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

Hi Michelle, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
At the end of my career, I want to be sitting in my beautiful brownstone in Manhattan, looking out into the sunset, with the man of my dreams sitting next to me, enjoying the fruits of my labor, and being grateful that my love and passion for being creative in the arts, performing, and writing, paid for everything I ever wanted in life. Having an Oscar, an EMMY, and possibly a Pulitzer, or any of the major writing awards, on my mantle above my blazing fireplace, would not be a bad way to end my career as well, ya know? hahaha I LOVE what I do as a writer and performer, and I just want to support myself and live the life I have always dreamed of with the money I worked hard for, in both aforementioned fields.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Being in the right place at the right time, and always saying YES, led me to book 2 Recurring roles on Prime-time TV much later on in my career. After being in LA for 15 years, I was elated to finally be invited to read for UDK Casting, a huge casting office in Hollywood, in March of 2018, for a new pilot they were casting, and I ended up signing in on one too many sign-in sheets accidentally. This led to being in the WRONG room at the RIGHT time! I ended up doing a cold read for a new Ryan Murphy show, and low and behold, 5 years and 6 seasons later, I am beyond grateful to be on “9-1-1.” I thank Executive Producer and Writer Tim Minear for the opportunity, for changing my life and career, and his continued support in general! To say I am grateful and humbled is an understatement. I pinch myself every day for these incredible opportunities.

None of this was easy though. For this interview, I have simply edited out all of the struggles, tears, hardships, and heartbreak along the way. There was a period of 13 years from when I moved out to LA from New York in 2003, that was filled with restaurant jobs, waiting tables, bar-tending, catering, working for event planners, private chefs, being a nanny, a personal assistant, doing everything and anything I could to pay bills, put a roof over my head and clothes on my back, until my real dreams started to manifest. I joined clubs, unions, guilds, academies, attended events, networked, and hustled. I pounded the pavement, literally and figuratively, taking head-shots and resumes door to door to casting offices, spending thousands of dollars on postage and printing, sending out mailings, looking for work, and trying to get in the door, any door, for someone to give me a chance, an audition, anything. I was grinding and persevering, day in and day out, with no win in sight. But, I had a dream, and the more no’s I heard, the more doors that closed in my face or were locked, the more I wanted it. I was determined to succeed.

I have documented my life and journey as well. As a Christmas gift one year, my college boyfriend gave me my first journal in 1998, and I have been writing ever since. I am now on my 41st journal, almost 25 years later, and I am turning them into my first novel. It is hard, humbling, reflective, and validating all at the same time to be writing my first book. I am reliving all the memories and people who have led me to this particular moment in time, even up to being interviewed for this magazine right now. It is all surreal, but so worth it for me!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I have friends and family come into town for a visit, I do my little “Hollywood Low-key Tour” with them. I start in Hollywood, driving by Paramount Studios on Melrose Avenue, then driving up Gower so they can see the “Hollywood” sign in the hills as we travel north passing Capitol Records. We stop to walk up and down Hollywood Blvd “Walk of Fame,” check out “Musso & Frank’s Grill” for cocktails and bites, then the Dolby Theater, host of the Academy Awards, and then The Roosevelt Hotel. Then I will drive them up the 101, heading into the valley. I will take them to the Hollywood Outlook which is atop the Hollywood Bowl, and has a view of the entire cityscape and is perfect for photo ops. Then off the Barham exit to Lake Hollywood for close-up views and photos of the Hollywood sign, driving down the hill passing Smokehouse Restaurant, Warner Brothers Studios, Disney ABC Studios, then into Burbank, by the Garry Marshall Theater, stopping for more photos in front of Bob’s Big Boy, and finally venturing over to North Hollywood for pictures in front of the Television Academy EMMYS statue. If weather and time permits, I am a big lover of Topanga Canyon adventures. Dining for lunch at “The Inn of the Seventh Ray,” shopping in the boutiques, and then heading to the Equestrian Center across the way, makes for a beautiful afternoon. Malibu and Zuma areas are my favorite beach spots, and “The Sunset Restaurant” has a wonderful Happy Hour.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are a couple of people who deserve praise and recognition in helping me get to where I am today, and some of them know it from working with me, and some of them I have yet to meet in person, as their books have played an important part of my success as well. So, let’s go in order of when these people magically appeared in my life…

Marsha Doll:
I started modeling when I was 15 years old in Miami, Florida. I was young and unaware of the business and really how to pursue it. My parents had to be a part of my modeling as I needed to have an adult with me at every casting and booking because I was a minor. It was hard to pursue jobs and short lived due to being in high school and working full time as well. So, my modeling career was put on hold until I became a Sophomore in college at Florida State University. Over my first summer after Freshman year, I returned home and lost the dreaded “Freshman 15” which for me was actually 20 pounds due in part to issues with my thyroid. I had found a local modeling agency, Marsha Doll Models, and went to meet with the President at her home. Marsha and I clicked immediately. We had a strong connection out of the gate, and I felt loved and supported. Marsha sat and listened as I spoke candidly with her about my weight gain and loss, the health issues I was having, along with insecurities about my changing body. Marsha listened, and offered me help in every possible way she could. I started taking her classes, on how to walk in runway shows, do “in-store” modeling, print work, TV appearances, et al. Marsha was a guiding light and force. Her support led me to book every single job I went on a casting for, whether it be runway shows in the mall or convention center in Tallahassee, or shooting with top photographers in Georgia and Louisiana, and then winning competitions in Print and Catalog categories at the big “Models of the South” competition in South Carolina. Marsha was my rock and “mom away from home” figure in my life. Now, 25 years later, Marsha still supports me in everything I do, cheering for me with every TV show, movie, and commercial booking I achieve, and continues to root for me no matter what. I will love, appreciate, and be grateful for Marsha Doll until the day I die, end of story!

Ed Arenas:
Owner of “Ed Arenas Casting” fka “Unique Casting,” Ed changed the game for me on another level. Once I graduated from college and moved back to Miami, I found a modeling agency that was sending me on commercial castings, in addition to the print and runway opportunities. I auditioned for Ed numerous times, and we had an immediate connection as well. In late January of 1999, I was in his office for a call-back for a Dove Commercial, and as I was walking out the door, Ed came into the lobby and asked if by chance, I had an extra head-shot? He mentioned he was casting a movie, and Oliver Stone was coming to town to shoot this big feature film and was looking for gorgeous models to play the wives of football players, would I be interested in something like this? Ummmm, YES please! I was booked! There were no other red-heads on set, and Oliver Stone took an interest in me as well. Ed kept booking me on as many days as I could work, and after 4 months of shooting, camemy first on-camera acting scene working opposite Al Pacino, and becoming eligible to join the Screen Actors Guild. I was swimming in the deep end of the Hollywood pool, and was elated and joyful! Had Ed not extended this opportunity to me, I never would have met some of my dear friends and industry connections I still have today, moved to NYC and then to LA, or be a working actor in Hollywood right now, I owe Ed so much for the gift he gave me. And Ed, like Marsha, is still one of my biggest cheerleaders! Ed will root for me until the end of time, and I am humbled and grateful for his love and support!

Gabby Bernstein and Jen Sincero:
Gabby and Jen are 2 incredibly talented and inspiring authors whose books I found in 2016. I was in a place of anger, frustration, hurt, and sadness, trying to deal with past traumas and looking to live a more joyful, peaceful, and happy life. I read Jen’s “You are a Badass” first, numerous times, highlighting, taking notes, and learning how to meditate and do affirmations. Then came “The Universe Has Your Back” by Gabby, and that changed my meditation practice. Gabby taught me how to speak and think positive thoughts, focus on the good in the present moment, and let go of the need to have control in my life and what was to come by trusting in the Universe and what was in store for me without trying to control the outcome. Meditation has not only calmed my mind and spirit, but turned me into the master manifestor as well, and I am so grateful. I have since read Gabby’s “Super Attractor” and I am enrolled in her life long “Best Seller Master Class” for book writing, which has been guiding me in putting together my first novel. I am currently reading Jen’s “You Are a Badass at Making Money” because, well, who wouldn’t want to be a badass money maker? hahaha, I will follow up with you all later and let you know how this all plays out in my life as well. Thanks for the chat, this has been lovely!

Website: https://michellebernard.com/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MBernardActor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleBernardActor/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MichelleBernardActor

Other: IMDB www.imdb.me/michellebernard

Image Credits
Shandon Photography FOX Studios ABC/Disney Studios CBS Studios Al Ortega

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.