Meet Dara Emery | Actress & Novelist

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

Hi Dara, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
This is something that has gotten a lot more of my focus recently, actually! I think one of the most crucial parts of changing any aspect of your life is awareness–just noticing, looking for patterns, and starting to understand why you’ve been doing things that way.

I definitely entered into acting professionally with an unrealistic idea of the amount of work I’d be doing. I thought it’d be a lot more of the joking around on set bits, relaxing breaks between auditions or jobs, and a weekly class if I felt I needed it. You absolutely can live that way, and I did. For years.

And I wondered why my career needle never moved.

Fast forward past my epiphany, past the support and guidance, the personal self-improvement work that bled into my approach to my career, and here I am with the understanding that, while there needs to be a healthy separation of the two, for actors like me, who are trying to build a firm foothold in this industry so that they can start to climb even higher, the work absolutely must come first. You are essentially managing a small business–yourself–and, while there are a myriad of ways to run a business, they all require a constant influx of the same thing: growth. Work on another scene outside of class, start practicing a new dialect, do your research on the casting directors who cast the shows and films you’d love to work on. There’s always something you can do. So much of success in this industry is based on luck, on connections, on looking the “right” way, and we can’t do anything to change that. But, all other things being equal, it’s the actor who put in the work, who showed up more prepared, who will get the part. And that’s something we CAN change.

So, yes, tl;dr: my work-life balance is heavier on the “work” part these days. But I love it. If I’m going to choose to do something over the “fun” stuff in life, it had better be something that fulfills me, and that’s acting. They aren’t joking around when they say you’ve got to want this career with every fiber of your breakfast cereal (it’s something like that).

Work life balance is really just a question of priorities. What do you value more right now, working towards the career of your dreams, or another few hours of video games?

That’s a real question I’ve asked myself many times. You can guess what my answer is.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an actor and aspiring author with her head in the clouds–literally. I’m just kidding. But I am six feet tall. That definitely sets me apart from other female actors, and has been, as in life, both a boon and a challenge. I mean, sure, apple boxes exist, but are they really willing to use them in EVERY scene?

To me, working in this industry as a tall Black actress means I’ve got my work cut out for me. I need to be that much more prepared, exhibit that much more skill, to land a role where a five foot five actress would have been fine. I’ve always been ambitious, so embracing the challenge has largely been a positive force in my life.

It’s not easy to get anywhere in the film industry as an actor. Not unless you’ve got money and/or connections. Rejection is such a constant that it’s really all about your mindset. However you can stay positive, stay motivated, and step into each audition room (or self tape frame) with a totally fresh and confident outlook, you need to do that. For me, it has been setting my focus on the aspects of getting cast that I can control, and trusting that there is actually an abundance of work out there. What is meant for me will find me, and I just know that there is an amazing role waiting for a hard-working, goofy, six foot tall woman–AND that it has absolutely nothing to do with basketball!

One can hope.

There is still a large field ahead of me, professionally speaking, and many more hurdles still to jump. It’s a career filled with gates; large checkpoints you’ve got to get past. I’m grateful to be where I am, having worked on the films and games that I have, with the footage I have, and the training supporting me. I don’t think this was something that could have been rushed in any way. Patience is something I am still learning in my journey. That, and how to let go of perfectionism. With those two out of the way, it becomes much easier to release end goals and focus on, and enjoy, the actual process.

I’m out here, every day, chugging along that process. I want the world to know that I’m out here, and that I’m not still. I’m a-comin’. You keep your eyes peeled, and one day soon I’ll be towering over all the other actors in a theater near you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Alright, bestie, let’s do this! And let’s pretend the weather is in the eighties this entire time, thank you very much.

On Monday, we’ll be shopping. Melrose is great for window shopping (I’ve never actually bought anything), then the Grove so we can experience the food court more than anything else, and then we’ll end up saving our money and thrifting like everybody else. I live in the Valley, so I like a few thrift shops in Studio City/Sherman Oaks. Also the mall in Glendale is nice–but not as nice as that THREE story Barnes and Noble! I love me some books (don’t forget the “aspiring author” part).

Tuesday-Thursday is sightseeing. I’m a big fan of museums and botanical gardens, and LA has plenty of both! LACMA and a few other museums are free on weekdays after 3pm if you’re an LA resident, so there’s really no excuse not to go get cultured. There are a lot of nice art museums (like, hello, Getty Villa?), and the Natural History museum is one of my favorites. And of all the botanical gardens, the one that I will be dragging every single visiting friend to is the Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens. It’s got a library, museum and garden all in one!

There is also one restaurant I bring everyone to: Pasta Sisters (Culver City). If you haven’t, please have. You’ll thank me later.

Friday is for Six Flags and nothing else. Be quiet.

Saturday + Sunday: There are so many amazing brunch places to be cliche at. I don’t have a favorite because I try a new one every time and can never remember which one I liked more than the other. But that’s kind of exciting, right? I feel like it is. I also like taking dance classes, and it’s pretty easy to drop in on a beginner or intermediate class at one of the many studios around LA. If there’s a street fair happening (and let’s pretend there is), we are 100% going. I absolutely adore street fairs of any size, in any capacity. It draws out the people of LA, highlights local artists, farmers, etc, and usually has at least one amazing vegan ice cream truck. Nothing makes me feel more a part of the city than spending the day at a street fair. The Rose Bowl flea market is a good second option (plus, hey, more shopping!)

As far as nightlife goes, I’m not really into clubs. My vibe is more lounge where you can hear yourself talk and a floor with the *option* to dance. That, or a bar doing trivia night. Or an arcade. I don’t have any favorite lounges, but there are a number of great bars that do trivia nights around Burbank, North Hollywood, and Studio City (Valley, sorry), and I’m a huge fan of Round One and Dave and Busters for games. Sorry, Two Bit Circus, you’re just aight.

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?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to (surprise, surprise,) my mother–a wonderful but pushy woman with very set ideas of success–who did not bat an eye when I announced I intended to forego college to rush to LA and pursue acting. She knew, and trusted, even then, that I would find my way back to the things that I valued. Thank you for instilling in me a love of education, a deep curiosity about artistic expression, and the ability to see the magic that crackles between the two.

Website: Currently in the works. Just keep googling me, it’ll get there!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daraemery/?hl=en