Meet Olivia Carter | Actor

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

Hi Olivia, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
I don’t think life lets us give up, instead, it provides opportunities to refine our choices. I have always wanted to be an actor so the idea of completely abandoning that pursuit never really felt like an option to me. But when I doubt myself (which is often) there are some questions I find useful about the choices I’m making.
Practically, I ask:
Are my methods working?
Is my branding a good representation of what I offer?
Am I in good communication with my agent/manager – do they know what I want and what I’m willing to do to get it?
Am I winning auditions and if not, what aspects of my work need to change?

Then I try to question things holistically:
Do I find satisfaction in my work?
Does my level of rigor match my desire for success?
Am I treating myself as the artist I’d like to be and how do my days reflect that?

Luckily, not all of this is up to me because so much of this industry is either you get chosen or you don’t. But when work is slow I’m not super interested in sitting around – I want to make things and tell clear stories and spend my life well! I don’t think the life of an artist is meant to be comfortable (maybe sedentary is a better word). When I feel the pull towards work with more integrity, dissatisfaction with my mediocrity, or the delightful discomfort I find in a truly dramatic piece of theater, I know I’m headed in the right direction.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m an actor. I also call myself a movement artist (red-nose clown, mask, mime, and contact improv).
A theater practitioner. A storyteller. I love performing on stage and on film. I love physical theater.

I think I get the best sense of people by hearing about what types of art they like. So, here’s some of the film and theater I’ve been loving lately:
White Lotus Season 2
The Dropout
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles,
Babette’s Feast,
All About Eve,
Prima Facie (with Jodie Comer),
and Jerusalem (with Mark Rylance.

I grew up in Kansas as part of an incredibly artistic family. My parents were (and are) professional musicians and most of my ten siblings have also landed successful artistic careers. I grew up loving. Which is, I think, one of the big things that defines me as an artist. I loved nature and music and playing dress up with my twin sister. I loved hearing books read aloud and then finding how the words felt in my own mouth. Ever since I was tiny, this love translated into me wanting to act.
My family moved to Chicago when I was in high school and I went to Wheaton College for my undergrad degree. Wheaton has an incredibly special little theater program with mentors who taught me to love even more. I learned to love happiness and heartbreak and to appreciate how big human desire can be.
After school, I moved to the city and found that my love for things didn’t serve as a refinement of my artistic abilities. I felt clumsy vocally and physically, I wasn’t working like I wanted to…I wanted a clearer path when approaching a script. I studied some Meisner in Chicago and then went to Pig Iron Theater in Philadelphia to study red nose clown. This opened up a whole world of physicality that was like candy to me. Instead of my default movements on stage, I had some direction and control!
I stayed in Chicago for a few more years, still hungry for training, before starting grad school at UC Irvine. There I found the physical and vocal training I was looking for. This is where my love for things met with the technique and artistry to back it up. I found expression and a voice for things I felt so deeply about the characters I read.
Since finishing my MFA I have been working in the LA area – teaching acting and movement at Biola University – auditioning – directing – doing short films – and a bit of modeling. I still feel as though I’m not where I want to be as an actor yet. There’s this idea in LA that you either “make it” or you don’t. I think it’s important for me to find what my version of “making it” looks like. One of my mentors used to tell me, “You’re an actor. An actor must act.” Pretty silly how clear that is. The more chances I get to act, the more satisfied I am as an artist.
This summer feels slow (or maybe it’s just that time slows down in this heat) but I’m working on a few things I’m excited about! I’ll be playing Olivia in Twelfth Night this summer at a theater in Chicago. I’m working on an article about contact improv and its use in rehearsal for actors. And I’m working on being pregnant and having my first baby! The last one could be an entire interview in itself, but I am so thrilled to bring life into this big, beautiful world full of art. I’m also eager to be a working mama in this industry. I hope to offer our artistic community even more as a grow in my skill and love as an actor.

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.
To treat my friend to the best time ever we’ll start our day early and go to Carona del Mar for a quick swim in the ocean followed by a treat at Sidecar Donuts. We’ll go shopping at Fashion Island and then make our way to Stomping Ground LA to drop in on a dance class. After a quick coffee at Kumquat or Maru, we’d grab lunch at Ditroit Taqueria. After lunch, we’d to see a matinee at the Geffen Theater. After the show we’ll head to the arts district for dinner and the best gluten-free pizza around at De La Nonna. If we aren’t too full from the pizza we’ll walk right next door for drinks and dancing at Let’s Go Disco. We’ll finish out the night by seeing a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to (bashfully) thank my husband Nolan Carter for his relentless support. He encourages rigor and excellence in my artistic pursuits and in the work of his colleagues and friends. In his search for beauty and truth in art, Nolan pulls us all towards a more thoughtful and meaningful life. It has been an incredible gift and honor to call him my artistic confidant.

Website: oliviachristinecarter.com

Instagram: @oliviawildercarter

Image Credits
Issac Alvarez, Sean Kara