Meet Cooper Foster | Actor and Writer

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

Hi Cooper, why did you pursue a creative career?
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love performing. I have been in love with acting, performing, art, and creating since I was a child. When I was in elementary school in Richmond California I started dance and theater classes. I was fortunate enough to do the theater program at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts. I fell in love with everything about the theater and the art of acting. I loved the smell of the dusty velvet curtains, the wooden stage, the costumes, creating something from words on a page and performing in front of an audience. In 2017 I knew that I had to make a choice for myself. I had done everything I could in the sketch and improv comedy scene in San Francisco and despite having an agent, I had exhausted the acting opportunities as well. I had to leave my beloved Bay Area and head to LA to pursue my goal of becoming a working actor and a theater performer.

Success to me is making my own projects, performing at my local theaters and if someone pays me to do what I love… that’s the icing on the cake. I think if you become an actor because you want to be famous or desperate for some sort of clout…you will be severely disappointed. You truly have to love this or else the grind and the business of acting will wear you down. I am so blessed to have an amazing community of creative friends. We all root for and support each other in so many ways. It’s such a strange lifestyle and business to choose to be in and STAY in. You have to have some sort of deep love and unwavering drive despite constant letdowns, rejections, and uncertainty.

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.
My background is in theater and sketch comedy, I love afro-surrealism/futurism, so I try to write and create projects based on those elements. I recently wrote and starred in a short called RE:DO, it’s a drama where a woman deals with grief in an unexpected way.

Pursuing a creative career has not been easy in the least, but my passion and determination have kept me on this path. I could not imagine life without pursuing creativity.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am still learning about and getting used to living in Los Angeles, but one of my favorite places is the Huntington Library. It blends so many things that I love like nature, art, and history. Black on the Block, Friday night Jazz at the LACMA, the KCRW Summer Nights series, and Black Market Flea are also must-attend events.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shout out the comedy community here in LA. This is by far the most supportive group of people I have ever had the pleasure of being connected to. I have been recommended for projects, sent kind words, welcomed into shows and even offered couches to sleep on in those hard early LA days. I am forever grateful for the love, support, kindness, selflessness, and genuine care that this community has provided. In fact, I was recommended for this opportunity by one of my talented actor friends and sketch teammate J. Elijah Cho! The list of folks in this community is huge so I will say I love you ALL and your support has been humbling and appreciated.

Instagram: this_is_coop