Meet Shelby Slager | Actor, Director, Producer & Screenwriter

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

Hi Shelby, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I believe that risk taking is essential if you are pursuing a creative career. Most people would consider it a risk just to decide to pursue the arts. My parents considered it a risk when I decided I wanted to earn my BA degree in Theatre — and it was. It was a risk when I moved to Chicago post graduation, and a risk when my writing and producing partner and I decided to write our first screenplay “Chasing June” together, and a risk when we moved to Los Angeles. But without each and every one of those “risks” I wouldn’t be where I am today.

By taking the risk to get my BA in Theatre, I gained connections and confidence in myself that I would not have had otherwise.

By taking the risk to move to Chicago, I had the opportunity to be in student and independent film projects and find my own love for film.

By taking the risk to write, produce, direct, and act in “Chasing June”, even though three out of the four roles were brand new to me within the film industry, we were able to be an Official Selection at the 24th Beverly Hills Film Festival, have our World Premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatres, and receive the BHFF’s award for Best Actress at the Festival.

By taking the risk to move to Los Angeles, I’ve been able to make more connections, work on more projects, and I have the opportunity to continue to pursue and shape my career in the film industry.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My goal as an artist — whether as an actor, director, writer, or producer — is always to find what makes the character or story human and real. I want to be able to tell genuine and raw stories, and I want to portray characters in the same way.

When I act in a role, I need to believe that the character and the circumstances around them are real and that their reactions are coming from an authentic place within them, and since my background is in acting, I strive to do the same thing when writing and directing stories.

Within my writing and producing, my partner, Nathan L. Slager, and I lean into magical realism and stylization to explore the parts of us that are innately and ineffably human. We want to take what is inside of our characters and stories and make it more visual than the realm of realism and naturalism sometimes allows.

We are so proud of our debut short film, “Chasing June”, and I am still in disbelief that I received the award for Best Actress during the 24th Beverly Hills Film Festival. “Chasing June” is a proof-of-concept and we are thrilled to be in the developmental stages for the feature length version of the film.

While we develop the feature, we are also in pre-production right now for our short film “becalming” that aims to bring awareness to Inflammatory Breast Cancer, a less common and very aggressive and fast-growing type of breast cancer.

Getting to where I am today was not a linear path, and it involved taking a lot of risks. We decided to make a voice for ourselves and create our own opportunities instead of waiting for an opportunity to find us. It was scary at times (and still is), but I am so glad I took the leap because it’s created even more opportunities for us. All I want out of life is to continue to tell and be a part of stories that matter and that can hopefully make people feel more seen and understood.

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?
I love Los Angeles and love exploring it with people who haven’t been before. It is such a big city that it’s hard to hit every spot in one visit, but that only gives more reason to take another trip out here!

First stop is a visit to Priscilla’s Coffee in Toluca Lake. It is my go-to coffee shop, it’s a small business, and everyone both who works there and who visits there is so kind. I’ve met some of my closest friends in LA just getting coffee at Priscilla’s.

Now that we’ve fueled up on coffee, we can go on a hike to either the Griffith Observatory or to the Hollywood Sign depending on how long of a hike my friend is feeling up to today. Griffith Park is such a beautiful park and is a quintessential part of LA.

Another essential piece of LA’s geographic landscape is, of course, the ocean. I love doing a sunset picnic at the beach when I have friends in town. We can make some sandwiches, pack some snacks, pick up some vegan pastries from Toluca Bakery, and just enjoy the beauty of LA’s nature.

If my friend has never done a Studio Tour before, my go to is Warner Brother’s Studio Tour. They always change the tour to align with the interests of who’s on the tour, which I love. And my friends always get a kick out of the interactive components that follow the golf cart tour.

Other places I love to go include: The Last Bookstore in Downtown LA, the Capitol Building in Downtown LA where you can go to the top floor and get a 360 view of the city, a show at the Hollywood Bowl, and going to some great vegan restaurants including Suncafe, Crossroads, Pura Vita, and Something Vegan.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to Shoutout to my mom. When I first told her I wanted to get my BA in Theatre she thought I was crazy. I don’t think an artist’s life is exactly what she envisioned for her children. She wanted us to have the stability that she fought hard to get for herself, and I rebelled against that. But, through lots of conversations about the “whys” and what I sought out of life, I was able to win her over, and she has been my biggest cheerleader ever since.

Every show I was cast in during college, she was there to watch me in every single performance. When I told her we were writing and producing our own film (although she again thought I was crazy), she helped with edits, she let us use her home for filming, and she was on set with us every single day.

And she continues to be so supportive. She helps give us notes on our current screenplays, she proofreads all our interviews (including this one!), and she gives me the push to continue to be brave and pursue my creative dreams and goals.

Website: https://interlunarpictures.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/shelbae_2020

Facebook: https://facebook.com/shelby.slager.3

Image Credits
Headshots: Stephanie Girard

BTS on Set: Chasing June

Stills from the films: Chasing June, Hole Punched Ear, and Spin the Bottle