Hey, humans. How's it going? Susan Ruth here. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hey, Human podcast. This is episode 455, and my guest is Louisa Kendrick Burton. Louisa is a former Radio City Rockette, a writer, producer, and actor. You've seen her on shows like Dirty Sexy Money, As the World Turns, Medium. She's been in the movies, like, Seven Pounds, Bridge Across Forever. And on stage in Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol, Jesus Christ Superstar,
lots and lots of stuff. I met her when she came to do a table read for a script that John Penny and I wrote. She's a friend of John Penny's, and now I consider her a friend of me. And she's great, and I'm excited for you to hear this episode. Check out heyhumanpodcast.com for links and to learn more about my guests and the show. Check out susanruth.com to learn more about me and follow along. Maybe,
the first is coming to your town. You can keep track of where it is performing in festivals there at susanruth.com. And my social media is susan ruthism. And you can find my albums on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, wherever you get your music. If it's there, it'll be there. That's that's how it works. Rate, review, and subscribe to Hey Human podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast, however you're listening to it now. And thank you for listening. Be well. Be kind. Be love.
Here we go. Louisa Kendrick Burton, welcome to Hey Human. Hello, Susan. It's so nice to be here. Lovely to see you. Thank you again for being a part of the table read the other night. That was awesome. Of course. I was so happy to to play that part and to be a part of that reading and loving. Like, when I said I was fan girling over your script, I was full on in love with this story that you crafted. Thank you. And I just I wish you all the best things when it comes to getting that made and
all the things. I can't wait to see it in the theater. I can't wait. I appreciate it. It's so it was so lovely to have all the actors reading because it is true that when you read something over and over again and as an actor, you must because you get a script, you read it, but then you start saying it out loud, and it really changes everything. Yes. And so hearing the the language, the dialogue, even the action in my brain while it was going like, okay. That gets to get moved here. I'm
gonna cut that. You know? So yeah. It did as an actor so you're actor, producer, writer, and former Rockette, which what? So cool. We're gonna get into all of it. But I just is that true though that when you are reading a script and then you start saying out loud how it changes for you? It does. It really does. It's so funny because a lot of times when I'm preparing, I'll do a couple of read throughs. I'll just do speed read throughs one after the other, one after the other.
And then I've got to say the words out loud before I say them either in an audition or onset that day. I just need to filter it from my brain's eye out to, you know, my ears, because it always sounds different. And I trip up on words that, you know, I've never tripped up on before, you know, but I like to filter it through at least once. But hearing it out loud is just a totally different thing. Yeah. It becomes more poetic too, I think. It does. It really does. Aaron Sorkin, I
always bring him up. Hearing his his writing, it is like listening to a sonnet or some sort of poetry as it flows along. It really is. Like and and even, like, I've never auditioned for one of his shows, but I can't even imagine what that must be like. Right? Because you're right. It's like a sonnet. And because of that, it has a pace. And I feel like sometimes you either get it or you don't. You know? That's someone I would love to work for. Yeah. Wouldn't that be fun?
Although, I I'm sure he's super intense. Alright. Let's get into you and your life. Yeah. What shaped you into you? Oh, wow. So I grew up in The Bronx in New York. I mean, I don't know. I feel like I grew up, a latchkey kid. I like to say that because I don't think we have those anymore really, but I had a lot of family around me. I have, I don't know, 40 cousins. I have so many cousins. It's awesome. So I grew up with this sense of community. At least I
felt that way, right? I mean, I had family that lived nearby. I had friends and we knew their parents, we knew their siblings, right? There was a sense of not on our block, which is not to say things weren't happening that were, you know, crazy, but it was us in our block. Right? And so I think growing up that way, even though The Bronx was just a wild place and a wild time in our country's history and New York's history, I felt safe. I felt safe to be who I was to
grow as a kid, you know. I felt okay with being a tomboy and getting around on roller skates or skateboards and playing Skelsey at the park, you know, I felt safe to just be a kid, you know. What's Skelsey? So it's like this top game. So we would, you get a top, a bottle top, or a cap. Metal is better, but if you can only get plastic, you get plastic. And you either melt wax in it or you put clay in it to give it some weight.
And and it's just like this game that was spray painted on the ground at the playground, and, you know, you'd have to get all the numbers and you would flick you would, like, flick your top to and from, and you can knock somebody out. I mean, anybody who knows it probably is thinking, oh my gosh. She she's not even seeing it. Right? But it was just a a a a playground game. You know? Like, we had hopscotch. We had Scalzi's. We had all the things that were even made up.
You know? We would just make things up because that was our computer time. Right? We didn't have that really. And so you're just out all day. You know? It's a great way to foster imagination, which, as much as I think computers do that in a certain way for kids today, it's just Yes. Not the same. It's not the same. Is that because they're old now? No. But, like, I look at my kids and how they play and, yes, their imaginations
are peaked. Right? At least my kids, they like to create and they only play games that are creative or mostly creative, but I'm like, guys, just go out in the backyard and like, I don't know. They're like, what are we gonna do? And I'm like, anything. You could do anything except climb the fence. I don't know. Just make something up. And I they're having fun. You know, like, my my son would always say, mommy, I get it that it was different for you, but we're enjoying ourselves.
And I'm like, okay. Well, I guess that's all I want is a mom. Right? You're you're having a good time. Yeah. We're all Sitting next to your friend on a computer playing a game together. I don't understand. Big cousins, lots of my my dad's from The Bronx too, by the way. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Did we talk about this? I don't know that. I don't think so. No. The weird I mean, I don't know. Like, what part of The Bronx? And this is a
bazillion years before you. So but I'm sure it was in the Jewish section because he's Jewish. So Yeah. And I think back then when he was growing up, it was probably divided into, like, the Irish parts and the Jewish parts and the black parts and the is my god. It was definitely a little a lot segregated, but I think maybe I came up at a time when, you know, The Bronx was in huge transition before me. Huge transition.
And I wanna say sometime in those early sixties, maybe, you know, I found this out after the fact, I don't remember this to be true, maybe the aftermath, but I found out that landlords were paying people to burn down their buildings so that they could get insurance money, So that they could get out the brown people or whatever and raise rents and stuff like that. And so it was just America's full of bad history, bombings. So full of bad history. And and Burnings and floodings.
And hiding it. Right. And when I found that out, I was just like, wow, so much made sense. Right. Because when you think of you're paying rent at a place where they have no desire to fix it up, they don't care how safe it is, how clean it is, you know, how functional it is. And I just never understood that, right? And that's what it was, you know, we were in a weird state of transition in New York, gentrification, and
it's so interesting to move to LA. I've been here twenty years now, which is a lot of years and to see it again, it's like, okay, like, you know, this is something that I don't think I ever realized was part of our circle of life, right? This idea that this is the place to be, and then it cycles through and there's a change of people, a change of government, a change of feeling, a change of popularity that happens.
And to see that even in LA has been extremely interesting, because I don't remember it from growing up, you know? Yeah. History does tend to repeat, unfortunately. It does. Yeah. We're slow learners. We humans. We're still learners. We haven't gotten it. That's the thing about aging and and learning. It's like, I feel like we don't get it. You know? You can't you can't hide away the past because then we never learned from it. Arabs. Okay. That was it. That was the only thing
I've been doing. That's so true. It's so true. Did you did you go to school in New York for acting? I mean, you started as did you start as a rocket? How did that happen? You know, it's so funny because my mom pulled me out of public school. Because even back then they were horrible. And I find them to be struggling even today. My mom pulled me out and put me in Catholic school. And the school that I went to had an orchestra and theater. And our orchestra was subsidized by Paul Newman.
And so we had instruments and I played first violin and that was an exciting time. And, we had theater and I feel like I had always been theatrical. I'm an only child. I entertain myself a lot, alone. That started relatively early for me. Like I had taken dance and I had taken all the things. My mom exposed me to everything because she believed that, an idle brain, you know? And then when I went to college, I actually went to college for comp or applied as a computer science major.
And because I was really into coding and computers and I was pretty good at it. But something about going to Syracuse, just, I was like, I, I wanna pursue the arts. I wanna, this is something I wanna do. So I changed my major second year. And then like my love of theater and movement changed at that point. I mean, I still wasn't a dancer. I hadn't been dancing all my life, like a lot of my friends.
But when I got out of college, I had a teacher and I feel really bad that I don't remember his name in this moment, but he said to me, you can't play catch up with people who have been dancing all their life. All you can do is work on your skills. And he said, you're tall. He's like, this package is a dancer's package. And so I worked my butt off. I mean, I was taking two classes a week. I was on scholarship. I was working in
the front desk. I was bartering classes so that I could just be good enough to stand next to people who had been dancing all their lives. And I I feel like I know one thing was true about what I had to offer. If I could keep you looking right here, right here, you might not notice that my toes aren't pointed. Yeah. You got a good face card as the kids say. This is where the money is, but not just not just my face, but just my love and my passion and my ability to perform instead of just
making movement. Right? That served me very well. I could sing. So that was very helpful. Radio City was just one of those things where I didn't think I was ever gonna make it. You know, like I auditioned, I must have auditioned six times for the shows in the other areas, the regional shows, once for Vegas, I think. And it was my second time auditioning for the New York show. And I was just over the moon when I got that, right. It's a part of history.
It's a part of New York. It is like, it was like being a rock star, you know, like performing at Radio City was just the ultimate thing. I was so excited and happy when I got that job, and it is probably one of the hardest jobs that I've ever done. But, yeah, that's how it happened. So I don't know. I put in my thousand plus hours, and I really kinda changed my life. It was the first time that I actually worked hard for something, my life to look like. And that is
non traditional, right? No one in my family had been performing for a living, you know? And so I didn't have a role model for that. And I, but I just said, you know what? I feel the first time I walked out on a stage and did a skit in a play and people laughed, I was like, I think I can do this. I don't know. That applause is infectious. It it was my drug. You know? Oh, yeah. It's intoxicating. Yeah. Yeah. Tell me about being a Rockette. What is that experience like once you're immersed in
it? It's a hard job. It's harder than you think on your body. It is socially a very interesting job. I did not have the best time doing it. Were there many black people, as Raquettes back when you were doing There were there were two of us on the line at the time. Out of 40 Out of 36. Yeah. Okay. So you have your two lines. Yeah. The daytime and the nighttime. It's a lot of shows. I think I was, I was the first cast, the blue cast. So I I think we were doing, like, 17 or 18 shows a week.
That's a lot. Maybe more before, like, so much of this is out of my head, but it's a lot of shows. And it's three in a row, sometimes four, five for some girls. Right? Like, the girls that did all the shows did a lot of shows, you know, 30 shows. And it's just hard on your body. I can't even imagine getting enough calorie intake to put up with that. I mean, you had to have a system. You know? It was like breakfast, stretch, dance, sleep, dance, lunch, stretch, sleep. Like, it's
all consuming, you know? And at least it was for me because I wasn't used to that. So before that, I had done a Christmas carol at Radio City with Tony Randall. And, and that was I think we did 12 shows a week. So that's still not a regular Broadway, you know, eight, eight shows a week, you know? But at least you had your days free and, you know, you did two shows, mats in a day. I was not ready for the stamina that is three or four shows a day. And
because when you're not dancing, you're changing. It was really hard on my body. I stayed in bed for two weeks after that. Like my body was just hurting. I had lost seven or eight pounds and I was already like, I was one hundred and twelve, one hundred and fifteen at the time, and I was down to a hundred and eight. And I was worried. Everybody was worried, but, you know, had to keep doing it. I don't know.
There's something about your body. I mean, I imagine the headdresses you wore weighed as much as a hundred pounds. It's crazy. Those things are huge. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. You just your muscles just support a certain lifestyle. Right? And then, like I said, when I was done, I was in bed for two weeks. I literally don't think I got out of bed. I think to eat and, you know, other things that you need to do. Was there a sisterhood amongst the women, or was it more competitive?
Gosh. You know, I don't think I felt the competitive nature of it. I had a lot of friends in the show. I had a lot of people that I knew, but it definitely there was definitely, like, an air of sisterhood for some people. I don't think that everybody got that. And I think I was aware of that. And I'm and not just because there were only two black girls in my line. I think there were five or six in the line, the night line. It was
just really hard. Like, I remember the first time I don't know, some of these stories are crazy, but I just remember the first time that I was aware that it mattered that my skin was dark, you know, because there's few sets of dark legs, you know, and so you stand out in a way that maybe they didn't want you to stand out. And it is very much a job about blending in. And I don't think I was that kind of performer, you know, like you're asking me to blend in and be alike.
And I had before that been shining. And so it wasn't the best thing for me. I mean, I don't know. My whole idea was, like, if you don't want my brown legs to stand out, then hire more brown legs. I don't know what to say. Yeah. I mean, definitely. And because it is all it's all synchronicity. Right? That you're ready. Synchronicity. Yeah. Yeah. And it's learning how to that that kind of precision dancing is also not for everyone. It is very difficult. It was very
it was a hard job. It's harder than I think people believe it to be, but I did enjoy so much of it. I mean, when you make every night, like imagine this, right? You come out of the Christmas tree, The curtain is coming up. The tree is growing. You come out, and kids are screaming. Like, you literally are rock stars. It is the best thing. You know? It is the best feeling. Like, you could be sick or tired or angry. You come out of that tree and everything is so beautiful and right with the world.
And you're getting to do what you love in a city where not everybody gets to do it. Like, and so I think I appreciated so much of that about it. Right. You know, I got to do, they do an animal load in and they bring the animals, they march them down Fifth Avenue and they come into the music hall and I got to do that. And I got paired with a donkey and I was like, this blows, but I'm gonna walk this donkey down the street. And it I don't know if it liked my lotion, I my perfume, my hair product.
I don't know what it was, but it kept trying to lick me. It was just kinda like reaching over and trying to lick me, which was just I mean, I mean, it was weird and crazy, but it was tickly and People pay big money to see that. Yeah. Well, guess what? It made it into the daily newspaper. And I was just like, awesome. I made a paper and it's a donkey licking me and it's the cutest smile, I guess. But, like, I was like, that's great. I I yeah. There you go.
But that kind of joy that kind of joy is what I held on to the whole time when I was performing, like, through the exhaustion and the pain and the politics and all of the things, that joy, Christmas is my favorite time of year, and Christmas in New York is magical. And I think back then I was really good at holding on to, I get to do this. Like, this is my job. This is what I get to do. I get to bring joy to people, and I get to feel that joy for myself.
I did Radio City one year, and that's mostly because, again, I I like singing. I like playing roles. I like acting. I like word, the written word. I like to perform those things, and I'm glad that I did it. I'm I'm I'm so happy, and and I still have friends. And as a matter of fact, just in LA, I met another woman who had been on the line, we missed each other. And, and that was fascinating to me. And, but it wasn't really
all I wanted to do. It was a thing that I got to do and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't something that I thought I would like to make this my long term forever gig. I think that's one of the things about, I was searching still for something, and having gone through that and done that, I wanted more. I wanted more than that, you know? When did you make the decision to move to Los Angeles? I had screen tested for a, a soap opera
and I had never screen tested before. It was just like, you know, you have all these auditions and audition, you keep going in and it's like, oh my God, how many times am I gonna have to do this scene? And I got to screen test and it was me and another person and I didn't get it. But my my agent said to me, she's like, you know, you might wanna explore this. I'm moving to LA and you could be in LA and have an agent, you know, think about
what that would be like. And I had turned it down once before, because I had friends while I was on tour with Jesus Christ Superstar who were in LA and they were going to LA and they were like, you should come. And I was like, no, I'm scared. And I'm gonna just go back home and be in New York. This time I thought, oh, wow, this is the second time this kind of opportunity has presented itself. And so I did it.
I sold my apartment in New York and I moved to Los Angeles, like, just grab my bags and a plant that I'd gotten from my mom, moved to LA. Was it a major culture shock, East Coast to West Coast? It was, but it it wasn't that way that the year I moved, I moved in like January. And the year that I moved was probably one of, or at least the, I went to LA to see it and visit it, but it was one of the most brutal,
brutal winters. I was working at a bar and I had to put on my boots and my long johns under my dress and then a sweater and a hat and the gloves and all the things. And then I get to work and I'd have to de robe down to this little outfit that I had to wear even in the winter. And I just thought, you know, I think I'm tired of the snow. I think I'm I think I'm done. The first thing that happened when I got here was like 75 degrees.
And, I had a friend that lived there and he was like, hey, you wanna play tennis? And I was like, yes, tennis in the winter? I love outside. I think when I finally did move, I was here for maybe a month and I changed my phone number and my driver's license. And I was like, yeah, I'm here. And this is where I'm gonna be for a while. The the weather got me, you know, the driving was hard because I had never had
a car. So I had to get a car and my driving was, you know, my driving skills weren't tested or honed in any way. Yeah. New Yorkers are lucky like that. But, yeah, you have the winters from hell, but not as bad as Chicago. That's No. Not as bad as Chicago. I spent some time in Chicago. Yeah. And that is Yeah. And that is just brutal. That's a brutal winner. Like, that for me, it was like, yeah. I'm definitely not moving to Chicago. Yeah. If the weather was better, I might be
living in Chicago because I love it. It's such a great city. The people are incredible, but I can't do that winner. It's only the last nine months. Mm-mm. I don't know how anyone did it. Does it? I don't know. And I've been there three times with shows. And more often than not, if I did a show, it was an early tour, so we would spend a month, six weeks. You're like practically living there. Yeah. And we were in Chicago, and I was just, like, I hope we never come back.
As much as I love the city, there's so much to see and so many things to do. I loved living there. Yeah. I was ready to go. Yeah. It's a different kind of cold that Lake Shore, man. It's it's gets under your wind. Oh my gosh. Yeah. It's a lot. It's in New York. At least you sort of popping in and out of buildings nonstop or I don't know, it's just different. It's a different And the subway is underground most of it. Right. So you're just going from building to building.
Yes. And if you're smarter about it, you know how to go from building to building without having to go outside. Some, there are some ways that you can do it or to cut down your foot traffic by an alternate exit to the subway. You know, you could get a good three blocks if you did that. I feel like the ultimate, if that sort of thing, if you won the lottery, there'd be signs. It would be an apartment in New York, an apartment in Chicago, an apartment in LA, an apartment in London,
and then a house. Oh, a house in Hawaii. Or something. Yeah. Somewhere that's just constant weather. Yeah. Yeah. Good weather. Yeah. Exactly. I saw on your IMDB page that you're in a movie that I loved, seven pounds. I love the philosophical nature of that film. Yeah. When you are drawn to roles, do you I look. I understand actors are like, I just wanna roll, but I imagine there is a process of when you're reading the scripts or the ideas of the shows, some are more of a draw than others.
And just because I love that movie so much, I'm curious when you read that script, the what you what drew you in? Right. You know, quite honestly, here's the thing. That was one of my favorite roles and one of my best experiences in my career. And I feel like there's little coming back from that. So I'll explain. When I originally auditioned for this role, for this, movie, I was a clerk. It was some, some other scene
and, and it was fun. Like I look, I look for roles that I immediately understand what this person is doing, my purpose in this movie or in this scene. When that is really clicks for me, I can have fun. And I had fun. And then I got this heart crushing call that that scene had gotten I was cast and the scene had gotten written out of the movie. And and I was like, oh, man. I'm
so devastated. Right? Then a couple like, a week later, maybe, there was another role that they were calling me in for because casting liked me and the director liked me, and I was just, oh, so excited. So my agent was kind of being strange about it, and she said she's like, so the role you play tennis. And I'm like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I could play tennis for a short scene. I could at least make it look good. You know? And she said, so the description is Caucasian blonde trophy wife.
And how That's perfect for you. So perfect for me. My God. So I get into the audition and, and they're like, thank you for coming back. We really appreciate it. And I said, I can't even believe this came out my mouth. I said, oh, no. I can play Caucasian blonde. And I feel like, you know, like, there are those opportunities where, you know, the sass comes out and it's appropriate at the time, And you're already in with a group of people who actually like you,
right? They're calling you back in. They changed it to golf. They were changing it to golf. And I was like, look, I'm good. You know, I just want to be in this scene. And I was great. Like the audition was great, but the day was the best day. It was the best day because it was me and Will Smith and Barry Pepper on a golf course. That's it. Like Video Village was like way across the other side.
And it was just, this was like one of the few moments that as a guest or co star, a small supporting role, I felt part of the team, and I had never felt that. Like, there were other roles that I play, you know, I have my one line or my five lines, and I come in and everybody's like, okay, whatever, she's just here for the hour or the day. I felt like I was part of a team and that we were making this film. Barry Pepper was such an amazing person to work with. We had conversations that
I don't, nothing stands out to me. I just geeked out with just being a person, a human like being, and that we were finding ways to connect and spend our time, as opposed to me sitting there next to somebody who's not the least bit interested in being there with me because I'm not a star, you know, and it was, it was the best. And I got to hug Will Smith, like, I don't know, 20 times. Love it. That's so great. That was a, it was a really fun movie. I love
that. I love that movie. I really I I remember at the end, and I was just sobbing. I was like, wow. There was just so many layers to it in my for me Yeah. Watching. Yeah. It's a beautiful movie. And, you know, so so back then, it's so funny because I think that was around the time of that first writer strike. Though I didn't I never got the script until
I got cast as that one role. And then I I did get to read the script, and and I just I think I sobbed, you know, after reading it, and I was just so happy to be a part of this thing. And I'm not I'm not gonna give a spoiler because if anybody hasn't seen it already Oh, you definitely you need to see it if you haven't seen it. Stop now, see it, and then come back to this podcast. But there's a part where my character is from his life, his old life. Right? And he's coming back.
It is just really so great to be a part of the intricacy of that story, you know, the layers that it had, like you were saying, that was just, that was one of my best on set times. And then that's top down, like just everything about that production and and how it was run all the way up to the top to the bottom. You know? Like, the props guy took me out on the golf course, and he's like, I'm just gonna teach you how to swing. So that it at least looks good. Ask me shooting from the, I love that.
But for me it's like choreography. Right. And like, you know, he was like, you sure you've never played golf before. And, and I was like, I haven't, but I'm a dancer. And so what you're saying to me is my hips proceed the swing and then I twist and I hold, like, I understand all the mechanics of this. And actually I now I play golf. It was just a very well run, very warm, inviting place to be for me, and I've been chasing that ever since.
And not really it's not realizing that it that was a little bit of a unicorn, Right? Because at the level that I am, was, am, you don't always get that. You know? Yeah. I've not started anything big. I have Yet. Yet. I've not started anything big yet. I love that growth mindset. I love it. But like when you like I said, when you're just a guest or a day player, you have your line, you're just coming in and out and relationships are built and not every time are you able to fit in.
And it and it's it feels like you've got all this energy and excitement about this day, and then it's over and, you know, that it all dissipates. Like, kind of coming into a school as a senior where all the kids have grown up to each with each other. Yeah. That's exactly it. That's exactly it. And then when it's over, it's like you dropped your ice cream cone on the ground and you're like,
I really wanted that ice cream. Yeah. You know, it's it the life of an actor in LA, especially, I think because I feel like LA, there is so much more gain to it than it is in New York. You know? I I feel like New York is very craft oriented. You know? You're you're studying the craft, and you have friends, and you're moving about and helping each other. And, like, hey. I hear they're looking for, you know, they're looking for your type for this A Caucasian housewife.
Yeah. I live for Caucasian blonde. Trophy trophy wife. You should go over there. I feel like it's much more of a, what's for me is for me, what's for you is for you, kind of sister brotherhood of actors. We are all actors. And I don't know if I've really felt that in LA. Like, I feel like LA is very much like, don't tell anybody where you're going because they might get the part or whatever. I'm in the writer's side of all that. So for me,
the it feels the opposite. It feels like everyone's really hoping that everybody gets something so that, you know, we can all Yeah. Lift each other up, and we survive a little bit on grants and things. And so my friends and I are always sharing grants. Right? Yes. Somebody's gotta win it. Somebody else has gotta get it. Somebody's gotta get it. Whoever gets it buys dinner. That is the duty of making that transition. I feel like I've been in transition my
whole life. I haven't really found the thing that sparks forever joy. Like I find the joy in the parts that I have done. And when I started writing, that was just like another avenue, right, of storytelling, another joy, you know, to to be able to take ideas from your head and put those on paper has been very exciting. I read as I was looking you up and digging in a little bit. I read something that you had said, and now I can't remember if it was a interview or if it was offhanded. But
when I read it, I thought, yes. This is exactly how I feel. And you said something about the a life where you just do one thing isn't much of, and I'm paraphrasing, isn't much of a life that you are drawn to doing many, many things, the mosaic of life and Yeah. Digging into all sorts. And I thought, yes. It's so that is such a fulfilling not to diss anybody that isn't doing that, but it's such a fulfilling thing to just be in continual discovery. Yeah. I I love that about me. Yeah. You know?
I used to be apologetic about it. Right? Like, why can't you just pick a thing and stay with that forever? But I wouldn't train my experience for anything in the world. Like, yes. I have done Radio City. Yes. I danced with Jimmy Buffett. Yes. I've done movies and TV and commercials and plays, and, you know, I love those experiences.
And because in each of those moments, I have found this beautiful joy that brings this this there's a quote that I have often said, you know, you know, because someone said it to me, a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. I believe that full, full, full stop. 100%. Because when I finally read the full quote and not the half quote that everybody wants to throw at you, It gave me the validation to explore more things that make me happy.
You know, I've worked in an office. I have worked in a restaurant, I've worked in a bar and I've done all of these things. And not to say that they were soul crushing, because for me, there was always something I could get out of it. Right? You meet interesting people. But then after a while, I just realized life is really too short to be doing a thing that doesn't bring you joy. And sitting in a cubicle with fluorescent lights and no window,
working for some person at the top. And like, I can't get time off to be with my kids. I don't wanna do that. Yeah. It works for a lot of people, but yeah, I'm with you. It wouldn't work for me. It wouldn't It doesn't work for me. And and I tried forcing it because look, that steadiness, that income, you know, all insurance, all those things. Yeah. We should have those. Regardless of the craft that you are pursuing, you should have that kind of stability.
The hustle of acting and being creative requires that you adapt, right? Because the roles you play at 20 are not the roles you'll play at 40. And then it's almost over for women at that point. Right? Which is the saddest thing because right now, women over 40 are crushing it. Not a yeah. On my watch, I'm gonna keep writing stuff that incorporates older people because that is Older people. Big frustrations. Big frustration. I've never been a a one egg kinda
girl. Like, I've had a lot of eggs, and I have all my eggs in other baskets. And I am fascinated with the film making industry, and I wanna know why all of the things work. I wanna know it. I wanna know it, like, viscerally. What is about the lighting that makes me happy or sad or music? What? I sit down with everyone. I'm like, I'm gonna watch you do your job. I wanna understand
your part. Right. You know, it's like you just come up to a group of people and you're like, I have some brown paper and some markers. What can we do? I have a barn, you know, my sister's a choreographer. Like that spirit of my early theater work, I bring that all in. Also the spirit of playing in the yard. Also the spirit of playing in the heart. Higher gen X people. We are creative, we are imaginative. And that idea of making something from nothing.
I mean, we played a game called kick the can. We made kick the can fun. Somebody got a can of, I don't know, peas. I don't know what it was. Open that up, emptied it out, put it down on the street, and we made up a game. It just doesn't get and now we get to do that for a living. How how wonderful. Yeah. And, you know, the people that sit in the office when they come home that are good at that kind of thing, when they come home, they wanna turn off their brain and watch TV or
listen to music. And this is why there needs to there needs to, in my opinion, to be an understanding of the symbiotic nature of art and crafts and industry and, science and all that stuff is that we all do work together. We need each other. And so when people are like, oh, you're an artist. Oh, you know, blah blah blah. Right. And then it's like, yeah. That you and you take in art nonstop. You need me. I am a We need each other. Yeah. We're all important to the community, to the world, to
our everyday lives. We need all of the things. Yeah. I don't think AI should be creating our art. I'm sorry. I do not either. I'll die on that hill for sure. I have no desire, but you know what it can do for for me. It can help me figure out what to cook for my kids, and it could clean my house because that's what AI was that was the promise that we were made, was that AI would, you know, come in and do the
things that we don't wanna do. And I and I recognize that, you know, they are taking jobs away from chefs or drivers or whatever. But I don't know. I don't wanna get in a car that doesn't have a driver. That gives me the the creeps. I can't Oh, I did it one time in Vegas, but but there was a drive there was actually a guy sitting there because they were testing the autonomous driving taxi or Uber with I I think it was a Lyft. Called Waymo here, I think. Yeah. Yeah. We have
Waymo here. Freak I've not gotten in one without a driver yet. I don't I don't know if I can I can handle that? Yeah. It doesn't it it's I have a hard enough time when someone else is driving me somewhere long distance. So, wait, do you do all the driving? You wanna do all the driving? I I would I prefer yeah. I prefer driving. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. If I won the lottery, I think this there would be signs would be I would have a chef cooking me meals. Yes. And potentially driving at night.
Yes. I don't like to drive at night either. Yeah. That's that would be my potential. But regardless, I am with you as far as seeing the world as nuts to crack open that I used to be apologetic for it too of that. People would say, oh, you do so many things, and I would say, oh, I guess I get bored easy. And then somewhere along the way, I realized that that was so negative to say. And so now I say I get curious easy. Yes. I like that. I would like to adapt that, adopt that. I'm going to do
it. I mean, there's just something really great about finding joy in something or something, a spark and wanting to pursue learning that. I don't think that there's anything, pursue learning that. I don't think that there's anything wrong with with doing that. And you're never too old.
And you're never too old. I I'd say the one thing if I had to say that I was disappointed about society wise is how easily we discard people past a certain age and, you know, that it from industry to industry, it varies, but there's always something to be learned. And that is our biggest problem. We're not, we're not learning, we're not appreciating the wisdom of people, and we're not investing,
right, in them, right? Because just because someone did not do this particular job doesn't mean they don't have value in this other industry or insight having grown as a person, right? And I get technology, everything is moving faster, You know, like one of the things that I still wish we did was to reinvest in ourselves, our lives in humans, right? Like this is not life is not just for the young.
We're all here on this earth. And by all accounts, we seem to be getting older and older year after year. And so I don't think that we should just kind of like call it a a death sentence. You know? You're 50 now, so sorry. Whoever is listening to us talking right now, there is no limits except for those we give ourselves. So if you have a desire, if you wanna do a thing, if you've thought maybe, I don't know, maybe I'm too old, just do it because you're gonna regret not trying.
You're gonna regret not trying. I believe that to be true. Do you know what? I heard something really interesting, and I think it was the CEO of Calm on Mel Robbins podcast. He said, butcher it because I often do, but I took from it what I loved. You are living your dream right now. And I was like, I am. And then maybe everyone isn't, but I am, because I wanted to marry my best friend and have children and be able to spend time with them and still pursue my craft. And I went, oh my God, I am.
Like, these are the things that I said that I wanted and I have them and I appreciate them. And so I've done it once and I can do it again. Clearly of the willingness to go after the things that that you want. Yeah. And so I'm living I'm just been so smiley and happy lately because I, you know, guess there are things that suck. You know? In my life, there are hardships. But then I when when I heard that, I was like, wow. I am. I this is what I said I wanted, and I
have it. And it isn't perfect, but I have it, and I love it. And now I would like to set my intentions for my next journey. Right? And these are the things I want, and they feel daunting You know? But then I heard that, and I was like, yeah. I did it once. Could do it again. And you could do it a dozen times. Over a dozen times. Yeah. Isn't that great?
So I I, you know, I look back on on all the things and all the jobs, and and I pull the things that I loved about each one, and and they've all made me the human I am today. And I look forward to all the other things that I wanna accomplish. I'm excited to try some. And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but, like, I'm gonna try this and and just take that joy into the next thing. I'm really excited about that. Tell everybody how they can find you. I'm on Instagram at Louisa Kendrick.
I'm on Facebook, but I'm gonna tell you right now, I go in there just to update my family with my kids and stuff. So don't look for me there. I'm on blue sky. I'm not I'm on blue sky, but I'm not on blue sky because I really haven't figured out how to replace The other thing. The other thing, but I am on blue sky at louisa kendrick. I don't know. I'm on Pinterest if you have a board you wanna send me. Great. Thank you so much for being on the
show. I am so excited. Thank you so much for inviting me, and it's such a pleasure to speak with you. Absolutely. And stay in touch. We have a lot of friends. We do have mutual friends. Isn't that exciting when you find someone and you're like, wait a minute. I'd say just keep making the world a little smaller any way you can. And we need community more than ever. So More than ever. Yeah. And we need to create art that heals. Yeah. Amen to that too. Thank you for listening, everybody.
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