Meet Maya Knell | Actor/Creator/Comedian

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

Hi Maya, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
This is the only thing I can or will ever do. I’m not kidding. Sure, I am passably competent at other tasks and jobs (and will probably have a day job for a WHILE longer), but art and creation are the only forms of work I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m not religious, but if there’s a reason I’m here, this is it. What my artistic future looks like has transformed so many times since I started the work but I’m loving the evolution. I’m always excited to work and keep going.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been acting for 20 years which is insane to say at this point, since I’m only 27, but I’m finally starting to lean into the fact that not only do I KNOW what I’m doing, but I’m really (dare I say) good at it! That’s not to say that I’m done learning, or done getting better, that will obviously never stop, but it feels very empowering to enter a stage of my career with confidence and excitement.

I’ve always been interested in comedy, film, and theater, it wasn’t until quarantine that I was able to finally click into that part of my creativity. I’ve found a way to combine my obsession with acting, directing, writing, editing, and creating and actually begin to make personal projects I’m proud of. Every single sketch I upload has been sweated over, picked apart, and edited meticulously until I’m genuinely happy and satisfied enough to share it. Even for 10 or 15 second sketches or TikToks, you can BET that I’ve done at least 7 takes. I’m a perfectionist, and also a little bit insane. It seems to be working, though, as a lot of my videos have brought joy to people, which really is the best part of the work. If I can make humans laugh, feel seen, and feel less alone, I really feel like I’m doing my job well.

Being on “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” was a total dream come true, almost on par with my ongoing collab with Weekly World News, which you should DEF check out if you aren’t familiar. The bigger accolades are just as important as the smaller ones to me, and making videos with other artists continues to give me so much satisfaction and joy. I hope to keep doing that, regardless of where my career takes me.

Getting real for a moment, I’ve struggled with pretty severe mental health issues my entire life. Months can go by where I’m struggling too much to make anything and nothing is inspiring to me because I’m in so much inner pain. I’m saying this not to ask for pity, but to say that it’s possible to continue on when it doesn’t feel that way, and this too shall pass. If you’re reading this and relate, know that I’m going through it too, and I get it.

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?
OMG ok. I live on the east side, so these are definitely all over here. For drinks, The Black Cat and 4100 bar in Silverlake, Bigfoot Lodge in Glendale/Atwater, Spoke Bicycle Cafe in Frogtown (also great for coffee/lunch), Lock & Key in Ktown, Golden Road Brewery in Glendale, All-Season Brewing Company in Miracle Mile, and Boomtown Brewery in the Arts District (I love me an IPA.)

For food, Homestate. Look it up. It’s my favorite.

For fun, Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale, Two-Bit Circus (a wild VR arcade) in the Arts District, The Groundlings Theater for amazing improv and sketch shows in the Fairfax area, Dynasty Typewriter for suuuuuuch good comedy, right next to MacArthur Park, and every karaoke bar in ktown.

For dancing, The Friend bar in Silverlake, CandiPop on Fridays at the Virgil, Akbar in Silverlake, Bar Lubitsch in WeHo, and Rhonda either at Los Globos or Catch One.

The BEST bars, restaurants, and nightclubs in LA are my friends’ houses, but I’m not going to give you their addresses. 😉

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?
Ok, so there are genuinely too many things and too many people I am grateful for that have helped me get where I am today so I’m going to be incredibly reductive for a moment, which DOES hurt my heart HOWEVER I’m going to do my best here. 1. The movie Little Miss Sunshine, which put to words the melancholic humor I’ve been trying emulate in my work ever since I saw in theaters as a kid. It was the first film that made me laugh so hard I cried.
2. My genetic family for always putting up with my attitude, black sheep-edness, and never failing to support whatever weirdo choices I’m making.
3. My chosen family (aka my amazing queer community) who keep me HUMBLED while also gassing me the hell up. That balance is a necessity for me.

I would be remiss not to mention Arc Stages and the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, which are incredible independent organizations that foster young artists. I would not be here without them, and truly hate to even imagine that. THANK YOU!!!

Website: www.mayaknell.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/mayaknell

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7Q_gs7Aj4VleUV198PkCA

Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6653441/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maya.knell?lang=en

Image Credits
Leah Huebner, Joey Krulock