Katy Davis A Creative Entrepreneur with an Athletic Mindset

Photographer: Yasmine Kateb @yasminekateb

Make-up: Anton Khachaturian @antonmakeup

Hair: Allison Noelle @allisonnoellemakeup

Katy Davis was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her earliest memory of wanting to go into the Entertainment industry was when she was three and asked her father to “give” her an audition because she thought it was something that he could physically give her that would make her an actor. She started competing in Irish dancing when she was nine and won her first All-Ireland title that same year. After acting school, Davis was cast opposite Andrew Scott and Kelley Reilly in a feature film called Dead Bodies. This film was nominated for a 2003 Irish Film and television Award (IFTA) in the Best Film category. Shortly after, she was cast in a play called Amy the Vampire & Her Sister Martina with Oscar-nominated actress Ruth Negga.

Aside from her work in front of the camera, Davis is also an established voiceover artist that has worked with all of the major advertising agencies in Ireland both on radio and TV as well as numerous radio dramas for RTE Radio 1(The National Broadcaster). Davis’s favorite includes “TwentySeven”, which won the Gold Medal at the New York Radio Festival Awards as well as “The Shepherd” in which she starred alongside Stephen Rea. The show won Best Radio Drama at The P.P.I. Radio Awards.

Davis can currently be seen in the feature film Motherless Brooklyn alongside Edward Norton, Alec Baldwin, and Bruce Willis. She plays the role of a “fresh off the boat” young Irish girl set in the 1950s in New York City. She works the front desk at an office where Edward Norton’s character encounters her on his journey to solve the mystery. When she is not acting, Davis loves to go on hikes with her family and listen to podcasts while she navigates day-to-day tasks.

RAINE MAGAZINE INTERVIEW Q & A

BEING BOLD

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

 I moved to LA nine years ago not knowing one single person. At the time it all seemed like one big adventure but looking back now I’m not quite sure how I did it. There were so many challenges and obstacles I had to deal with that I never could have imagined sitting in my bedroom in Dublin planning the move. In fact, my husband quite often asks me to stop when I start telling stories of my first few months alone in LA! I truly believe though that your life shrinks or expands in proportion with your courage–so without that courageous, bold move nine years ago we wouldn’t be having this conversation today...

FAILURE / OBSTACLES

2.RAINE: What was the most challenging moment that you had to overcome in your entrepreneurial or creative career?

When I was 7 years old, I was diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis, which is a stress fracture in one of my lower vertebrae, causing a shift in my spine that comes along with persistent back pain. My case was severe and the doctors told me it could be hard for me to participate in certain activities or exercise. I worked hard even as a child to keep myself strong and despite the pain, was able to continue one of my passions of Irish Dancing, becoming an under 18 and under 21 AllIreland Champion.

WELLNESS / MIND. BODY.SOUL

3.RAINE: How would you define balance and what are some hacks that you use to maintain balance in your life?

There’s never going to be enough time in the day to take care of everything I need or want to. So to find a balance between work, family, and taking care of myself I set timers. I’ll give myself a certain (appropriate) amount of time to complete a task, get to it and when the timer goes off, I’m done and move on to the next thing.

FINANCE / FUNDING

4.RAINE: What is some advice you can give in funding a creative career or business?

Don’t be too proud to work any job that pays for you to follow whatever it is that you’re passionate about. There’s a difference between a job and a career and any job that can help you progress in your career is serving you exactly as it should. My husband would say, it doesn’t hurt to buy a lotto ticket every once in a while because “you gotta be in it to win it.”

MINDSET

5.RAINE: What comes to mind when you hear the words “an athletic mindset” when it comes to creative entrepreneurship?
I think an athletic mindset is all about preparation. When you’re in the zone you don’t have to think because all of your practice and hard work just kicks in. So whether it’s a pitch, audition, a project or a meeting, 90% of the work needs to be done before you show up.

YOUR WHY

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

Honestly, I never remember a time before wanting to be a performer. In fact, my earliest memory is at age 3 of asking my Dad to “give” me an audition because I thought it was something that he could physically give me that would make me an actor. At age 5, I remember watching Australian soap operas at lunchtime and then rewatching the repeats at dinnertime to see if I could catch the actors doing something differently. So I suppose I’ve always had a fascination with the world of acting and performing. When I was 12, I started taking speech & drama classes at The Betty Ann Norton Theatre School that also acted as a children’s agency in Dublin. They got me my first audition (which I booked!) and the rest is history.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

7. RAINE: What are you most excited about regarding an upcoming project?

That’s got to be the feature film “Motherless Brooklyn” that’s currently in theatres. I can’t give too much away as the entire plot of the film is one long whodunnit. Set in NYC, the role I play is that of a “fresh off the boat” young Irish girl. She works at the front desk at an office where Edward Norton’s character encounters her on his journey to solve the mystery...

Working opposite Edward Norton was incredible. He’s a fiercely talented and generous actor as well as director, writer, producer and screenwriter (he wears all those hats on this particular film). There was room for some improv within the written scene and the whole experience felt very collaborative. My wardrobe, hair, and makeup were also so much fun as the film is set in 1950’s New York.

THE “AHA” MOMENT

8. RAINE: When was your “aha” moment in discovering this was the path you wanted to pursue?

The very first film I ever booked was the children’s feature “My Friend Joe” alongside Schuyler Fisk& Joel Grey. They were doing a nationwide search across Ireland for the young cast and the audition scene involved my character trying to get the lead boy of the film to kiss her. I remember at one point while I was auditioning the director asked me point blank if I had actually kissed a boy or not. At age 12 I hadn’t yet but in true show biz tradition I lied to his face (somewhat) convincingly and went on to get the part. In that moment I knew I would let nothing stop me on this path. And don’t worry, I eventually had my first kiss in real life too!

LIFE PIVOTS

9. RAINE: What was a major life pivot that you have experienced and how did you successfully navigate it?

When I was 17, I wanted to go to the Gaiety School of Acting. After auditioning, the school’s director said I should wait a year before enrolling to get some life experience first. I knew I wanted to act since I was a kid, so it was very hard for me to not be able to do the thing I wanted more than anything. Luckily, I was able to get a job as a dancer in Magic of the Dance (an Irish Dance show similar to Riverdance). It was all a blessing in disguise because I got to perform and travel the world for a year, save some money and get the life experience that helped me become a better actor.

MEMORIES

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

I think having my son has been the biggest impact on my life. It has really helped me set up priorities and not waste time on things that don’t matter to me. If something isn’t fueling or feeding my personal or professional life, then its time to stop and helpful or feed my son.

BELIEFS / MANTRAS

11. RAINE: What would be considered by others as the “whackiest” belief or superstition that you have had as it relates to your path to success?

“What’s for me won’t pass me”.

WORDS OF WISDOM

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

Don’t be afraid to follow your own path. There is no one way to get your start and sometimes rejection is just opportunity in disguise. And BE NICE and ON TIME! You never know who’s paying attention.