the journey. We're in an industry where nothing is really guaranteed and you don't have insurance, your money's not guaranteed, you don't know when the next gig is gonna come. And when I started again working on Indies, you know, financially it was a struggle. I had two young kids I'm trying to remember the ages, but they were young, so 2009,. My youngest was three, so three and five or six. My kids were when I started.
Speaker 2:So it wasn't about me, you know, if it was just me, I was living a box under the bridge but I had to feed my kids and just feeling is this gonna happen?
Speaker 2:You know, you see in other people getting jobs and you're not getting the jobs that you wanna get, and it can be a struggle and I feel like that's why I became such an advocate.
Speaker 2:I became a life coach as well in 2017, because, overall, it could take a toll on your mental health and it could take a toll on you know, you believe in yourself and then you have your family telling you to get a real job. That doesn't help. You know, and it's like you're on this journey and you feel alone and you may be having like I've been evicted. I've had financial struggles throughout this journey, not being able to pay my bills because I'm doing what I love and I'm doing, you know, dreams, and so I think that's the toughest part of just not knowing, not having that financial stability or even job security, just not knowing what the next thing is gonna be. That's always tough and the flip side of it is that I'm doing at the same time. I'm still doing what I love and I'm still doing what I'm passionate about and I'm giving people opportunities to do what they love.
Speaker 1:You know what?
Speaker 2:I'm saying, like the best thing, I don't call as much as I used to when I first started, but I used to call and offer the roles and I would have like people cry and just be so excited and that just filled my heart. And so just realizing that my dreams I'm making people dreams come true too, just fulfilling my dreams I feel like a vessel is some way. That's really cool, you know, but that's, I think, yeah, best than the worst part.
Speaker 1:I know, but I think that's a really cool way to look at it and I think that's cool that you used to call because I don't know. There's just the few, very few things that I've booked. It's like my heart stops in my chest. I usually get an email from my agent and I'm like, oh, I can legit do this, because I think it's constantly trying to be like can I do what I say I can do? Can I do what I keep? Practicing comparison game where you said other people are getting jobs and you're kind of like okay, I'm just here.
Speaker 1:And I don't think people realize the time. It's years, it's years of your life, and then you fall into that. Sometimes you'll be comparing yourself to people who they're on year 20 and you're on year five and so, but that, combined with this financial component of it, which I've fallen to that as well you just it's the I always say, it's the conundrum of trying to do what you love but trying to pay your bills Exactly. So, I think, being able to take it and have that, for you to be able to recognize that you're also, you're fulfilling your dreams, but then this beautiful vessel of being able to then turn around and say, hey, you got the part, and just the joy that comes with that, because joy is just infectious, giving joy. It always ends up coming right back to you. So I don't know, I love that and I love that you recognize your job and what you do as that and I think people can get burned out on it.
Speaker 1:It's like you have it and you still are like finding that joy and recognizing the joy that you're passing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, which is really cool. Yeah, and I also feel like, thank you so much. I also feel like I found a way to find joy overall in filmmaking and I feel like me being able to wear so many hats.
Speaker 2:My first job since the strike is over is actually a coordinating job. I haven't got a call to cast anything yet. I haven't got a call to produce or direct anything yet, and so but I'm not looking at it like you know, cause ultimately that's the long goal. You know I would love to produce and direct full time, but I'm just enjoying the moment. I feel like we are blessed to work in an industry that most people just watch on TV and they don't understand the ins and out of this business, and we get to be a part of it. Like we're not heart surgeons, we're not caring cancer, we're not even politicians.
Speaker 1:Thank goodness, it can be there, right, you know.
Speaker 2:So I just feel like, wow, we're blessed to really entertain people, and some of you had just said that a lot. They may not express it, but a lot of actors are thinking the same, like I'm on my five and they're in their 20. Cause I used to do the same thing with other cast directors Like they are casting everything you know and I'm not casting anything is your journey.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, can't compare yourself to anybody else.
Speaker 1:I like that. You said you're trying to find the joy and whatever it is that you're doing, Cause that's something that I really, for 2024, I enjoy and excitement, Cause I feel like I've gotten really jaded by acting and I've gotten I audition and I audition and I don't book and I which is fine, Like you said, it's part of my journey. I've been really trying to shift my attitude and it's been good. I've gotten some good auditions this year and I'm like you know what You're getting auditions.
Speaker 1:Some people don't even get auditions and so I've just been trying to completely shift my focus to play. I want to play the way. When I was 13 years old, I just acted for the fun of it, not because I was trying to impress anybody. I was like there was a little girl who used to act and I used to do it just because it was fun.
Speaker 1:It wasn't trying to book a job or whatever. So I really want to get back to that and that's what I've been working on this year. I really like that you are. You're doing the same, you whatever you're working on whether it's coordinating, producing, directing, casting you're finding the joy and that thing and recognizing that it is something to be grateful for that we get to do this. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it is. And I will say, and I will be 100% transparent, it is hard. Could I be an actor? Probably not. You know, like it is hard, like it's a very vulnerable craft and career and you hear no all the time, not because you're not great, it's just because it's just so much competition, you know, like I said, takes a toll on and in the human to hear and know Right. So I can't imagine going into a room, being in front of me and maybe other people you never know who's in there and you're vulnerable and you're doing your best and it's just like thank you, and you have no idea what that means. Right, or did you do good, did you do bad? And then you don't book. And again, because it's not that you're not good, it's because it's hundreds of other people you know going for the same road.
Speaker 1:I was going to ask you, looking back, is there anything that you would do differently, or are you? Which is kind of hard? I feel like that's a tough question, because your journey is your journey, but if there's things that you could change, or maybe things that you wish you learned sooner, or whatever, do you think you would?
Speaker 2:I don't have any regrets. The only thing I think I would have done differently is I would have probably PAed a little earlier, because I remember when I was working on the Miss Pat show I'm one of the production executives that I've known for years and she said to me she said I told you years ago that you should work in production, and again I just had that ego of like I'm a casting director. But during the pandemic I also learned to line produce, and so that's another one of my little side hustles too. I do budgets and I, for indies, I line produce.
Speaker 2:But in that journey, if I would have started earlier, I probably could have been a UPM or a line producer by now. You know what I'm saying. So I just feel like, but again not taken away, like at the end of the day I'm still a creative, and me and Afrid was just talking about that on Friday Like, yeah, after coordinating I can move up to supervisor, then move up to line producing, and that's really good money, especially on a network show. I said, but I'm a creative, I want to be a producing director, ingo is producing director, and so I'm just really like wherever that journey takes me, but I do feel as though I would have gotten out my ego and probably just jumped into the studio world just a little bit sooner.
Speaker 1:OK, I have a question about the producing, directing, because I have a vision in my head of where I want to end up. Of course, do you ever find yourself having fear about what if it doesn't happen? Are you like, nah, it's going to happen. You just are at a point where you're just stable and secure with where you're at and what you bring to the table. How do you, or how do you deal with that? Combat that?
Speaker 2:Let me tell you, I know it doesn't look it, but I'm going to be 45 years old this year. It doesn't look it, guys.
Speaker 1:It does not look it. I thought this girl was like in her early 30s when I first met her.
Speaker 2:So I'm going to place up it's going to happen and I'm also. Well, when I was in my early 30s, if you would ask me, I would have been like I don't know.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I think that is why I waited tables, just for the uncertainty of is this really going to happen? I don't know if I shared this or not, but again, I've been casting since 2009. And I cast my first network project in 2022.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, I was going to say I was looking at your credits and I was like so this girl's taking off like 2021, 2022, 2023. I was like what's she got coming in 2024? Oh, I don't know. I'm going to believe something soon.
Speaker 2:But I feel like that's the journey. Sometimes it's quick for some people and sometimes it's not, and sometimes it's the relationships and I feel like early in my career I didn't have the relationships to catapult my career, I wasn't in the right place at the right time and I don't know, I can't say it because it's my journey, but when people look at things like that and I still didn't give up I love that. First of all, I loved being an independent casting director. I love working on indie films only because I felt as though I had more of an input, whereas these other casting directors no shade to them, they are working on bigger projects. But then even me, I can't say this is who I want. I have to make choices, send it to the director who send it to the network.
Speaker 2:It's an approval process now, whereas when I was doing indies, it's like doop, doop, doop, doop, doop. This is who I like and nine times out of 10, that's who we're casting. That's cool. So I felt as though I had more of a say with indies. But everybody wants to see those names in the credit on television or in a movie on a big screen. So it was always that void for me of I love what I did, but I always still wanted the bigger roles, the bigger projects. I want to work on films still that are being nominated for Oscars, or really dope TV shows, exactly so just having an appreciation for where you are, but you still want to strive and, in regards to producing and directing, it's going to happen. I'm just claiming it and that's just what it's going to be.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. How OK with you saying that. How do you keep yourself? Because there's no doubt that this road, this journey, can be very draining. We talked about mental health and just the toll it takes. So what are some things that you do, if you don't mind sharing personally, to keep yourself? Just keep that energy up and not let the naysayers or any of that like just get you down. Just know who you are and what you bring to the table.
Speaker 2:I started meditating. I started meditating Once we were working girl. I haven't did this in a while, but I would get a massage every week. That is my happy place. I love a spa day. I love my massage therapist he's amazing and that kept me afloat. But then journaling and that's why I created the LQ presents, the Actors Journal, and then I started traveling. I started finding ways to just find I'm a Libra too. So I need the balance. I need the balance and, as I got older, more self-validation. Not so much caring what other people thought, Just doing what I wanted to do, whatever that looked like, just doing what made LaQuanda happy. Ok.
Speaker 1:OK, I had a question about your massage. Are you a deep tissue girl or are you gentle? Because I'm like, get in there, I'm a flower, no.
Speaker 2:Lord, no, I'm a flower and you know what's funny is because my massage there, but he's a man, so that I've had deep tissue massages in this, so hurts.
Speaker 1:Hurt so bad.
Speaker 2:But I think that works for something else. But I feel like, in regards to just relaxing, I don't want to be beat up, that's fair. Give me the nice knees there, you know, just go ahead and get your elbow in there, you know, but like nice. So I always feel very and my massage therapist his name is Howard, he's amazing Like he'll rub your toes, like I feel very relaxed when I leave there. You know, it's not any of that crazy stuff, you see on Instagram but I'm very comfortable and relaxed and I absolutely love him.
Speaker 2:Like I think again because of the strike I didn't do much. I probably had like two massages last year but, and I'm getting one next. Saturday I'm very excited about that, but I was going every single week. That's awesome that.
Speaker 1:I think that's. I think that's my new goal in life is to be able to get a massage every single week, Cause I get them, but I always get like the deep tissue cause.
Speaker 2:I do it like once a month and I'm like all right time to get all the stuff out, get everything out, and they're not the most enjoyable, but I feel better after See, and again, it's what that looks like for you, Like that's me, like I love a spa day, I love candles, like I just love that. So I feel like, whatever that looks like for you, I have a friend that heights. That's not my jam, you know, but if it's your jam, that's what you should do. Again, meditate, like and even in my office when I'm coordinating cause that could be very stressful too Me in my office we will close the door. We'll pop on a five minute YouTube, meditate, turn the lights down for five minutes. We are meditating.
Speaker 1:They say five minutes works Like they. I mean, yeah, like you don't have to. I was talking to a friend of mine about this that, like, people have this idea that you need to sit down and do like 20, 30 minutes. But if you just give yourself five minutes a day and again, like you said, it's what works for you. So like, if all you can give yourself is five minutes a day, that's better than giving yourself no minutes a day you know no minutes a day Deep breathing.
Speaker 2:I'm very big on deep breathing Like cause that always can calm you down. I give you a feeling really anxious or upset. Take 10 seconds to do some really deep breaths and by the time you get to eight you can feel your body just calming down. We are in a very stressful industry so I feel like those things, and then life is just stressful on top of it.
Speaker 1:That part we like compounded it or like life's hard, let's also choose something that's pretty hard.
Speaker 2:So I told my friend, I told a friend of mine. I was like what was I thinking? I don't know if this industry is really for me. It's so stressful and it's such a hard industry to be in. I mean, yes, it's some wonderful people, but there's also. Being in the entertainment industry reminds me of the movie the Devil's Advocate. I don't know if you've ever seen it. If you have not, you should without Pachino.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 2:And Charlie Starran, and I was a cannery and you just don't know who has the devil face or who not. You know like you just don't know, right, you don't, you just don't know.
Speaker 1:And I think that's the tricky part. I think what is her name? Amelia Clark, queen of Dragons in Game of.
Speaker 2:Thrones.
Speaker 1:OK, I want to make sure. I said it right. I know that's not. I watched Game of Thrones and I can't remember her name, the character's name, but I know Amelia Clark is there.
Speaker 2:Thirsty.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2:Oh, no, no, no, no, that's not Thirsty, that's Khaleesi, Khaleesi. All of them sound so similar Yep Of the drag queen.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, she had a thing in an interview where she was like, what would they basically had asked her what would she say to someone who said I wanted to be an actor? And she said the first thing she'd say is are you sure? Because she was like, although this industry has given me some of the best moments of my life, it's also given me some of the worst.
Speaker 1:And I was like, oh that's so true Because, like you said, you don't know who's really in this for what you would hope everybody's in it for. But just like in life, there's good and there's bad, like there's people doing stuff, that's shady and there's people who are doing stuff, that's got a good intentions and pure heart.
Speaker 2:So Exactly, and when it comes to interaction with self and you, it's just like everybody's not your friend and we need to stop acting like that, because that's how people get hurt. And I'm such a passionate person that I had to read books. I read a lot of books too, is it the four agreements, I feel like, but not taking everything personally. I think. Naturally, as a Libra, I get attached to things and I take everything personally, and I had to learn in this business not to take everything personally.
Speaker 1:But yeah, With the directing, producing as like your big goal, your big dream. Do you have what you would want to do? Like what kind of project do you want to share or you not want to share?
Speaker 2:Sometimes people have no, I sure of course I want to be a producing director for like episode of television, so I want to be able to do television. And I love Ryan Murphy. It's a dream to work with him. I would love to work with him. I'm like trying to get into his director's program but I love a lot of different. We were just talking about Game of Thrones, which to me is one of the best TV shows ever made. I would have loved to have worked on Game of Thrones Power when it was on air, which I still watch all the installments. But when Power was the original one, like I would have killed to be on to that show and work on that show and just be a part of the creative team. But I watch literally every single type of show, so it's hard. Like I just watched Ted Lasso and was like this show was definitely amazing.
Speaker 1:I loved that show. It was so funny, so good too, and there's so many moments that were so raw and real.
Speaker 2:Motivational.
Speaker 1:I didn't expect to have a moment where I was crying in this comedy. I cried a lot in Ted Lasso because it just hit your heart.
Speaker 2:I'm like, oh, but the thing is I binge watched it just a few weeks ago and was upset. I was pissed really. I never could say that on your podcast, but I was pissed because I don't know why. I thought it was five seasons and it was just three, I was like wait, no, and like soon as I found out he was going home, I just was like no, I was so sad, I was so sad. But there I just also finished the morning show, so I would go from Ted Lasso to Kane.
Speaker 1:Yeah, power Kane in. You know what?
Speaker 2:I'm saying I am like all the Queens men, I love it, though I just watch it, just everything.
Speaker 1:I think it gives you a good mix, though, too, and it also watching all that stuff gives you inspiration for different things, and if you're in goal is about a TV, which I think is awesome. By the way, I love TV. I think, movies are really cool, but I've always been like dude to have a recurring, Not a recurring Whatever.
Speaker 2:Recurring right, yeah, yeah, on a TV show, what you want.
Speaker 1:Where you could continue building a character over episode over episode. I'm like that's cool, but then I also, as the actor, I could also get where. If you're eight seasons down the road, which who do I have? I don't have a right to gripe about anything. This is me talking about my dreams in Wonderland right now. I'm like, yeah, I'll take a co-star, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, this is down the road, liz. I mean, I think that's so cool to be able to see something over time. Now, with directing, producing for a TV show, you would potentially you would not be there for the whole season, you would just speak, or would you? Because, is that?
Speaker 2:So I want to direct but ultimately like so if I'm directing I could have you know. You could work on many shows, but I would love to be a producing director. On one show or you know, like my show, whatever show, it is Because you're involved, but then so you're not going anywhere.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:You know, and other directors would come in, but I'm also a producer, so I'm still pretty involved in the show. That's super cool, right. But as a director I just want to be able to work. Now, grinna, I don't want to say I don't want to work on movies, because I would love to work on movies, but I feel like my heart would be super satisfied and happy to be able to hop and work on different shows. That just seems like the bee's knees for me. It's fun.
Speaker 1:I love it. Bee's knees, it does. Had another question. Ok, I get so excited in these and I'm like where am I? What's going on Bring?
Speaker 2:the excitement, let's go.
Speaker 1:What advice would you give for people who either just want to get in this industry or specifically want to get into what you're doing? What little golden-eyed child coming up to you. What would you say?
Speaker 2:I would say the same thing that someone asked the million-clad Like are you sure? But it was funny about that. I meant to add that when you said it, when I started casting and I sat on a casting director workshop with one and she asked me, she was like are you sure? You sure you want to be a casting director? Because we are the most underappreciated position 14, 15 years later, is so true? You know, you're lucky if an actor thinks the casting director when they get an award.
Speaker 2:As far as entertainment, again, I feel like it's something that you'd be really, really passionate about. But just have the understanding that this is a business, you know. It's not all glitz and glamour and it's gonna be ups and down and it's gonna be hardship, and you're not gonna walk through the door and all of a sudden have everything you want is gonna take a lot of work and a lot of passion, a lot of effort, a lot of tears, a lot of hardships, and is that something you want? It's a beautiful, beautiful industry, it's a beautiful craft, but you have to want it for the right reasons, and to be famous is not the right reason, and so I could give any advice. It's just to know who you are as a person first, because that will help with the hardships to have a love for what you wanna do, whatever that may be, and just be willing to give out your bless. What are the tears for it?
Speaker 1:That was some great advice right there. If you didn't hear anything else in this interview, just go replay that. It could be a little motivational. Do you ever? I'll listen to those motivational speeches on YouTube sometimes? So you just gave us a YouTube motivational speech. I feel like I love that.
Speaker 2:I love that. I secretly wanna be a motivational speaker. I just haven't done it.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I swear. Some people on Instagram. They just make motivational videos every day and all of a sudden they got millions of followers. When you said there's gonna be a lot of tears, I thought, yeah, my mama see me cry a lot of tears, but God bless that woman, she keeps going for it.
Speaker 2:That's not what I say. As long as she keeps supporting you, that's all that matters, and I love that, because there are a lot of people that don't have supportive. Oh, it took a support system like that.
Speaker 1:My parents are very supportive, but I swear. When I finally, at 20 years old, I told my dad I was in biology pre-med and I was like I'm gonna switch to film and pursue acting.
Speaker 2:I swear.
Speaker 1:My dad's eyes went like straight to see me under a bridge in Atlanta.
Speaker 2:He's like no, you're not.
Speaker 1:He's come around he's come around, but it took efforts, he was like wait a minute, I was gonna have a doctor, and now, but he's proud.
Speaker 2:You know what's so funny about that? Because now I'm like the opposite of that, I think, because I'm creative, so my kids wanna do creative things. I'm like whatever you wanna do, but then I'm like on the other side of my brain am I being a good thing, cause maybe I should push them to do other things.
Speaker 1:I was gonna say my parents. I don't have any artists in my back. Well, my grandmother was a painter and stuff like that but I don't have any performing artist or anybody who did it as a career in my. I have very little go to college, nine to five, and so I think the artists having a little actor come through they're like what do we do with you? But they're good.
Speaker 2:They don't understand that they're very supportive. No, I understand that I didn't have any. I didn't have a blueprint. I think that was also. What was hard about my journey is just not having a blueprint, being in a culture where I think people didn't wanna teach you cause they were afraid you were gonna take their position, so I didn't have a mentor either, unfortunately. So just trying to figure it out and I have my youngest son who wants to edit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember you telling me and my oldest son.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he wants to be an editor and my oldest son wanted to go to school for music and then I think I just think college fell at the wrong time with him in graduating high school, during the pandemic. It just wasn't for him. And now he works with me on shows and he really fell in love with craft services. So I think that's what he wants to do. So you know, whatever works, you know. So, but yeah, I think that's good though cause.
Speaker 1:College isn't for everyone and one of the biggest like hang ups I would say that I have is one I didn't really need to go to school for what I'm doing. I've learned so much more from taking acting classes, not in a college setting, specifically for film. And then some people they're just not meant for college and that's fine and you can do. People have amazing, fulfilling careers outside of going to college. So I don't love that being forced.
Speaker 2:No, cause I think certain I agree with that 100% and cause I feel like certain career paths you need to go to college.
Speaker 1:You're gonna be a surgeon. But in regards to for sure, how long did you go in Boyer engineer you?
Speaker 2:know, but in regards to like entertainment and I'm not telling anyone not to go to college, but no one has asked to see my degrees, no one has asked me what school I've been went to. No one has inquired about any of that. I barely show my resume. So it just depends again on the situation. I do think it's a good idea if you did want to go to college, go for like business, cause that was always a struggle for me. I'm so creative that the business part just kind of was a struggle for me, cause I'm not very business minded. But I felt like just having that would have been a good addition.
Speaker 1:I final question is kind of flipping the script, changing lanes, I don't know. However, you want to say that, so on the other side of the camera, cause I only see my side of the camera. On the other side of the camera, do you feel like you are a woman and a person of color? Do you feel like inclusivity really is changing and evolving? Cause I feel like we're told it is, but maybe not as quickly as it needs to be.
Speaker 2:No, I don't, I don't. I feel like it's always a constant debate, and number one being a woman. There's not many of women.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's always. It's always in certain positions, but then being a woman of color is like. So I think being the change you want to see is always the first thing. But that's just America period. I think as long as the people who are the gateholders continue to be the gateholders and not want to let anyone in, we will always struggle with and have these types of conversations.
Speaker 2:I do feel like it's sad that we have to have a conversation whether you're a person of color, whether you're black, latino, asian, caucasian, even on a Caucasian side, like we just need to be people that can work, but again, as women cause that's my thing, like, even as women, it's still hard that you have. You see, caucasian women still trying to get opportunities. So you already know, if Caucasian women are still trying to fight to get in the door people of color, we think it's it, that's it.
Speaker 1:Well, like I know my experience how hard it is and I can't. And then you add on a layer of it that I'll never understand. But I also Ellen Pompeo, do you know that? Actress, okay. Yeah, I feel like sometimes I'll say it actors, names and people are like I don't know who you're talking about, but I feel like you'll know whoever I list off.
Speaker 1:I know, but she was in an interview or a round table and she was talking about how she was at some women's show or something like. One of the first things she said when she got up on stage was there's not enough people of color in this room. She's like, she's like. I remember that interview, I don't know, just something about her not being afraid to get up on stage and immediately the first thing out of her mouth was like there's not enough diversity in this room, there's not enough people of color in this room. I just walked by so many white people and that's a problem. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:I mean, I get it just women in general. I like that. I feel like the narrative's changing a little bit, where women are like the constant needing to be at another woman's throat, which I think is such BS. I want to be a person that's helping someone up, never pushing somebody down. But also you can take on that responsibility too, of hey, like I want to see more color in this room, like I'm tired of seeing snow everywhere. I go.
Speaker 2:I want to go to the tropics. I want to see some blue water, some green trees and some yellows. Exactly, I feel you. I feel you. It's so funny because, being from the North and growing up in Connecticut, I didn't realize, because where I'm from, in Hartford, is so diverse, right, but outside of Connecticut it's predominantly white. And I didn't realize that until I moved to Atlanta and then went home for the first time and I was in a sand club with my mom. I never forget this. This was like summer of 98. And I looked around I'm like we're the only black people in the store and so when I bring my kids to Connecticut, it's kind of a culture shock to them because it's like they're the only black people in the store. But I say that to say again this country has a lot of changing to do.
Speaker 2:But speaking in regards to our industry, I was watching the Morning Show. That's one of the shows I just finished and I love that one of the roles I don't know if you've ever seen the Morning Show. I've seen the first episode. Ok, well, it's, oh gosh. See, I shouldn't even brought it up because now I can't think of her name, but she plays the role of Hannah and her name was like Hannah, shoufelle or Shinefelle, whatever, and you could tell that was not written for a black woman, and I just love that they cast a black woman, because I just feel like you have these people upstairs or in rooms that are saying who can play what, whereas we all live life. Right, it doesn't matter how much money we have, it doesn't matter our class or our stature. We all go through things. We all have lives. Some people may have more money than other people, but people with more money still have problems. They still have family issues, they still get sick, they still experience death. We are women. We still go through menstrual cycles.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:We all have life experiences and they're not that different. We all have that crazy uncle that may come to the family gathering drunk all the time. It's just different, different, but it's the same. Yeah, I know because I have all types of friends.
Speaker 1:It is, though it really it is different but the same, like it's a different lens, but it's the same. The emotions that you're feeling within your body are the same from the what you're receiving.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we all do so I just feel like it's the people that makes the decisions upstairs, which a lot of times, they're just upstairs making decisions. They're not even filmmakers, they're just cashing the check. So then they have a, they have an opinion, and I feel like once we just have more, you know, inclusive Conversations, and then things will start to change. They are slowly changing. I don't want to say they're not, but we still have a really long way to go. I'd agree with that.
Speaker 1:Do you have anything upcoming that you can share, that you're working on, that you can share? No, okay that's okay.
Speaker 2:I feel like right now, if it's so interesting, because I saw something on Instagram I'll make it quick where there was another casting director, caucasian male, and he said everything I've been saying and After the strike we just thought it was gonna be a waterfall of projects and we always gonna get right back to work, and that hasn't happened yet. I had said to someone that I feel like it's gonna be March, you know, cuz it's like the strike ended, then Agreements had to be made, legal ashes had to be done, and now the writers rooms just kind of went back, so you have to let them finish right in the scripts. So a lot of products are still probably in development. So I really feel, maybe a little bit closer to March, we all will be getting back to the real flow of the right. So right now, like I said, my first project this year is the product I'm coordinating, but you know, hopefully something's coming up soon that I'll be casting it will be you.
Speaker 1:I did see on your Instagram I'm gonna share some of your stuff. You, I saw I Stocked you a little bit before this, just for this.
Speaker 2:Love it, keep talking, I love it.
Speaker 1:Girl in the closet right. There's that. I have that right. It was the first thing you did that you cast every. According to your Instagram, you cast all the speaking roles on it. Is that correct? Okay, so I haven't seen it yet, but I saw that what I was prepping for this this morning, so I'm gonna watch that this week sometime.
Speaker 2:Oh man it's on lifetime, but it's also a bit more whoo-hoo. That's what I thought. Okay, so you could go and watch it. Yeah, so it's. It's a tough one, it's badly, but one of those ripped from the headline stories and it actually happened. And I did one movie before that On lifetime and it was a Christmas movie and I just did the local Atlanta Rose, and the the rose here, I mean for girl in the closet was local Atlanta rose too. But like literally they let us cast everyone.
Speaker 2:Okay, you know it's set up. You know Timmy, roman and and Remy mom, but I still did all that. So that that was. That was like even though the subject matters like I Still was like it's my baby, because I literally cast every single person in that movie. That's awesome. I love it. Okay, good, I wanted to give me, even if you don't have something that you know right now coming up.
Speaker 1:I was like this girl's still working. There's stuff all over her Instagram. Thank you Closing. I'm gonna claim this for us because I love your energy and I'm like bump casting, directing. I want one day to get to act and you direct. I think it would be a really fun partnership. So, anyway, I'm not throw that out in the universe, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love that. You never know, maybe I'll do it short soon. Yeah, look, we'll see I play. I love that. That would be fun. That would be fun Speaking. Yeah, I'm here for it, all right.
Speaker 1:Well, thanks, thank you so much Thank you so much for having me, of course. It was great talking to you and if you guys could rate, review the podcast, share it. Let me do what I'm doing and it Helps my just get out there in the world too, and y'all can hear their story Share it.
Speaker 2:Subscribe for it.