Meet Anna Belle Bayley | Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Belle Bayley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna Belle, why did you pursue a creative career?
From a young age, I was always more creatively inclined. In school, my best subject was English and my favorite parts of the day were art and theater.
Beyond this creative inclination, I always felt emotions very deeply on a level that could be described as “too sensitive.” I initially saw this emotional capacity as a weakness until I learned how to channel those oftentimes overwhelming feelings into creative expression. As a result, I discovered that my greatest strength was channeling those very emotions. Whether it was through the clothes I wore, images I painted, or stories I told through acting, creativity grew to be my most effective outlet.
As I was exposed to more thought-provoking art, I developed the desire to move others’ emotions as well. I remember seeing the film “Girl, Interrupted” for the first time when I was 12 and being in awe at Angelina Jolie’s success at revealing the vulnerabilities and, as a result, instilling sympathy for what would usually be seen as the irredeemable traits of a sociopath. This ability to enlighten and challenge people’s minds about often misunderstood and overlooked experiences is what ultimately drew me to acting as my form of artistic expression.
Today, I recognize that I am the strongest version of myself when I allow myself to color outside of the lines, and a career of artistry is what enables my freedom to be abstract.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When it comes to the greatest challenge I’ve faced when pursuing my acting career, I could cite the conformist, conservative attitude of the schools I attended in Texas growing up. There were also my efforts to excel academically once I moved to Los Angeles that initially distracted from my ability to fully commit to my creative career. However, in reality, I realized that the greatest challenge I faced in pursuing a creative career was actually myself. All of my life, I dealt with oftentimes crippling anxiety and insecurity, and ultimately overcoming this self-doubt has enabled me to finally propel myself forward fearlessly and authentically. At this point, I have developed the ability to find happiness through creating beauty and art out of the very pain that held me back for so long.

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 Los Angeles for a week, I would want them to experience all of the vibrant beauty that dwells within the madness of this chaotic city that I am endlessly inspired by. I would take them to hike West Ridge trail Runyon Canyon Park. When hiking it, I’ve found that you don’t realize just how far and steep you’ve climbed until you reach the peak, where you can see all the way to the ocean. I would also drive my down Sunset and the PCH all the way to Malibu. The drive itself is beautiful, and it’s shocking to realize that Malibu, feeling so drastically different from the rest of LA, is an accessible oasis within this concrete jungle. I would make sure to take them on a drive down Mulholland Drive, the spine of the city, and sit in silence at an outlook. Those views are medicine for the soul. Of course, a meal at Urth Caffe, a walk down Sunset Strip, and a bike ride from Venice all the way to the Palisades would be essential as well.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe everything to my loving and endlessly supportive parents, Scott and Kimberly. They have always accepted and encouraged my creative expression.

My manager, Jeffery Brooks, gave me the confidence and support to move to Los Angeles to begin pursuing acting professionally in 2017, and our professional relationship has been my greatest source of security through all of the trials and tribulations of navigating this industry.

My current acting coach, Camille Mana, has stuck by my side since I first moved to Los Angeles, and she always pushes me to ignore my self-doubt and challenges me to be a better story-teller as an actor.

Additionally, my first acting coach in Houston, Alyssa Dodson, was the person to teach me how to effectively channel my emotions into artistic expression.

Instagram: annabellebayley

Other: IMDb: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm7258492?s=bac82ddb-91d7-c5d7-e11b-06255d46b784&site_preference=normal

Tiktok: annabellebayleybaby

Image Credits
Headshots: Theo & Juliet Photography
Fashion Shots: Estarr Vilson