Interview with Danielle Carroll

Growing up in the Bay Area, California, I loved singing and dancing and was always putting on shows. My parents were amazing and got me all kinds of lessons, and in high school, I transitioned from musical theatre to acting. I never really thought about acting as a career until I took Political Theatre as my English elective junior year of high school. Dr. Walker had a unique teaching style…standing on tables to act out Coriolanus and encouraging us to do the same. We read Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles and watched a video of her performing it. I couldn’t believe how she could so believably transform across gender, age, and ethnicity. As she embodied every point of view, I felt myself softening in understanding toward those real life parties I had previously judged or misunderstood. I was struck by the opportunity for dialogue and empathy that her work created. That’s when I decided a life in the arts was for me.

That’s a wrap! #oddwebseries #wrapparty #thatsawrap pic.twitter.com/3BflgXESoh

— Danielle Carroll (@verydanielle) April 19, 2014

Did you study acting
Yes! I majored in theatre at Boston College where I was first introduced to the Meisner Technique by my professor Patricia Riggin. I studied farce with Dr. John Houchin and fell in love with comedy. After graduation, I moved to New York to do my M.A. in Performance Studies at Tisch. While there, I took several performance-based classes including one with Anna Deavere Smith. She called me “Mathematician” (since I had double-majored in math), and I almost fainted the first time I saw her in the halls. I started auditioning as soon as I graduated, but I always felt nervous about my acting, so I applied to William Esper Studio where I completed the 2-Year Meisner Training Program under Suzanne Esper simultaneously training in movement and voice. I also study improv and sketch at Upright Citizens Brigade which is so much fun.

Danielle Carroll recording original music for the short film “Velvet Leaf” this past March.

What acting technique do you use
Meisner! The technique has been invaluable to me as far as listening as well as accessing and focusing my emotional life.

What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting
Acting is not everything. I used to live, breathe, and sleep acting. When things didn’t go my way (as they often don’t in this business), I would feel resentful because I had sacrificed trips, new experiences, and time with family for my career. Now that I feed other areas of my life as well, I am not desperate, and I’m able to relax more. I also spent many years focused solely on the craft. Acting is a business; I wish that I had embraced that sooner

Do you take courses to improve your craft
I try to always be in class. The last thing you want to do is use auditions as your acting workout. When I feel my technique getting a bit rusty, I duck into Bill Esper’s Master Class or I take scene study with Darci Picoult from NYU. If I feel I’m getting in my head and that I need to relax and play, I sign up for a class at UCB. I was just accepted into their Advanced Improv Program, so I’m really excited to those classes.

#oddwebseries #webseries #onset #actors #awesomecrew #filming #odd #danielleanddanielle @danifait pic.twitter.com/l0tH6kkKLn

— Danielle Carroll (@verydanielle) April 6, 2014

What acting books do you read
I love Judy Carter’s The Comedy Bible and The Sitcom Career Book by Mary Lou Belli and Phil Ramuno.

How do you keep fit as an actor
I’m obsessed with barre classes right now. If I am feeling rich, I’ll treat myself to Soul Cycle. I work out for my mental health as much as my physical health. In New York, it’s easy to stay in shape since we’re always climbing subway stairs or running for the train.

How do you prepare for a role, when you get it
It really depends on the role. I try to get off-book as soon as possible so that I can really play. I also do a lot of comedy, so you can’t keep the pace up if you don’t know your lines! Additionally, I start right away with emotional prep if I know that I’m going to need it. Sometimes it takes me a few days to find that emotional place, so I try to start that process early. I go through the script many different ways and try to make the funniest choices or choices I’m excited about, but I make sure that I’m not locked into any of them so that I can take direction!

Episode 8: The Couple from Fully Engaged on Vimeo.

How do you create a character from a script into a person
I used to do a ton of table work to create characters, but now I work much more intuitively. I’ve done so much character work (through improv, etc.) that I really trust that the character is somewhere inside of me. As long as I bring my full emotional life to the character, commit, and make strong choices, it won’t be one dimensional.

How do you stay fresh on set
I keep my energy up with healthy snacks and lots of water. If I get tired I do some jumping jacks. I make sure to take care of myself. To stay in character, I’ll often find a quiet spot to sit and use headphones to indicate that I’m not up to chatting between takes. However, if I’m on a comedy, sometimes riffing between takes helps to build the chemistry!

Describe a memorable character you played
I had a blast playing waspy, frenemy Suzy on the web series Fully Engaged (2015). I got to give some very serious wedding planning advice. Think Rose Byrne in Bridesmaids.

Danielle Carroll On set of ODD web series, summer 2016

Explain one creative choice you took on set
I try to surprise my fellow actors and the director. I recently shot a Mean Girls type of intimidation scene, so I tried to keep my scene partner on her toes by sitting in her lap or stroking her hair…loving gestures that she wouldn’t expect with the hateful words I was saying just to really unsettle her. I hope she was scared!

What do you want most from a director
I love directors who let you play. I recently worked with Rob Margolies, and he would leave the cameras rolling for a bit after the scene ended just to see what we would do or to let us improv a bit. To be given that kind of room is such a gift.

What actors do you long to work with
Lisa Kudrow

Cast photo of Corncobbers by Krista Knight at Ensemble Studio Theatre (directed by Adam Arian)

Why
She’s brilliantly funny and super smart. I love that she creates her own work and plays complex, quirky women when she could have easily fallen into the pretty blonde Hollywood trap. She doesn’t miss a moment; watching her work would be invaluable. I think she and Michael Patrick King are geniuses ~ The Comeback is my favorite show of all time. It’s so incredibly true to life which makes it hilarious. Val tries so hard, but she’s flawed and a lot of the time her best isn’t good enough. But she grows and keeps trying, and that’s really all any of us can do. I think it’s such a beautiful story.

What advice would you give to actors
Trust yourself and have fun! It’s easy to look for the right way to do something, to try to please everyone in the industry, but at the end of the day being an artist means that you have to trust your own voice and vision. Otherwise, someone else might as well play the role. Find teachers you trust and work your butt off, and then try to do work that you enjoy. Trying to get it right or figure out what “they” are looking for is a trap. Acclaimed clown teacher (not his official title), Chris Bayes once told me to “play at the speed of fun.” If you are having fun, you’re not in your head, and then the audience can have fun too. At the end of the day if acting isn’t fun, we should go and be stock brokers and make a lot of money! And create your own work.

Briefly write about your career
I started out doing off-off-Broadway plays which eventually led to a collaborative relationship with the wonderful playwright and filmmaker Anthony Laura. He even created some leading ladies specifically for me, and we remain dear friends to this day. Gradually, I transitioned to doing more on camera work, making my television debut on Oprah Winfrey Network’s “Unfaithful: Stories of Betrayal.” Comedy has become my main focus, and I perform stand-up and improv every chance that I get. Last fall marked my first international appearance at the Netherlands Film Festival in the short film All Those Sunflowers directed by Golden Calf winner Bram Schouw. Recently, I was thrilled to play Suzy in the Indie Series and HollyWeb nominated comedic webseries Fully Engaged directed by Rob Margolies (She Wants Me). I’m a huge believer in making your own work. The Biz, a webseries I co-created with Danielle Naugler was out last summer!

Danielle Carroll is an actor and comedian based in New York City. Originally from the Bay Area, CA, Danielle holds a B.A. in theatre and a B.A. in mathematics from Boston College. While there, she was the recipient of the Boston College Player Award for her acting. After graduation, Danielle completed her M.A. in Performance Studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she had the privilege of studying with field pioneers Anna Deavere Smith and Richard Schechner.

Last fall, she made her international debut at the Netherlands Film Festival in the short film All Those Sunflowers directed by Golden Calf winner Bram Schouw. Recently, Danielle was thrilled to play waspy, frenemy Suzy in the Indie Series and HollyWeb nominated comedic webseries Fully Engaged directed by Rob Margolies (She Wants Me). The Biz, a webseries she co-created with Danielle Naugler will be out this summer. Danielle is a graduate of William Esper Studios 2-Year Meisner Training Program and a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.

When she is not acting, Danielle enjoys travel, vodka martinis with olives, and playing fetch with her feral cat Jaina (also available for hire).

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | IMDB