Meet Alyssa Suede: Actor & Musician

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

Hi Alyssa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I love this quote by T.S. Eliot. He says, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” I’m a huge fan of risk taking. That’s how I got my SAG card at the age of seven. Long story short, I went in to audition for the role of young Nancy Kerrigan for an NBC movie of the week. I was a figure skater, and a family friend who was a manager asked my mom if I’d like to audition for it. So we died my hair brown (with what we thought was one of those wash out colors but ended up being permanent), and I went in to read for casting. I did not get a callback. I was so upset because they hadn’t even seen my skate. And on top of that, I my hair was permanently dark brown. So I had my mom call casting and ask which rink the callbacks were happening at because they needed to see me skate. We got the information, I showed up and just got onto the ice and went straight into the famous Nancy Kerrigan spiral. I booked the role.

I think to be successful in any area, one has to have the courage to put themselves out there, you have to be willing to bet on your ideas and take action! Of course there is something to be said for being prepared. Learning everything about your craft, rehearsing, doing all the steps to be the best you can possibly be. But then if that’s all you do, how will anyone know just how good you are if you then don’t take those risks?
I try to do one thing that scares me every day. And I find that I build more confidence, and actually have more fun with life when I do that. I would not have the experiences I have today, or the people in my life if I hadn’t been willing to take risks.

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 look at my life in three sections. The figure skating life, the musician life and now the acting life. And in a weird way they all sort of fit together, one helping the next. But it all started with Shirley Temple.

When I was three all I wanted was to be Shirley Temple. I would stand on my little table and sing and tap along to all her great numbers.  But then when I was four I went to a friend’s ice skating party and that changed my plans. Instead I went on to be a Champion figure skater for the next nine years of my life, training alongside Sasha Cohen with our Olympic coach Mr. John Nicks. A skater’s life is tough. Starting the day at 4 A.M., hard training for 5 hours a day, a lot of bruises and sore muscles. But I wouldn’t re-live those years another way. It taught me intense hard work at a young age. I learned how to be in tune with myself. Learned how to perform and to be vulnerable. I also discovered a love for classical music, and costumes.

Cut to me quitting at age thirteen, and deciding to have a normal high school life at a boarding school in Oregon. It was there that I fell in love with musical theater.  I got to play some of my favorite roles including Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, just to name a few. The summer after graduation, I went to London and studied at RADA. But I missed my family so back to Los Angeles I went.

I decided to join the family business and become a musician.  I learned guitar, started writing songs, continued taking weekly dance classes and played everywhere I could including SXSW, Sundance, high schools, colleges all over, my band Rome Will Burn even sold out the El Rey Theater here in LA which holds over 1,000 people. You get the point.

But I never forgot my Shirley Temple dream.  So now I’m pursuing acting. And by that I mean busting my butt like I used to do as a figure skater….except this time minus the bruises.  In the past three years I’ve Guest starred on Paramount Network’s American Women, am recurring on Hulu’s Light As A Feather, shot a Walmart campaign, and worked with Taika Waititi on a National Commercial. I also produced and am starring in the short film Ghosted which recently got accepted into Oscar Qualifying Rhode Island film festival, LA Shorts Film Festival, the San Diego International film festival, and Portland Film Festival (to name a few).

I want to continue creating whimsical, romantic, quirky, edgy art that gives you all the feels. I want to find those roles that incorporate my three loves – singing, dancing and acting – and bring them to life. And working with Damien Chazelle is definitely on my bucket list. So if you know him, have him give me a call!

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?
OMG so fun! Okay here we go. First off, I would have us stay in West Hollywood at one of my favorite boutique hotels, the Petit Ermitage. We would check in Friday evening and go for dinner at Jon and Vinny’s on Fairfax in WeHo. They have, hands down, the best Italian food in LA! And a great menu of natural wines. Then we’d keep the party going afterwards at V wine room. Saturday morning, brunch at Breadblok in Santa Monica. Then wonder the prominade, hang at the beach, etc. Head back to the hotel for a quick change, then go to Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a picnic/outdoor movie (pretending this is summer and covid isn’t a thing). After the movie, we’d go back to the hotel and hang on the rooftop and have a night cap. Sunday morning, brunch by the pool, and just have a lazy pool morning. Maybe go to the farmers market in Larchmont Village, grab a coffee at Maru in Los Feliz and take them to the airport. Aside from that itinerary, I love going to LACMA, some amazing food spots in Atwater Village, All Time in Los Feliz, sushi at Sugar Fish in Studio City, hiking in Griffith Park, surfing at Zuma Beach. I mean, Los Angeles is pretty magical. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Obviously it goes without saying that I wouldn’t be who I am today without my family, husband and friends. They are some of the most encouraging humans on the planet. A big shoutout to my acting coach Mark McPherson and my creative family at Studio 24/7. They give me a safe space to work on my craft, share in my wins and boost me up when I need it. Shoutout to my manager Sharon King and all my agents for continuing to believe in me. My dear friend Melanie Renfroe who cast me in my first tv show back when I didn’t have any representation. And a shoutout to my friend Tracie Laymon who is always willing to create magical worlds with me. From directing my first music video, Falling from Mars, where we figured out how to incorporate ice skating and wire rigging in a paper mache world, to writing/directing our latest film Ghosted. I’m excited to create much more with her in the future.

Website: www.alyssasuede.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/alyssasuede

Other: You can find my music on Spotify under the name “Rome Will Burn”

Image Credits
Alex Lake, Diana Mantis, Rob Flate, David Zaugh