Meet Wendy Wilkins | Writer, Director, Actress and Realtor

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

Hi Wendy, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Someone told me that what you “play at” as a child is likely your ideal career. When I was a little girl I put on shows for my grandfather and reluctantly got my brother and sister to be a part of them. I would charge an entrance fee! A quarter!
I was brought up that acting was not a career but I wanted to do something to make a difference in the world. I thought about becoming a lawyer but didn’t want to go to school for that long. Which is funny to think about now because I feel like I have been studying all my life now. Breaking down a script is a study in itself.
I joined the police force, and thought I would be able to make a difference but I was very young, nineteen years old. I felt like I was mostly putting bandaids on and not really helping very much. And the penal system is very frustrating. I don’t think it works very well. There is very little focused on rehabilitation. Petty criminals, first timers are housed with lifelong criminals and that saying about “the people you surround yourself with”… Most of the cops I worked with were cops because they cared and were good people and wanted to help and serve, though there were a few that abused their power. I was too young and inexperienced to stand up against this. I didn’t even know how to. I was studying acting part time and was cast in my first film. I feel that through the creative arts I hopefully can change the world in a positive way, make a difference , even if it is only one person at a time watching on the screen and feeling hope, not alone, empathy, compassion,

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I would say at this moment I am most excited about the feature film I directed, wrote and produced , called Death on The Border, shining a light on domestic violence and trafficking of children. I raised all the finance and despite a con artist producer ( early on in the process who is still attempting to sabotage and cause others in the industry harm) the feature was saved and is now screening across the USA on Tubi, Amazon and Apple TV. and I am most proud that it just began screening in Australia, on Amazon and a number of other platforms, where I am originally from. It was inspired by true events from when I was a young cop there, though this movie is set in America. It has universal themes of betrayal, loyalty, good vs evil. I made this movie with the intention that if we can help change at least one person’s life for the better we can start there.
I think what sets me apart from others is my varied background, I was a young cop which helped gain a variety of skills and lots of stories to draw from. I then became a successful realtor which gave me some business acumen and then an actress which led me to my feature directorial debut. I don’t think I could have every guessed I would be where I am today but if I reverse engineer the process, everything I have done in the past has led me to making this feature film and even saving it from a con artist attempting to sabotage.
Most creatives don’t have business experience and most business people don’t think creatively. it can be a powerful combination. It certainly isn’t an easy process, you need to do the work, surround yourself with people that are more knowledgeable and experienced people than yourself. Keep learning every day. Making this feature film was like doing a ten year film school in one movie because of all the things that went wrong (mostly due to the conman not doing his job) and all the problem solving that needed to be done. A valuable lesson I learnt was to investigate more deeply who you engage to work with you, don’t just trust on paper credentials like their imdb page, find out what the actor was actually like on set? Find out if that producer actually has had any success financially and creatively in their past two projects for example.
I was fortunate that there were many people that supported this movie and helped to save it and get it out into the world. Actors like Danny Trejo and Eric Roberts, no wonder they work all the time because they were ultimate professionals and a joy to direct.
I never intended to direct this feature but I think I have found my forte. This is something I have learnt along the way. It’s good to experience a number of different things as a creative artist. I am much more prepared for my next projects. You learn a lot by doing. No matter how much you prepare, read, watch others, the best experience is by actually doing.
I also firmly believe that being good and kind is a big part of the equation. I had some great people rally around to help ensure this features’ success. I think the best lesson so far is be authentic, keep learning and keep doing, resilience, perseverance and surround yourself with positive people that truly want the world to be a better place. We all have a bit of narcissism as creative artists but stay away from the people that all they care about is themselves and their social media profile. And there is no such thing as overnight success.

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?
My birth mother just came to town and it was fun to spend some time with her and show her why I love living in Los Angeles.
One of my favorite places to go for brunch, lunch is Shutters by the Beach. The decor of the Hotel is a feeling of East Coast Hamptons beach house and you can sit and watch the eclectic mix of passers by walking along the boardwalk and the ocean and sand and the Ferris wheel on Santa Monica Pier spinning in the background. I might hire bikes and ride along the boardwalk. Then a leisurely walk along Abbot Kinney in Venice with a mix of designer clothing stores, homeware stores, pop up art and jewelry, coffeeshops, restaurants and bars. We then stopped at The Butchers Daughter for a glass of wine at the bar. I am not a vegetarian ( this place is) but I love the ambience.
I would also take a drive to Malibu and get a coffee on the Malibu Pier. Buy a sweater in the gift store there that says Malibu. Go for a stroll around the Malibu Country Mart and have dinner at my favorite restaurant., Nobu Malibu. I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world and this is my favorite for several reasons, yes the food is fabulous but it’s also the architecture and the location. Speaking of architecture a day at the Getty Museum is wonderful also not just because of the art but the architecture of the building also.
A trip out to old town Pasadena driving over the classic bridge and exploring the Huntington Gardens is lovely too. A day trip to Santa Barbara along the California coastline is beautiful too.
I continually meet some of the most interesting people living here in California. Recently I had the pleasure of meeting the creator of Chat GPT. Zack Kass. He is originally from Santa Barbara and the good news is he has a positive outlook on the future of humanity. He believes that AI is great to help free us creatives for more time to enjoy our creativity, more time with the people we love etc. He used an example of how the industrial revolution has made the world a better place to live in. That excited me.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow there are so many people I should give a shout out to. I don’t think anyone can be successful on their own. They need the support of family, friends, loved ones, to encourage for example. My friends and family have constantly been supportive of my journey, leaving my original home country of Australia to pursue my creative ambition here in the USA. Most recently my friend, Jennifer Wilson, the music supervisor, composer and producer on the movie Death on The Border, kept me sane throughout the process and encouraged me during the most difficult times when it looked like we would not be able to finish the movie. David Medina, the executive producer, has been a constant voice of reason. Julia Verdin, Artists for change and fellow writer, director producer, continues to be a friend and support. Robin Mcdonald, a fabulous actress, writer, and friend who I met through Ivana Chubbuck’s master class, who has a cameo in the movie and is also the creator fo the vegan skin care line I use, Kindri, continues to make me laugh and support my journey be being a great sounding board. Tom Colley the DP and producer on the movie who continued to help bring the movie to the finish line. Ivana Chubbuck and the studio that over the years I have worked on my craft and created a community of actor friends. Katt Shea, writer, director and acting coach who introduced me to people like Errol Sack, writer, director, actor, filmmaker , stunt driver, and good guy, who I have worked with several times and helped produce the movie. also. Arthur Jauregui, at A Threefold Cord who helped raise the finance and has been along the journey.
It takes a village. Also a shout out to Eileen Davidson on The Young and The Restless, I recently did a three episode principal role playing her alter ego in her head, and she is one of those fabulous actresses that makes you feel good about being in the craft even though she has done 2000 episodes she makes you feel like the star! In fact the whole team on that production are lovely which is not always the case.

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