We had the good fortune of connecting with Lexi Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lexi, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Hi! Ya know… I don’t think you can separate risk and risk-taking from my line of work. It’s inherent. Being a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I know that it supports me as an artist, actress, and budding filmmaker and it’s probably why I’m attracted to this wild career anyway. And as if living gig to gig wasn’t heart-pounding enough, I went sky-diving last May. Sometimes when I’m feeling sad, my good friend will take me for a spin on their motorcycle and that cheers me right up. I don’t want to feel too safe in what I’m doing, then I don’t feel alive.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was born in Atlanta, Georgia. My career in front of the camera began at four years old after being scouted and signing with Wilhelmina Models. I worked summers in NYC as a kid doing print work and commercials. At the age of twelve, while acting for the first time in the film series The Sugar Creek Gang, is when I developed a real love for filmmaking.

Two weeks before my 19th birthday, I moved to Los Angeles. With some luck and hard work I was fortunate to book some pretty cool roles. It’s possible you’ve seen me as Pocahontas in Shane Black’s The Nice Guys starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling or as Gloria in AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead. In 2021, I played in the starring role as Christina in Michael Morissey’s psychological thriller The Girl Who Got Away. With a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film had a limited theatrical release and is currently available for viewing on Amazon and AppleTV. Other notable acting credits include This Is Us, Days of Our Lives, Eruption: LA, Anomaly, and Yogurt, a 20 minute short film I cowrote and starred in that had the honor of screening at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
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After the pandemic, I decided it was time to go all in on a lifelong dream of directing. I took everything I’ve learned from my time on set and made They Took Jacob, an 11 minute award-winning short film. The film was completed in June of this year and is currently making its way through the film festival circuit. I have more projects in the works with plans to keep writing, directing, and acting, as nothing makes me happier.

Despite the challenges, I can say with pride that I’ve committed my life to being a creative one. When I’m not on set, I’m painting, reading, writing, shooting portraits, coaching, and dreaming.

One of my favorite things to do is shoot portraits of fellow artists. If you’re interested in checking out my work and booking a photo session with me you can do so at lexijohnsonphotography.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @lexijfoto. I know how to create with you shots you’ll love, that will get you noticed, and we’ll have fun in the process.

What I’ve learned along the way is to embrace the tough times and to be thankful for them, it makes you a more interesting artist, and a more impactful one at that too. It’s such a privilege to be here at all and feel, even the hard scary stuff. Feel it all. You’re not alone and no one is spared, we all go through our own struggles. And being reminded of that it in someone else’s art, well I think it’s the most magical healing thing! So if you’re an artist and you’re reading this, keep creating!
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Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting we’d definitely have to catch a movie at Cinespia in the Hollywood Cemetery, drive up and down the PCH, eat fish tacos at the Reel Inn, swim at El Matador Beach, listen to live music at The Hotel Cafe, laugh till we got sweaty at an improv comedy show at UCB, get ice cream at Van Leeuwen, hike Griffith Park, have coffee at Aroma Cafe, spend an afternoon at the Getty, find some trinkets at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, and close out with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. And you better believe we’d fit it all in.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents championed my creativity over everything else. I’m not sure if I’ll ever truly grasp the magnitude of the head start they gave me in that department, and for that they definitely deserve some credit. Another key player is Mark Lammerding, long time friend and filmmaking partner. Mark played the most supportive role with my leap into directing. Being a gifted director, cinematographer, and composer himself, his faith, passion, generosity, and endless talent made my short film and directorial debut possible. Without him, I couldn’t have made They Took Jacob. Those friends that really believe in you, instill confidence in you, and help lift you up for dreams that feel out of reach, you can’t ever let them go! Please do yourself a favor and check out some of Mark Lammerding’s work, he elevates everything he touches.

Website: LexiJohnson.com

Instagram: @itslexijohnson

Other: lexijohnsonphotography.com @lexijfoto on Instagram IMDb.com/name/nm1824934/ theytookjacob.com @theytookjacob on Instagram

Image Credits
Christine Perrella Morgan Demeter

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