Meet Cybil Lake | Actor, Writer, Filmmaker

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

Hi Cybil, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

Even though risk-taking is scary, it’s a great motivator for me. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone is one of my passions. Risk is a form of being super spontaneous and just going for it.

For a lot of my life, I had an alcohol and drug problem so that was very risky but in a negative way. Now I like taking other kinds of risks: pushing myself in exercise or meditating longer than what feels comfortable. I love taking creative risks: writing even when I don’t feel like it, auditioning for something even if I don’t feel completely prepared, or pitching a new film project. Personally I believe acting and performing are the greatest way to take a risk. The choices you make may not be great and you may fail. Or maybe you will soar — and break through into some truth of the moment.

The way I think about risk changes as I grow older. When I was younger, I thought risk was being fearless to the point of foolish and looking danger in the mouth. Now I think it’s about challenging yourself to grow to a new level. It might even involve doing some things that you don’t want to do — in order to catapult to another level. Perhaps risk is the opposite of laziness.

The first time that I heard this quote it resonated so deeply.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

Anais Nin

When I feel my heart go pitter patter because of whatever I’m engaged in or when I notice excited butterflies rising — I recognize this as risk and keep heading in that direction. Risk promises a leap into the unknown — and what’s more interesting than the unknown?

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 greatest passions are acting and writing. (I also love painting but that’s for another story.) Acting provides a chance to expose the best and worst parts of humanity’s soul in a fun and safe manner. What fascinates me about great acting is it’s subtle yet loud. It’s magic! I’ve been a performer since I was a child. I wanted to be a child actor but my parents didn’t like that plan. So, I started acting in high school and have been ever since. I went to NYU Tisch School of the Arts for Film and TV. I’ve studied in New York and LA with amazing teachers. Additionally, I’ve been writing stories since I was a toddler. Lately that writing comes in the form of screenplays. Because it can be challenging to find acting roles, I love writing and creating roles for myself. I wrote, directed, and played the lead along with Tom Sizemore in Central Park Dark, a thriller feature film. I sold this film to High Octane Pictures and they distributed it. It’s currently on Amazon, iTunes, and Youtube. I just completed the final draft of a thriller called White Lies and Darker Ones. Nina, a mother who seeks revenge for her teenage daughter, instead uncovers her small town’s darkest secrets and realizes that the trauma for which she seeks justice may not be her daughter’s at all. I’m super proud of this script and I’m gearing up to pitch it to various companies. On a whole other note, I really want to play a role on some new hit period piece — tv or film. Maybe I want to travel in time and this is a way to do this.

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?
If someone was coming to LA for a long day or weekend and wanted to be inspired — I would take them up high somewhere for dawn — Santa Monica Mountains or the top of Griffith Park. The sunrise is super special is LA. I love Fig Restaurant at the Fairmount Hotel for brunch. A little window shopping in Beverly Hills would be fun for some folks. I like Pascal’s on Beverly Blvd for a snack. Some folks need to go to the Beverly Hills Hotel just to experience that. Sunsets are a must-see at the beach. On the sand you can do yoga or meditate, join a drum circle, dance at a silent disco, or have dinner. Shutters or Casa Del Mar are both fantastic and both on the beach. Movie and history buffs would probably love the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theater.

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?
Perhaps it’s a little corny, but my toddlers show me how to really live. They just live! They just do! They just play! They just love! They would walk over a cliff if we didn’t stop them. They would forget to eat because they’re so immersed in their game. Kids are so fearless and loving — it’s very sweet and inspiring.

Website: www.cybillake.com

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Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6481102/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Image Credits
headshot picture Kenneth dolin — black jacket