Meet Michael Kelly | Actor & Film maker

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

Hi Michael, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
The biggest habit that has helped me to succeed in absolutely everything that I do is being consistent. I know that I will not book every audition that my agents send me out for. It never works like that. There are so many things that are out of my control before during and after the audition process. The only part that I have control of is how I show up. How much I use my time to get a complete understanding of the character, so that I am open and available to whatever comes up in the moment. As long as I am consistent and I show up fully every time, I am moving closer to my goal. Even if I don’t get the part, the casting directors, producers and directors will remember me. They will see my work ethic because they have seen my consistency. That is all that I can ask for.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an actor. I have loved this profession for as long as I can remember. All the way back when I used to dress up and shoot fake bows and arrows in my backyard after seeing Robinhood: Prince of Thieves. I always took classes while in high-school, but I didn’t get my first taste of the stage until college. I played multiple roles in the play All in the Timing by David Ives. That was kind of a crash course into character work. It was scary, but the thrill of that experience was invaluable. I was very green and I got to soak up so much knowledge and work ethic from great performers. After college I kind of “followed” a few friends to NYC to hit the ground running. This was definitely a huge wakeup call on realizing that I was the only one who would support my craft. My Aunt is an actor in NYC as well and she introduced me to Susan Batson. Now out of all of the hard experiences in NYC, this was definitely the hardest. She kicked my ass. There were no excuses and you really had to put in the work when in her presence. I always loved acting before, but with her I gained more of a respect for the craft. Getting started in film and tv acting was a big challenge as well. I had no credits, so it was hard to get representation and to get credits I had to get creative. I started writing short scenes and filming them with a few friends from acting class. At that time I had to film it on a camcorder and edit everything together myself. I’m sure it looked slightly unprofessional, but it was a start. A few people began to take notice of my work after that. I got a commercial agent and a manager, who definitely helped nurture my career in commercials and film while I continued to work at my craft in off-off-off Broadway productions.
Even though work started to pick up in NYC, there was always something calling me to Los Angeles. I loved film for as long as I could remember and that was the place to do it. I’ve been in LA now for over 12 years and I haven’t looked back. This is the hardest city in the world to make it as an actor, but I have never given up. And the times when I have succeeded the most have been when I jumped in head first without a thought. I think that is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned. When I think too much about an option, I just get stuck in my head and I never end up following through. Overthinking has always lead to procrastination.
The one thing I want the world to know about me is that it is about the work. This is the one profession I would do without getting paid and I have done that part of it off and on for many years. My love for it has stayed the same. Acting has contributed to my growth not only as a performer, but as a human-being. I have learned so much about myself through the eyes of a different character and I have gained more empathy in the process.

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.
The first place I would take them would definitely be downtown. I’ve always loved DTLA because it reminds me of walking around in NYC . I would show them grand central market and get a bite to eat at Broad St Oyster Co.

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 want to give a shout out to Jayden Adams. He is a fellow actor as well as great friend. Watching him just put his all into everything he does has been so inspiring to me. Whenever he stars something new it’s almost as if he has blinders on to the rest of the world. He is completely locked in and focused. It has motivated me to do the same.

Website: www.Michaeljameskelly.com

Instagram: @itsmichaejameskelly

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkaoglobelife/