Meet Gretel Munday | Actress

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

Hi Gretel, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ive always felt a strange ease in Acting. Growing up I didn’t enjoy going to after school activities like tennis, hockey, dancing – the list goes on- but any acting troupe I was involved in I looked forward to and fought so hard to be in every amateur show in school & spent my weekends at a performing arts center. I realized I wanted to pursue acting as a career when at 17 I saw a production of War Horse in London, the entire audience was brought to tears by their intense performance- and I wanted two do just that- to make an entire room. theatre, generation feel moved by my performance, be it tears or laughter- I just wanted to pursue that effort. I realized a career in the arts was possible when I moved to New York and was given all the tools to make it happen for myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I guess what I think sets me apart from others in my quest to be a working successful actor is my drive, work ethic and effort to bring laughter to every room i’m in. Moving from England to NYC was the best decision and an easy one- but the move from New York after 5 years- leaving the community I had made -to Los Angeles- where I knew a total of 3 people- was terrifying but so necessary. Took a lot of work and support but the industry is here…it is Hollywood. If I have a shot of pursuing a film and TV career this is the place I have to be. I have never been afraid of hard work or doing “the work”. I have also had such wisdom passed on to me by female mentors in the industry. My friend and mentor Jennifer Leigh Mann installed in me that even getting an audition- that is the win. You get to be that character for this day, learn your lines, do your work, live in that character even just for your short self tape- you get to act that day- do what you love and what you are great at- that way you feel so accomplished in every audition instead of bogged down with rejection which lets face it, is 90 percent of this career, ultimately that will give you satisfaction and hopefully longevity in this industry. Having a positive attitude and happy, can-do spirit is something i’m proud of and learnt will help me in every aspect of my career/life. In terms of what I would love the world to know about me or what I bring to the table- I will work hard and I will always try and have a laugh. Always. Life is too short not to be happy, being around people and making them laugh, laughing myself, it’s what i’m all about.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I PRIDE myself on being a good tour guide, I love to have friends and family in town and show them my little corner of the world. Our perfect weekend would start with a walk to a cute Coffee shop.. (Tartine, Andante Coffee Roasters, The butcher baker & cappuccino maker to name a few) then a Reformer Pilates Class (shoutout to club pilates & Evoken Studio my favorites) then head to the coast, find ourselves an amazing spot on the beach the best are the hidden Malibu beaches accessible by secret stairwells, they are pristine and so secluded. Spend some time reading.. having a picnic.. listening to music and catching up. Then off to the Stonehaus winery for a glass of Rosé by the vineyards or sitting cosy next to their outside fire pits. Then an amazing sunset drive along Pacific Coast Highway and back to West Hollywood for dinner at the Chateau Marmont or Laurel Hardware where the music is amazing, everyone is dressed fabulously and the cocktails are flowing. Sundays are reserved for being slow, walking around Silverlake Flea or Loz Feliz market and thrifting that perfect skirt you had on your Pinterest board, then heading to my favorite mall ever, The Grove (honestly rivals main street in Disney its so ‘plastic perfect’) to have an afternoon tipple by the Bellagio-esque water feature pond and then eating at my guilty pleasure- The Grove Cheesecake Factory (I have taken every tourist I have had to this CF I am unashamed). Then back to my apt where we can sit on the rooftop with friends overlooking the Hollywood Hills. Honorable mentions – Griffith Park sunset picnic with the most amazing view of LA – seeing a comedy show at one of the many spots along sunset- dancing at No Vacancy under the stars- and if you drag me there- a hike on Runyon Canyon is fun I guess…

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my fellow actresses who like me- felt so lost during covid & in the aftermath- and we were sick of waiting for a casting director to choose us-that we decided to launch our own production house Seven50Ml. Willa Main & Elizabeth Wakefield. We wrote, fundraised, produced, cast, directed the short in order to feel some form of control in an otherwise inaccessible career. Our short “Jon Smith get F*cked” took 3 months of planning & four days of shooting and sleepless nights, countless hours of editing ( shoutout to Chris Jerome James for his amazing work) to make a female led comedic short that showcased us as actresses. Im so proud of our efforts , thankful for Willa and Liz for being talented and motivated to work hard and my favorite people to go to the pub after a long successful day. Our short is still in consideration for several festivals, we cant wait to release it and share our silly little jokes with the world.

Website: https://gretelmunday.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gretel_munday/

Other: https://www.instagram.com/sevenfiftymlproductions/

Image Credits
In order of upload- Grown Brilliance Commercial Deplorable Short By Carlo Haltrich Behind the scenes Seven50Ml first short Memories by Paradoxx Films Still from Jon Smith get F*cked The Women of Seven50ML Brooklyn Short Still Memories by Paradoxx Films