An Intimate Interview with Comedian and Actress Gwen Hollander

Gwen Hollander Raine Magazine Vol. 36 Q&A

MINDSET

1.RAINE: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have given yourself 5 years ago?

I would really try to convince myself not to compare my journey to anyone else's. It's such a challenge, and the prevalence of social media has made it nearly impossible. I still struggle with this constantly, and I have to remind myself that everyone's path is different and that, especially where social media is concerned, we're not seeing the full story. We're seeing a curated highlight reel. So, while it may look like other people are living easy breezy lives and just having one success and amazing vacation after another, those same people are still human beings dealing with the same daily struggles as everyone else. I would probably tell my 5 years ago self, "Hey! So this Instagram thing is really fun, but it's not the whole story. Live your own life!"

CREATIVITY

2. RAINE: If someone asked you how could they stimulate their creativity, what advice would you give?

Figure out what you love, and really dig into it. I love comedy, so I watch/read/listen to as much comedic content as I can. Beyond that, I find that my creativity is unlocked when I'm not trying to unlock it! I feel like most of my ideas come to me when I'm in the shower or when I'm singing in my car (I end up leaving myself a lot of voice memos when I'm driving). I realized recently that I really love singing showtunes in my car, so I asked my dad for a subscription to Sirius XM for my birthday and now I sing along to the Broadway station whenever I'm driving (which is ALWAYS), and just doing that thing that feels so good unlocks my creativity in a major way. So, find that thing! Figure out what "singing showtunes in the car" is for you and give yourself that gift! Also, COLLABORATE! Find people that like what you like, and just get together with them and throw ideas around. The creative process can feel so daunting when you're navigating it alone... and you don't have to!

BURNOUT

3. RAINE: Have you ever faced the issue of burnout in your career? If so, how did you overcome it?

Oh, I'm always feeling it. I'm feeling it right now! I mostly feel burnout from the hustle, from the constant "gotta figure out the next thing" aspect of it. It's exhausting. I think the first thing to do is to accept that you're feeling it and allow it. Accept that it's only natural that you'd feel that, because running your own business is difficult! Allow yourself some time to do things that are restorative for you and have nothing to do with your career (I love to read and do crossword puzzles), and magically, the fire seems to light again. But I have found that accepting the feeling of burnout and not attaching shame to it is very helpful.

SECOND CHANCES

4. RAINE: If there was one thing you could have changed during your journey as a creative entrepreneur, what would it be and why?

I wish I had really believed in myself sooner. I spent a lot of years pounding the pavement and "hustling" but not really believing that I had what it took... and people can spot that a mile away. I'm sure I was constantly sabotaging myself in all kinds of tiny ways because I was afraid that I would be found out, that someone would discover that I didn't actually know what I was doing. I'm sure I passed up a lot of opportunities because I was afraid I couldn't deliver. I wasted a lot of time being afraid. And look, I'm still scared. But in the last few years I've come to truly believe that I have something to offer and that my voice as an artist is valuable, and that helps me to be a little braver when it comes to seizing opportunity or creating my own.

SURPRISE MOMENT

5. RAINE: What was the biggest surprise you have experienced in building your business or career?

I don't have a specific moment that I can think of, but I think it's always a surprise when a seed you planted and forgot about (or didn't even know you were planting) comes around and bears fruit when you least expect it. So many of the wonderful things that have happened in my career have come from these kinds of moments. A moment like this actually led to meeting my husband! I had been in a sketch comedy group back in New York, and two of my fellow company members were working on a musical a few years later and they lost an actress to another job at the very last minute. They happened to think of me and reached out, I happened to be available, and I happened to be playing opposite a funny guy that I ended up marrying seven years later! So I think what's interesting (and surprising) is that it's often not the thing you're consciously pursuing that hits; there are things in the works that you have no idea about, and those are the things that end up popping up when you least expect them, and they change your life.

IMPACTFUL EXPERIENCE

6. RAINE: What life experience impacted you the most and how did it change you or your course in life?

The loss of my mother, for sure. My mother was ill when I was little, and I worried about losing her my entire life. Then she got sick again when I was an adult, and then she passed away. It was the most devastating and traumatic thing that could possibly have happened. But I will also say that there's something very freeing about having the thing you've feared and dreaded for so long actually come to pass. It means you no longer have to fear and dread it. I wish I could say that it made me fearless, and that after that I had an attitude of "well, the terrible thing happened, so what could I possibly be afraid of now?" I'm still afraid, of lots of things. But something at the very core of me is braver and stronger. I had always thought that I wouldn't survive that loss. But I did, and that serves as a constant reminder that I'm stronger and more resilient than I ever could have imagined.

YOUR “WHY”

7. RAINE: What is your “Why?” Why have you chosen to pursue this path?

I just think storytelling is so powerful. Whether it's providing an escape from everyday life or letting someone know that they're not alone in their experience of something. As I mentioned before, I love comedy, and comedy in particular allows us to address some really uncomfortable things in a way that doesn't feel uncomfortable. I think there's a lot of power in finding humor in the things that feel scary and upsetting. As an actor and a writer, that's the kind of work I'm interested in doing. The stuff that makes people feel less alone. Or the stuff that just makes them laugh for a little while, because nothing is more therapeutic than a good laugh!

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

8. RAINE: What major project coming up are you most excited about?

The second season of Kidding is coming out in February, and I'm so excited for people to see it. It's really beautiful, hilarious and heartbreaking, and I'm so proud to have been part of it. I'm also excited about Marriage Material, a short musical film that will be distributed by Fox Searchlight Shorts. I don't know exactly what the timeline is on that, but I imagine that it'll be available on their online platforms sometime in the new year!

WORLD CHANGER

9. RAINE: What is the biggest problem that creatives face today and how would you solve it?

I think the biggest problem is the lack of understanding of the importance of the creative arts. We can't live without them; they're part of the human experience. So that starts with arts education, which is the first thing to fall off when budgets are cut. Kids need to be exposed to the arts. This exposure fosters awareness and empathy, which makes for better human beings, which makes for a better everything. So, I'd say we need to stop putting arts education on the chopping block. And if there's a greater respect for the arts and their importance, that will hopefully create more opportunity for those of us working in the arts and we won't be viewed as people that don't have "real jobs!"

EMBRACING YOUR BOLD

10. RAINE: What is one or more examples in how you have embraced your bold.

When I finally got over myself and started creating my own content. I was so resistant to this for so long... mostly I was afraid that I didn't have anything worth saying, that my point of view wasn't worth sharing. And what if I put something out into the world that I thought was funny, and no one else did? That was terrifying! But I got so tired of waiting around for opportunities that I finally started making some of my own stuff. And it was HARD. And SCARY. But I did it anyway! And it's an amazing feeling to work so hard on something and then have a finished product that you can share with the world. I'm currently working on getting over my fear of doing a one-woman show, which people have been trying to get me do for years. It's digging up all my usual fears: "Who cares what I have to say? Why does anyone want to hear my 'story'?" So, I'm working on embracing my bold to get past those voices... I'm hoping I can make that happen sometime next year!

FUN FACTS

11. RAINE: What are five things that your fans don’t know about you?

1) I'm obsessed with crossword puzzles. I have the New York Times Crossword app on my phone and I do them constantly. In addition to the daily puzzle I go back through the archive and do all the past puzzles. I started doing them in 2015, and the app says I've solved 5,287 puzzles. Yikes.

2) I'm a big sci-fi nerd. Books, movies, TV shows... I love it all. Also speculative fiction, which is what most of Margaret Atwood's books are. I loved "The Handmaid's Tale" (I was a fan long before the TV series) and am currently reading the sequel, "The Testaments". But I think my favorite Margaret Atwood is The MaddAddam Trilogy (which is "Oryx and Crake," "The Year of the Flood," and "MaddAddam"). I've also read a lot of Stephen King. One of my favorites is IT and I actually just did a run of a musical parody of the movies, so that's been a blast!

3) I have a photographic memory, but I've lost my wallet three times in the past two weeks. So, I can learn lines quickly, but I can't remember where I put anything. A few days ago I couldn't find my wallet and was about to cancel all my credit cards and then I decided to look around one more time, and I found my wallet on the floor in my bedroom next to my shoes under a paper towel. But I can tell you what I wore on the first day of school every year starting in kindergarten, which is not useful to anyone…

4) I've probably played more animals/creatures/inanimate objects than people...I've been a Dalmatian, a Poodle, a pigeon, a cow, a chicken, a Yorkie, a cat, a troll, a monster, an otter (who's also an astronaut), a singing/dancing bottle of French salad dressing, and so many more. And all of these were as an adult professional actor.

5) I sing constantly (like, it's a compulsion and I don't even always know I'm doing it), and it drives my husband crazy. I usually sing a harmony (my go-to harmony is a third above the melody), and I do it to everything! Any song on the radio, the State Farm insurance jingle, a police siren...whatever. I'm sure it's incredibly annoying.

ADVICE

12. RAINE: What words of wisdom can you share with others on a similar journey?

Just keep going. Surround yourself with good people that support you and bring out the best in you. Find the people that spark your creativity! Always be open to learning. Lead with "yes," but also know when to say no. I'm not great at this, so this is advice I'm also giving to myself!

Born and raised in Miami, Gwen Hollander knew she wanted to be an actress from a very early age. She was first bitten by the acting bug at six years old when she began competing with her school in Odyssey of the Mind, a creative problem-solving competition that featured live performances. She soon transitioned to school plays, but it wasn’t until she saw a touring production of Phantom of the Opera in eighth grade that Hollander decided to pursue her passion for performing. To hone her craft, she moved to New York City after high school, a decision that would change the course of her life forever.

After making the move to the East Coast, Hollander began building an impressive resume of onstage credits including Broadway or touring performances of 101 Dalmatians, Little Women, and Titanic. She has also been seen in productions of Beauty and The Beast, Les Miserables, Evita, and Urinetown to name just a few. Most recently, she starred as Beverly Marsh in the musical parody adaptation of Stephen King’s It at Rockwell Table and Stage in Los Angeles.

Hollander has also brought her talent to the small screen with her role as Sheryl in the Showtime series Kidding, alongside Jim Carrey. The show chronicles the life of Jeff Piccirillo, the host of the popular children's television show Mr. Pickles’ Puppet Time. Sheryl is a puppeteer on the fictional series who brings life to the character of Astronotter, an otter who is an astronaut. The cast also includes Catherine Keener, Frank Langella, and Judy Greer. Season 2 is set to premiere February 9th. Other television credits include Future Man. She will also be seen as the lead in the upcoming musical comedy short film Marriage Material, which follows her character Leah as she embarks on a quest to make herself suitable for marriage after her boyfriend rejects her marriage proposal.

Hollander currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Benjamin Schrader, and their two dogs Watson and Merlin.

CULTURERaine CreativeMarch 5, 2020