Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Richardson.
Hi Whitney, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Whitney Richardson and this is my square window of how I got started and where I’m at today. It all started when I was the age of six. I had to write about what I wanted to be when I grew up. Of course, I said famous actress without hesitation. Only later in life did the thrill of the performing arts as a career option diminish, but only for a little while. It was something deep within, that brewed at the foundation of my spirit and no matter what…those words I wrote down would come back full circle in my adulthood. Throughout my years in middle and high school, I dabbled in the arts and drama society club, but never really pursued it at full throttle. Onward to college I focused on academics and sports. This part of my life consisted of becoming highly independent and demonstrating what it means to be a team player. I couldn’t wait to graduate from college and start my dream job with one of the top sports athletic companies in the world. I wanted to make a substantial amount of money and be legendary! It’s the year 2013 and with graduation behind me, it was time to start a new path with marketing and sales.
I needed to put my degrees to work. I began working for a non-profit organization, which prompted me into the corporate world. Here I am four and a half years later working at my “dream” job and now things are about to turn. I go from hire date of excitement too, “I can’t wait to resign and start my acting career.” I enrolled at The John Capablanca Center where I received my first introduction to modeling and acting. Juggling work and classes was not an unfamiliar task. The more I dug into my acting classes the better I felt about the artistic side of me that has been boiling and is now ready to erupt. But there’s one major roadblock, how was I going to have a full work schedule and pursue acting? It was time for me to have a talk with my mom who I didn’t want to disappoint, being though I was a college graduate and working for a high-profile company. How would I begin the conversation? What would that conversation even sound like? Let’s just say for the sake of lengthiness, I took several deep breaths and poured my heart out. My mom was willing to accept my newfound career change, which caused our relationship to be even strong than before. I signed my first agency contract with W Talent Management. It felt so “movie starish,” that I was gleaming with excitement that I couldn’t fully explain. My mom was there with me every step of the way and before the ink could dry on the papers, she uttered these words to me, “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” My reply back was, “Yes! This is exactly what I want to do at this point in my life.”
The air was thick outside this particular morning as I drove to work. All I kept thinking about was when will my agent contact me about booking a leading movie role. As I entered my workstation area, I noticed the look on my co-worker’s face and he appeared to be upset. Before I could get seated at my desk I heard my name being called from behind. I turned around and low-and-behold it was my supervisor requesting that I come to his office. I walked in and saw that there were others present, in the high-top seating area and knew this couldn’t be good, or could it? Well as it turned out, I was being adjourned. All I could think about was, How do I tell my mom about this one? And what will she think of me? On my journey home I couldn’t stop thinking to myself, “maybe this is a sign for me to focus on acting and modeling full-time.” I cracked a smile for the first time that day and joy flowed through me at that moment I was no longer feeling afraid about telling my mom the news I had received. Now, I have extra time on my hands. I began to put a lot of effort into background acting work, which would eventually help me to obtain leading roles. I clearly remember the day that I received the email to work BG (Background) for an intern role on House of Cards. This would be my first time on a professional set working on one of the most popular shows on Netflix at the time. This is the moment I had been waiting for, the opportunity a chance to grab on no matter how small and not let go. I prepped reading my email over and over to make sure I had everything down that I needed to understand. I set my alarm clock and headed to bed early to be well-rested. I learned a lot during my days working background and it set the tone for how to network into building those important connections to further my career.
In 2019, I was cast as the Narrator in the nostalgic, James and the Giant Peach with DreamWrights Theater. This production set the tone for the ins and outs of the theater world. I was thrilled to be taking this opportunity to learn and grow as an actor. The first time the curtains were drawn to reveal a full house my adrenaline skyrocketed. The feeling of being on stage just put everything into perspective for me. I had wasted so much of my time missing out on this beautiful craft, but not any longer I was finally where I was supposed to be—I wouldn’t be giving it up, not without a drag-down knockout fight. November 5th,2022 marks my second movie premiere in a leading role. I’m reminded of where I started and where I am today, and how I can use my life’s journey to be of help to others. I still have a long road ahead of me. I know there’s so much more that I will continue to learn and develop as I continue in my artistic career, but each new milestone will only be a representation of the passion I hope will shine through my performances.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing about my journey has been smooth or easy. I had to work twice as hard to get to where I am today and I never take it for granted. There were days when I didn’t know how I was going to pay my bills. At Times, I would feel defeated because of all the auditions and hoping to receive a call back saying, “Whitney you’ve been cast for the role.”
It’s long hours and sleepless nights, it’s fatigue, it’s missing family gatherings and trying to repair relationships because of absences. I had to learn how not to be comfortable in just one aspect of my life. I also learned how to trust the process and put trust in the almighty above who is the master artist of the universe.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an actor and model based out of the DMV. I’m proud that I found myself in the divine creativity and true love for the arts. I’m grateful for the artistic spark that continued to hold its faint glow within me until I didn’t let the fear or uncertainty of the artist lifestyle completely blind me from my happy ending. I allowed that faint glow to spread into a raging fire. I thank God every day that he showed me that there was another way that I could flourish and feel whole. I’ll forever be grateful that I took that leap of faith. I’ve experienced so many amazing wonders as an actor from background work to commercials to leading roles. You can see me on HBO’s We Own this City and Camp Dragon Online as Zevaria the elf high priestess. Projects releasing this year and 2023, Aimless (Anyana) directed by Avery Carlton Fields (Fields of Gold Productions), and Poison Tree (Nichole) directed by International award-winning author Aaron K. Crocker (669 Productions).
PenPals a short film directed by Mark Hoelscher and Parker Lombardo is an official selection in the Wheaton Film Festival and the Alexandra Film Festival. When It’s Over (Jasmine) directed by Joel Brown (Good Idea Productions).
Sold out its Premiere at Angelika Pop-up at Union Market in Washington, DC this past September. Voices in the Vineyard (Denise) directed by Alejandro Chamorro (Chamorro Films) Premieres November 5th in Maryland. Europe Film Festival (Winner Best Trailer), MegaFlix Film Awards (Winner Best Poster), Fortean Film Festival (Winner Best Poster), Yule Film Fest (Offical Selection).
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I would say that the most important lesson that I’ve learned whether it be personal or professional is to perfect the ability to walk away when you should.
Just because you can accept less for yourself, doesn’t mean that you should. Nevertheless, starting over is never easy and it only gets harder as you age. Just because I can stay in a familiar place in my life, doesn’t mean that I should. I will embrace my passion and continue to go after my dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whitneyrichardson.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officially_whitneyrichardson/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/officiallywhitneyrichardson
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/whitney_ri/status/1487235921124671494?s=21&t=qhMFjVZmrb9Tau_WOfM3UA
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Whitney.Richardson.Actor
Image Credits
Todd Anderson, Luke Fattorini, Chelsea Lucas, and Nic Nixon
