Meet Sheridan Cassidy | Actress, Jazz Musician & Vocalist

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

Hi Sheridan, what role has risk played in your life or career?
For me, risk taking is imperative. The only way to get anything you want is to take a risk and go for it. With whatever your goal or aspiration may be, whether it’s the dream job, that epic relationship or even the lifestyle that you truly want will come fear of judgement or failure, but most of all, I think we fear loss. It’s having that dream scenario and then losing it that can shake us to the point where we make every excuse and don’t even try. There might even be elements of your current circumstances that you don’t want to lose, even if your life would be better after reaching your goal. Change is a form of loss, as when you elevate to a new level, you leave some things behind. Fear of loss really is the reason people don’t take risks. You can call it fear of failure but that implies never having reached your goal. It’s losing it all that is the real fear and somehow, this is one of the biggest contributing factors that stop us from taking that risk and gaining whatever comes with it.

As a creative, you come to understand that you will of course be judged and that dusting yourself off and trying again is the name of the game in casting. You also learn that jobs you work on and put your heart and soul into may not even pan out. These are all risks you take on a regular basis in just choosing to be an artist, so you learn that it really is just part of the process.

Throughout my career, it has been my experience that the bigger the risk, the greater the reward. It’s because of this that I am so willing to get over the fear and just try. Anything I’ve achieved that has been amazing came with some HUGE risks, crippling fear and some serious work to get over it. Personally, I’ve done some pretty ‘out there’ stuff, all of which has been terrifying. My first Burlesque show was something else. My mind raced so much throughout the routine that it went by in a blur and it was only after the show, amidst removing the hundreds of rhinestones that I’d stuck to my ass that I thought ‘oh god, I just did that’.

I do take risks constantly and yes, I get judged on my appearance, my voice, my opinions, how talented I may or may not be, and I do it willingly. For me, a life without risk is stagnant and doesn’t evolve and it is my nature as an artist to continue to move forward. I always get the comment ‘you’re so brave’ and my response is always the same… ‘I’ve had to be’.

My advice for anyone pursuing a creative career is to not take anything too seriously, especially yourself. You’re going to make mistakes, you cannot be flawless and sometimes, you will be judged. Humour is a great weapon, it takes the power away from grief and drama. I find myself, my mistakes and my bizarre little quirks hilarious and there isn’t many situations that I can’t find the humour in, it can get a little dark! If you can laugh at yourself and see your flaws without judging too harshly, you can use the rocks that are thrown at you in the industry to build a character that can handle as many risks as you choose to take.

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.
If someone asks what I do, I always have this moment of hesitation. Usually it goes like this… I say, ‘Actress but I write and create so I guess, I’m an Artist, Oh! but I also work in a Jazz Band and produce music. Erm, performer who writes and makes things?’ When it comes down to it, the best word to describe what I am is an ‘Artist’.

At this point, I’ve covered so many aspects of the entertainment industry that I sometimes feel like I’ve had a few different lives. After Musical Theatre, I went straight for the Cabaret clubs where I created an entirely different persona as a Jazz Singer and Burlesque performer. I carried on with the Jazz Band but hung up my tassels in 2019. Then I turned to screen acting just before lockdown and haven’t looked back.

Music will always be a constant for me, I don’t think I will ever stop performing or creating new music. I’m currently loving working on my first lot of original music right now, which I expect will be out early next year. In the meantime, I am busy on a new film project. I love the challenges that come from screen acting as opposed to theatre and live performance. It’s a very different skill and one that I’m constantly working on. The work is never done as a performer, there is no ‘route’ or task list to follow. The key is to keep evolving and adapting to whatever comes and honestly, you’ve just got to have the courage to be judged and to keep getting it wrong!

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.
After living in London, LA is like almost like another planet. To me, the most basic thing is super exciting! I’ve gotten used to the locals giving me the side eye when I walk into a new place like they’re thinking ‘is she ok?’. London is this beautiful little historical City with a monument round every corner but you get used to it and totally take it for granted. In LA, I’m like ‘oh my god, there’s so many crystal shops!’. There really is, they love their crystals.

If I’m trying to think of my favourite things in LA, so much comes to mind but if someone was visiting me, I would first make time to go to the Sunset Ranch Hollywood Stables. Yes I know, a Brit and horses but! it’s so different to British stable, even the fact that there’s no grass! It’s a little red stable with a sandy trail that goes all the way up Mount Hollywood. I’m not actually a typical Brit who has ridden horses since I was 3, so I found it a teeny bit scary! My friend grew up with stables and was no help with his ‘it’s not going to kick you off Cassidy’ but the staff were so good at prepping you that by the time you’re on the up, it’s so easy. We did the evening trail and the view and sunset was out of this world. It also saves you one heck of a hike!

Ok, beaches. You’re spoilt for beaches in LA but I think my favourite is Santa Monica. The beach itself is stunning and the pier is quite amazing. We took a yacht out for the day and I discovered that you actually can burn your eyeballs (it’s true) but before that, the beauty of the surroundings was just breathtaking. Well worth taking the boat out for the day. If in Santa Monica, I would always go to Terra, as a pasta fiend, I will always seek out an Italian and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s on a rooftop on Santa Monica Boulevard, the vibe is just very relaxed and the cocktails were incredible. A great cure for a girl with burnt eyeballs!

When it comes to restaurants, one of my favourite spots in Beverly Hills is Sant’olina. It’s open air, the food is amazing and it is ultra romantic with the fairy lights, live music and incredible views. I went with a group of Actors, we were loud and obnoxious but it would be amazing for couples. The other restaurant that sits high on my list is The Little Door, my friend said ‘you’ll love it, it’s gothy’. It’s not, but it’s great. It’s more rustic but it feels like a little secret hideaway from another time. The service was brilliant and you want to try everything on the menu and I just might.

One thing I would squeeze in for my UK friends would be a trip to the Tropicana Pool at the Hotel Roosevelt. I kind of landed here by accident when meeting a friend and just loved the artwork and the history. Apparently I automatically sat in Marilyn Monroes favourite spot. They have preserved it so it does have a 1950s vibe, it’s a nice spot to meet and has it’s own little cafe.

This final thing I would fit in is very ‘me’ cos I’m a bit of a weirdo. I love a good cemetery. The one in Santa Monica, ‘Hollywood Forever’ is pretty amazing to walk around visually and If you know your old Hollywood history, it’s crazy how many names pop up. The weird ones I found were Ann Sheridan who I was named after and then to my surprise, I found the Ramones!

There is no shortage of things to do in LA, as a Londoner, it feels gigantic and like the possibilities are endless!

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 give a big shoutout to Sarah Diaz who connected me with so many great people in LA and of course Leo Morelli – who literally gave me ‘legs’ 😉

Website: www.sheridancassidy.com

Instagram: @sheridan.cassidy

Other: https://linktr.ee/sheridancassidy

Image Credits
Andy Brown