Creative Minds Profile #1: Emily Nelson

Since this is Not Even Joking’s very first Creative Minds profile, I thought it would be appropriate to feature the very first actress to appear in one of my plays, Emily Nelson. I met Emily many, many years ago in New York when we were both members of this wacky little improv troupe. Not too long after that, Emily acted in my very first produced play, No Epilogue.  Emily has since moved to the West Coast and gone on to play a major role in the film Made of Honor as well as appear in a number of television programs including Bones, Cold Case, The Mentalist, Boston Legal and Without a Trace.

(Photo by Theo & Juiet)

Emily, back in our New York City days, you were a kick-ass improviser. Are you still doing improv? If so, where, when and why? (or why not?)

Thanks Nina!  We had a great time in NYC, didn’t we?  I am embarrassed to say I don’t remember the name of that wacky improv group. But I do remember the elevator, which may have been a death trap. Every time it went up, you could hear the sound of water pouring down over the elevator. But not when headed back down; it was frightening and confusing.  I have a clear memory of standing in that scary elevator thinking, “I am totally earning my dues.”  Ah, to be a young and overly eager actress!

I was also part of an amazing creative improvisation group, Strike Anywhere! The company did long form Herald-like performances with a live jazz band. The shows were always a mix of comedy and drama; we really let the storytelling take us anywhere. The jazz musicians were the best part. If you want to learn about improvising, go watch and listen to jazz music.  Eventually we incorporated dancers, painters, and some times the candlestick makers, (just kidding about that last one.) It was an exciting time. The company is still working out of NYC . You should check them out!

Since then I’ve worked in Chicago and here in LA. I performed with the Sunday Team at Comedy Sportz LA. They really are the ‘nicest kids in town’. Right now I just finished up a couple of shows at Groundlings School here in Los Angeles. We did two sketch shows; everything was scripted with basically no improv. Sketch is a whole new world for me and it’s so fun. And like all things that look really fun, it’s way harder than it looks.  Here is a link to a sketch called “Frank & Agnes” from one of the Radvanced shows we did last month. It is written and performed the great actor Don Schlossman and myself. So for now my improv dance card is empty. I’m excited to find what’s next. It is Carol Burnett’s Birthday this month, which may inspire me to have my own sketch show! Here is a link to a sketch I wrote and act in called More Information Please.

You’ve lived and worked as an actor in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. How has each of these experiences differed for you?

NYC taught me how to live. I moved there by myself, and although I had the support of my parents (emotionally not financially) and I knew a few people who also moved to the city, I was on my own. It feels true to me, that if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. I think it gave me confidence that I could be an adult and fend for myself. I was very young, early 20’s, before 9/11. Back then jobs were easy to get, so I would work my tail off at two or three jobs, teaching, waitressing, and whatever non degrading thing I could find to do for at least $10 an hour. And then I would get a play or a chance to travel, I’d quit everything and go do the project. And when it was over, it was easy to find lots of jobs again. I left in May 2001.

I went to Chicago where great actors and great minds go to get the work done. There are so many talented theatre makers in Chicago, and the whole creative arts scene is basically set up so you work your day job and you rehearse at night. People thrive on this model and raise families, it’s awesome. And they also do exciting, in your face theatre. I got to see a lot and be a part of some wonderful shows. Soul of a Whore at The Viaduct and Cooking With Elvis with the Sang Froid Theatre Company were two of my favorites. There is a wildness about being an artist in Chicago that is wholesome and hearty.  I meant to stay for two years; I stayed for 4.

Then I moved to LA. In LA I found many old friends who had begun to settle here and make families of their own. I found work in film and television. And I found some of the most challenging years of my life. Each city had things that I needed and loved and each has its thorns too. I’m thinking Paris is next!

What acting role or roles are you most proud of and why?

I am most proud of my work in the play No Epilogue by Nina Waluschka, in the play The Sweepers by Jon C. Piccardi at Carnegie Mellon University, in Cooking With Elvis directed by Dale Goulding, “Lonely Hearts” season 4 episode 9 of Cold Case, an AFI student film called Butte County Lullaby, playing Hillary in the feature film Made of Honor, and a role on the pilot Code Black I did last month. I am most proud of those, and probably a few more I am forgetting, because in each I found a character I felt compelled to play. They were all souls, personalities, characters that seemed to me to deserve a fair and loud shot at existing.  I like to play characters that are wrestling with hope and hopelessness.  When you first showed me No Epilogue it was as an offer to direct. But I was so moved by the character Steph, I had turn down the directing and ask for an audition. I don’t know how I talked you into it, but I’m so happy I did! Thanks!

Still from the movie Made of Honor with Busy Phillips, Emily Nelson and Whitney Cummings.

What are you working on right now?

Well, you caught me on my first day off in a very long time, so at the moment I am working on catching up to my daily life and folding towels.  I feel like I just finished a 500-meter dash that turned out to be a long distance cross-country race. Right now I am just teaching and auditioning. I don’t have any shows or performance dates on the books, so this is my resting and plotting time. I went for a walk today and my head was flooding with possibilities. So honestly, I don’t know yet!

What else gets you up in the morning? What are you passionate about? And how does this influence your creative life? (or does it?)

Well, mostly my boyfriend gets me up. He wakes up a half hour before me and wakes me when the shower is hot. You can see why he’s my boyfriend. But besides that stroke of luck in my life, I get up to keep all the pots I have boiling boiling. I find in this business you have to keep hustling in so many directions to keep yourself viable in the work. Not only do you have to find ways to keep your finances flush when work is never predictable, you have to study, train and have time to prepare and be available for auditions, pitches and creative meetings with writing or producing partners. Everything is done on spec and so much that is going on in LA is about self-produced content. If you want to make money, open a minimalist but funky coffee shop anywhere on the east side of LA, it will be full by noon, and yes, you should charge $7 a cup of coffee, no refills. There seems to be no shortage of individuals needing a place to work on their laps tops. It’s like flies to you know what. All of this influences my life by sending me on a never ending roller coaster of success and failure with rain showers of self doubt and spring times of creativity and love that shock the heart. Mostly it’s making me tired and in need of more sleep. There is too much fun stuff to do, and some annoying things too, but that’s the price of anything, amiright?!

I’m a drama teacher, so I feel I need to ask this question. What advice would you give to a young performer who is considering a career in the biz?

I am a drama teacher too! Teaching has been one of the ways I stay connected to the craft of acting. I’m honored to see the process of new actors finding the bravery acting requires being both strong in your point of view and vulnerable at the same time. It too is harder than it looks! The advice I would give to a young student is to always cultivate yourself, your dreams, your ideas, your health and your vitality. If you build a strong life for yourself you will be much better equipped to handle the workload and stress of a creative professional life. The second bit of advice I would give is keep your ears open, listen to anyone who has done what you want to do, and find ways to practice and test your skills in front of the public. This is a DIY career.

Emily still has her copy of No Epilogue. Wow! I can't believe it made it from New York to Chicago to LA!

Thank you so much Emily for your thoughtful responses. It was great to catch up. You are an inspiration!

You can connect with the fabulous Emily Nelson at:

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