Meet Kristi Murdock | Actress

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

Hi Kristi, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Ever since I was a child, I have been artistically inclined. I loved to draw, paint and lose myself in books. And having an active imagination, I loved to play pretend. So, as I grew older, I found myself focusing on the arts in school. All throughout high school, I was mentored by my art teacher who was a great source of inspiration to me. I initially wanted to go to college and study to be an art teacher just like her. But sometimes Life has different plans!

I happened to discover acting while I was in my senior year of high school after being an extra on a locally filmed TV show. I fell in love with the whole process. A whole new world was literally opened up to me and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a part of it. It was in that moment that I realized I wanted to be an actress. So, I immediately went back to school the next day and applied to go to a local college in a nearby city where they filmed many TV shows and movies. I knew if I wanted to be a part of this scene, I would have to go there. And as luck would have it, I got accepted to that college two weeks before the deadline and my whole path changed.

Eventually I moved to Los Angeles and began to pursue acting. But as anyone can attest, LA is a hard city to live in as a struggling actress. Finding jobs that are flexible enough to work with your schedule to audition is a big challenge…and many of these flexible jobs are low paying and inconsistent. So I ended up having to move away to regroup and get back on my feet. Five years later I moved back and decided to give acting another shot. And I am so happy and grateful that I did.

Since I’ve been back in LA, I have had the most success of my career thus far. I have starred in five feature films over the past two years, with three of them being leading roles. I have a national dog food commercial airing that has garnered so much attention that it was spoofed by Saturday Night Live. I have trained weekly with my home acting studio, even through the pandemic. I’m blessed to have a day job that is extremely supportive of my career aspirations and are some of my biggest cheerleaders on my journey. My family and close friends are also such a huge source of motivation and inspiration for me. I’m lucky enough to be able to say that I am not only chasing my dream…but living it.

In a more granular sense, I think I was drawn to acting because it allows me to express the childlike curiosity that is so deeply embedded in me. I’m able to let my imagination run wild and just simply “Play.” I can let go of all of my own insecurities and worries and jump into the mind and life of someone completely imaginary and live in that existence for a moment in time. As an actress, I get to “Live” a million different lives. A really lovely part of that is, I get to use my own human experience to draw from and help me understand the nature and behavior of this imaginary character. I get to bring her to life. And in bringing that character to life, it brings me to life as well.

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 spoke before about the long break I took from acting…it was five years to be exact. During that time, I worked outside of the industry in advertising and marketing. I worked at newspapers and ad agencies and had built a successful career as a social media marketing manager. But unfortunately, I was unfulfilled and missing my dream everyday. At that time, I had no idea if I would ever get back to LA or get a chance to pursue acting again. But luckily, I was able to move back to Los Angeles and have a second chance. I knew I wouldn’t let this opportunity slip through my fingertips. Now it was all or nothing. And I was going to give it my all.

I think almost losing the opportunity to chase my dream has made me chase it even harder this time around. I push myself harder than I ever thought I could. I release distractions from my life and put in the necessary effort to give something 100% of myself. I walk onto set fully prepared and memorized with ideas on how to play the scenes. I spend my off time taking care of myself and my body and keeping the acting muscle toned and ready with weekly acting classes. I regularly update my reels and headshots so my reps can get me the best auditions. And I strive to be pleasant and easy to work with on any project I’m hired on. I love this job so much and I love any opportunity I’m given to be able to do it. So I make sure that the love I have for the job also shines through in my work ethic, reliability and character.

The past two years have been my most successful and it feels like the hard work I’ve been putting in is finally starting to pay off. It started with me booking my first TV credit on the Amazon Studios series, ‘THEM,’ which aired on April 9, 2021. Then my biggest role ever came next with Dylan Vox and Scotty Mullen hiring me to play the lead role in the Lifetime Network thriller, ‘Secrets on Sorority Row’ which aired May 15, 2021 and is available on demand on Lifetime and Amazon Prime.

Soon after, I was cast by Director, Sean Olson and Casting Director, Paul Ruddy in the family friendly mystery feature, ‘Squeaky Clean Mysteries: Hazardous Duty,’ which has been released internationally and set to release in the US soon. Just a few months later, a huge dream of mine was realized when I was cast by Dylan Vox and Scotty Mullen as the lead in the Christmas feature film, ‘A Furry Little Christmas,’ which premiered December 5th, 2021 on UPtv. And only a couple of months later I was cast again by Dylan and Scotty as the lead in the upcoming thriller feature film, ‘Spring Break Nightmare’ set to release this year. And just a few months after wrapping production on ‘Spring Break Nightmare,’ I was cast in another suspense thriller film, ‘The Tryst,’ directed by Lane Shefter Bishop with casting by Thomas Sullivan. So needless to say, I have gained some great momentum along my journey and also have some potential new projects in the pipeline!

Have there been challenges along my path? Certainly. I have definitely gotten so close to getting roles I fell in love with, but ultimately went to someone else. There are days when I feel burnt out and unmotivated and on those days, I give myself a break to just BE…and live life. So much of acting is all about our own personal life experience, so I have to remind myself to takes breaks to just be Kristi and to have a normal life…to go on vacation, to have date nights, to keep myself grounded. I realize one of the most important things I have to focus on is feeling balanced and on making my mental and emotional health a priority.

There’s also been so much time where I give tons of effort and see no results…for a long time. And that can be frustrating. But I have learned that there are seasons to this life. A time to reap and a time to sow. So when things go quiet, I know it is time to take myself back to the basics and study scenes in acting class and challenge myself in different ways. I have also realized that we cannot compare our journey to anyone else’s. It is so easy to become bitter and jealous when you see other people’s successes and roles they are booking. But one mantra I tell myself is, “What is meant for me will not pass me by.” In other words, if I didn’t book it, the job wasn’t meant for me…it was meant for someone else and THEIR journey. I have to remind myself to stay in my own lane, do not compare myself to others, celebrate the wins of others the way I want others to celebrate mine. There’s room for everyone’s wins on this journey.

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?
I love LA. There’s just something so romantic about this city. It feels like anything is possible here and there’s an air of that the moment you arrive in this city. I loved hiking to the Hollywood Sign and looking out over the city. Visiting Griffith Observatory at night is a must…watching the sparkling city lights twinkling over the city is so magical. I love taking my dog, Ender, to the dog beach at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu. If you can get an invite to the Magic Castle and have dinner there I highly recommend! I also love the comedy scene here in LA and live within walking distance to the Hollywood Improv. I make sure to go at least a couple times a month! A few places I can’t wait to visit/do: The Last Bookstore in DTLA, Horseback riding through the Hollywood Hills, a show at The Largo at the Coronet, and dinner on the rooftop at CATCH.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I owe so much of my success to many people, but my number one supporter is my mother, Gerri O’Brien. When I told her I wanted to be an actress back in high school, she was on board from day one. She has helped me get my first headshots, helped me pay for my first acting classes. She didn’t bat an eye when I told her I wanted to get a college degree in Theatre. And she has supported me mentally, emotionally and financially each step of the way. My father, Doug Stroud, is also the first one to ask me, even now, how acting is going and tell me how proud he is of my accomplishments. He has bought me headshots when I was first getting started and has even held viewing parties at his work for my movies. Honestly, my entire family is so crazy supportive of me and I am so blessed beyond measure for that. Also, my best friends whom I all met in acting class in college or first beginning my acting journey: Shoshanna Withers, Katrina Alan, Bonnie Dubier, Kim McGrew, Gaby Eubank, Chelsea Childers…are still my biggest supporters to this day.

My acting studio, Studio 24 Seven, and coach, Mark McPherson, have been so integral to my success. I’ve been with them for almost five years now and I could not have prayed for a better team of talented actors to surround myself with. Their talent and achievements challenge me to become a better actor everyday. My coach, Mark, has built a studio that fosters a safe place for us to be vulnerable, so that we may learn and grow and celebrate each other’s successes along the way. There’s a familial sense of comradery in my studio where we all hype each other up and focus on the unique talents we see in each other. In a city where we hear far more “No’s” than ‘Yes’s,” I’m so lucky to have found a group that feeds my spirit and builds me up. My coach’s book, “Unbelievably Believable: The Secrets to Building a Hollywood Acting Career” is a most valuable resource to me as I navigate these crazy waters of Hollywood. It helps to remind me of technique when I’m breaking down a script as well as remind me of tips I can use to guide the business side of my career.

And for their tireless work on my behalf, I want to thank a million times my representatives. They pitch me to casting, they submit me for roles and advocate on my behalf everyday. They guide my decision making and always have time to talk about my path. Jillian West at Spark Talent Agency, Blake Viglione at Aqua Talent Agency and Steven Buchsbaum at Ad Astra Management.

Every actor hopes to find someone to give them a shot, someone to take a risk on them, someone to believe in them (even before they believe in their self). And I found them. Filmmaker, Producer and Director, Dylan Vox and Casting Director and Screenwriter, Scotty Mullen cast me in my first ever leading role, in the Lifetime Network thriller ‘Secrets on Sorority Row.’ Since then, they have gone on to cast me two more times as leads in their films (‘A Furry Little Christmas’ & ‘Spring Break Nightmare’) and I honestly cannot express to them how grateful I am to them for instilling their trust in me.

Every actor knows that most days are spent with self taping at the oddest of hours and having those patient few around you can make all the difference to your success. The life of an actress is not only felt by the actress herself, but by those closest to them. So I would like to thank my ultimate partner, my boyfriend, Travis Pilat, who literally drops everything to help me self tape. No matter how busy he is, he always happily sets up the taping equipment at any time and helps me make the best tape I can to send to casting. He is so patient through the entire process and makes it stress free so that I can focus on the acting, and not the logistics. He sees the day to day struggles that come along with this career and he is always there to bring me back to center, and for that I’m so lucky and blessed.

And lastly, for me, I would not be anywhere without my spiritual connection to my Creator, so for all these blessings I already have and for those on the way, I am filled with love and gratitude.

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

Other: http://www.imdb.me/kristimurdock

Image Credits
Sean Kara Photography Harv Greenberg Photography Baja Noel Photography