Meet Kiff Scholl | Actor, Director, Acting Teacher & Artist

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

Hi Kiff, how do you think about risk?
This is such an interesting question because if someone asked me If I like taking risks, I would instinctively say no, but the truth is I’ve centered my entire career around risk-taking. I have no real interest in sky-diving or anything daredevil-related – but 20 years ago, I quit my day job as lead graphic designer for a magazine despite having very few personal clients and very little in savings to pursue my acting and directing career – and that was an enormous risk. But here I am, still a million miles from being a household name, but much happier and better off for it. I’m not delusional about this career – trying to make a living as an actor/director/coach is one of the biggest risks out there – especially when there’s never been a family inheritance or any safety net waiting to catch me should I fall, and I’m no longer a spring chicken. But I love what I do, and I haven’t been given a chance to truly shine, so retirement isn’t something I aspire to. I just try to treat my body like a temple and not do anything that would endanger a long career in the Biz; in other words, no concert mosh-pits, reckless driving, or cliff diving. I’ve been fortunate in that I have had a long, prolific career acting in TV commercials (which I love), and recent appearances on shows like “I Think You Should Leave” and “Be Cool, Scooby-Doo” have already given me a bit of a cult following. My upcoming appearance on one of the hottest new network TV shows in early 2025 should be yet another career boost (I’m contractually obligated not to mention it until it premieres). On top of everything else, my diligence, talent, and commitment to the craft have paid off in yet another way: I’ve been invited to teach an acting class starting in February ’25 for one of LA’s most prestigious acting schools. In short, I have built up my craft in such a way that not only do I continue to grow in the fields I’ve sown, but adjacent fields have begun to flower – and none of that could have happened had I never taken the risk to leave the safe confines of an office.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I went to the theater for the first time with my neighbors when I was six years old. My parents met doing a play so this was a very exciting moment for them and they were really shocked to hear that I hated it. My mother desperately asked me why, to which I apparently replied “I wanted to be up there.” I’ve pined for the life of an actor since before I knew what it was.

After getting a degree from SUNY New Paltz, studying at NYU/Playwright’s Horizons, and moving to LA in the ’90s, I immediately joined a theatre company where I cut my teeth acting in world premiere plays, doing coverage on new scripts, and designing the graphics for productions. Within a year I directed an award-winning premiere of a one-act play, and my passion for directing was born. As an actor, I respect anyone passionate about the craft, and as a director, I love being able to read an actor well enough to know exactly how best to deliver a note to them. Actors are all incredibly different, and I strive to understand how best to make them comfortable and open to my vision and guidance. My productions over the years garnered numerous LA Weekly, Backstage Garland, and Ovation awards, and in 2009 the dear friends I made doing theater produced and starred in the first feature I co-wrote and directed, ‘Scream of the Bikini’, which won a slew of Indie filmmaker awards, including a Best Director Maverick Movie Award for me. It took me 15 years of hard work to reach that early milestone. A career in Hollywood is not for the weak of heart.

Over the years, family and friends have asked me how I do it. How do I stay so committed to a craft that seldom rewards me? I have to say the old adage is true: Don’t be an actor unless there’s nothing else you can do. I’d add an addendum to that: Make sure you have ways to enhance your income. There are dry spells, and they can last for years. Find a job that allows you to audition, take acting classes, do theater… because nothing will kill your dreams more than losing your job to make a callback, or the inability to pay the rent.

As an actor, unless you’re writing and producing your own stuff and living your best life on TikTok, it can be difficult to control your own story. You’re literally hired to play someone else. But we can do four things to ensure we’re moving our careers forward: always do great work, be a good person, don’t get bitter, and politely remind producers and casting directors that you still exist. I’ve followed these guidelines my whole life and the older I get, the easier working in Hollywood gets. Nowadays I rarely have to audition for theatre acting or interview for directing jobs. I also have had a roster of actors who regularly come to me for coaching even though I’ve never spent a dime on advertising. At a director’s seminar a few years ago, one of the more respected speakers quipped to my classmates that I should be a speaker instead of in the audience. I have become a known quantity in certain circles – and the theatre community and film industry have a ton of crossover. Easily 75% of my work in TV and film has connections to people I met doing theater. So many times I’ve gone to an audition, a callback, a fitting, or a shoot where someone says “I know you from Theatre of NOTE” or “I saw your work at Sacred Fools.” Hollywood may not hold theater in the highest regard, but most TV shows nowadays have writers on their teams who started in theater, and connections are vital in this town, so do your best work, be kind to strangers, stay positive, and be seen.

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.
There are so many exciting things to do in LA it’s almost overwhelming. Some of my favorites include a Food Truck Crawl at First Friday on Abbott Kinney in Venice. I love to walk up and down the streets with a Korean Taco, window shopping, and shooting the breeze with friends. If it’s award season, I also love to visit the Director’s Guild for a movie with a talkback from the director and stars. Nothing like a celebrity sighting to remind you that you’re in Tinseltown. But I think my favorite thing to do is take a drive in the Hollywood Hills to check out the panoramic views on both sides. On clear days you can see all the way from Downtown to Venice Beach, then turn around and marvel at the wonder of the expansive Valley basin. Every friend is different, so if they want to see the beach I’ll try to hit Will Rogers or the Santa Monica Pier – or if they want the nightlife, I love to treat them to El Prado Bar in Echo Park or Akbar in Silver Lake. They never disappoint!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I don’t think there’s anyone who deserves credit for my success more than my mom. Pamela Anderegg (1936-2024) was always my biggest supporter. An aspiring actress herself, she knew that I had chosen a high-risk career, but that didn’t stop her from cheerleading me on, and never suggesting I find a backup career “just in case”. When she passed away suddenly in May of this year, it was both the opening night of one of the plays I directed and mere days before shooting a role on a prestigious new TV show. My family knew that she would do anything to support my dream, and they agreed to hold off on the funeral until I had completed filming. My mom was one of the best, and my only goal remains to live the dream she had for both me and herself.

Website: https://www.KiffScholl.com

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Other: Blue Sky: @actorkiff.BSky.social
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