Meet Laci J Mailey | Actor/Writer/Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laci J Mailey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laci J, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born in British Columbia, Canada in a small town called Fruitvale. The usual story: one main street, no stoplights, nothing to do but drive around in your friends car and smoke cigarettes. My parents were both very expressive and emotional people. Hilarious, creative and very charming. My dad passed when I was fourteen and I was raised by a single mother. I think losing a parent in adolescence is a common trait for budding artists. I had always wanted to be an actor and it wasn’t until after his passing that I really needed some place to put the emotion. My mom is a very driven woman and I now know that you don’t make it far in this industry without a boat load of tenacity, so I have her to thank for that.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I certainly did not take the easy route as an artist (is there one?). After I left my hometown to pursue a career in film, I wanted to get just about every experience possible – the good and the bad. I always felt that the more experiences I had, the more I could draw on for my work. I have always been a risk taker and hungry for adventure — very impulsive. I moved to New York at 23 with nothing in my bank account and worked under the table as a server, hoping to gain some sort of New York edge and brush off my small town Canadianisms. I eloped to Vegas with my partner in 2016 and we packed up our car and did the PCH down to LA where we got our green cards (a massive win for a Canadian). I booked a TV series for Hallmark in 2016 which ended up being the best job I could have asked for. A role I originally did not have the best attitude toward, thinking “this isn’t real art” but ultimately it taught me more about myself and the industry than I could have hoped for. I was deeply humbled. It was an incredibly safe place to grow into myself and I am forever grateful to have worked on that series.

During the long break of the pandemic, I spent some time in Newfoundland – the closest I could get to Ireland at the time, to write about my ancestor, Grace O’Malley. She was an Irish pirate queen who protected Ireland from the English in the 16th century. She was incredible – a mother, a warrior and a wildly ferocious heroine. I had recently become a mother myself so writing about her in sync with what I was going through at the time was kismet. I had written a handful of shorts and poetry pieces in the past, but this project about Grace has felt like a true calling stepping into the world of writing. As an actor, you get pretty caught up in the self tapes and “did I get that random part I probably don’t really even want?” but to move away from that for a minute and take control as a storyteller has been the best and most surprising endeavour for me.

I am very much an actor first and I believe that is evident in my writing process. I don’t know how most writers do it but my writing days are a performance in themselves. I’m pretty physical. I have to have very loud music playing (whatever the scene calls for for inspiration), I get up and walk around, speak out the dialogue (or scream it), sometimes just stand there and cry for a minute, then giddily run back to the laptop to write out whatever just happened… it’s quite a production. I get to take control of the roles I have always wanted to play and give the characters the lines I would want to say. I truly love it.

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.
Ok. Hike, obviously. Runyon is the easiest so I’ll just leave that there. Then down to Coffee Commissary for a breakfast burrito followed by a wander through the Melrose Trading post. Maybe go spend half your savings on lunch and a wonderfully obnoxious smoothie at Erewhon.

You must go to Arclight theater at some point, even if it’s just for the popcorn.

Theres a tiny old bookstore on Sunset called Mystery Pier Books that has all first edition classic novels. It’s fairly hidden so you can barely notice it when passing but worth a stop.

Petty Cash Nachos. Jon and Vinnys anything. Sit at the bar for a spritz and pasta al limone at Terroni on Beverly.

My favorite neighbourhood to wander is Whitley Heights, it feels like Italy and the Hollywood sign is perfectly framed between the historic homes.

You’ll have to go to Malibu – the drive through Topanga is one of my favorites. Please go to Broad St Oyster Company at the market and have a lobster roll.

Shoutout to MadCity boxing on La Brea if you need a great workout and I’ll forever be an addict of Lagree.

Finally, and sort of an interesting add-on is Wolf Connection, a wolf sanctuary north of LA in Angeles National Forrest. You can walk and hang out with wolves for a day and it’s truly an experience.

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?
I would like to dedicate this to my family. The craziest, most passionate, most stubborn people I know. They have made me the actor and writer I am today and I wouldn’t be where I am without their fire.

Website: www.lacijmailey.com

Instagram: @thelacijmailey

Image Credits
Britney Gill Photography