In my first interview episode, I sat down with Danika Frederick. An aspiring actress, her life was on one course, and one year ago that course completely derailed when she started to pursue acting. This episode is filled with wisdom, laughs, riske conversations, and of course, truth, optimism, and vulnerability. If you’re someone who felt like you took the “comfort” route, Danika’s words and story will inspire you to believe that it’s never too late to pursue what your heart was made for.
Key Points:
Always been into the arts, been dancing since three, professional at 21
Decided at six to follow father’s footsteps and pursue chiropractic
Started finding excuses to not go to school
Getting ready to move to Atlanta for school with current boyfriend, and the fear of depending on someone else started to halt the breaks on the plan
If guaranteed success, would 100% pursue make-up artistry, or something in the arts
Signed up to be a photo double
Checked junk mail one day, and had an audition booked for a feature film
Switched from chiropractic to acting
Acting agent approached to work with
Dad went back to school in his 30s to go to chiropractic school
Grew up in a trailer park, and didn’t have a lot of money so dance technique wasn’t that great - so negative feedback was a tough obstacle to overcome
A lot of non-traditional careers are self-made, and it’s the fear of failure that prevents us from going forward with them, but a degree doesn’t guarantee a job either
Loving something and being passionate about something are very different
Be open to the possibility that what you want isn’t going to go exactly the way you expect it to, or look like you imagined
People are so out of touch with their emotions, and are so afraid to be vulnerable, that it’s so easy to be cruel to other people because everything is superficial
Work part-time on your passion, until your passion surpasses your income
Comfort and happiness are not the same thing
An actor’s job is to audition
Learning what new boundaries are, and where morals stand
When you go to an audition, the director’s already made a visual in their mind they’re looking for - and it has nothing to do with you not being good enough
For anyone else on this path - just do it. Take that first step, send that one email, you will regret it if you don’t
School will always be there, but the arts take time to develop; don’t wait - pursue it
Biggest learning experience was not to confine, be open to opportunities, and look for them
Mentioned in this Episode:
University of Manitoba
Atlanta
Stella’s
Patrick Ta
Los Angeles
Venice Beach
Ghostland
Break My Heart 1000 Times
Bella Thorne
Dermot Mulroney
Richard Harmon
IMDB
Paul Christie
Roman Catholic
Harry Potter
Contact: @danikafrederick - danika.frederick@hotmail.com - IMDB
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