On her inspiration to start her “Thanks for Coming In” podcast, she said, “I love hearing other actors’ stories. I think most people who aren’t in the industry don’t realize the heartache, time, and failures that actors go through to get the roles they’re known for. I’ve always felt that actors are some of the most resilient people on Earth. We hear ‘no’ one thousand times more than we hear ‘yes,’ but we still keep going.”
Clare continued, “I want other people to be as inspired as I am by the tenacity of actors. The other side of it is that when people say that their profession is an ‘Actor,’ people not in the industry tend to scoff and say it’s not a real job. I can’t tell you how many of my friends avoid talking about it with their extended family because of this weird stigma that’s attached to actors and how much they work. I don’t know of any other profession that makes a person go on several job interviews a week, continue extensive and never-ending training far after college, to maybe get a guest star one day. Actors are incredible and I love them!
To learn more about her “Thanks for Coming In” podcast, check out its official website.
Regarding her plans for the future, she said, “I have a couple of films in the early development stages right now that I’m pretty excited about. I’m mostly just excited to even be able to audition at this point. Having spent the past couple of months interviewing actors for the podcast, it’s made me miss being on set and auditioning even more. With the state of the world, who knows how soon that will be, but I’m anxiously waiting for things to be safe again so we can get back to work.”
On being an actress and director in the digital age, she said, “It’s a really exciting time in our industry. Everything is evolving and the digital aspect has made it much easier to bring your projects to fruition. There’s certainly more content than one could watch in a lifetime, which can be overwhelming; however, that also means even more opportunities for actors and that’s always a good thing.”
For young and aspiring actors and directors, Clare said, “My advice for aspiring actors is to never stop working on your craft. It’s so important to continue the work. The work is what makes you great. For aspiring directors, get out there and make something. Even if it’s just a small little film with friends. The best way to learn how to be a good director is by doing. You can sit and watch a film and say ‘Oh – I would have done this different,’ but until you’re behind the camera and in the thick of it, you’ll never know how you’d actually do something.”
When asked on her proudest professional moments, she said, “After 20 years, there’s a lot of moments that have been important. One of them would have to be directing my first film, To The Beat! It was a crazy challenge, I had never directed before, we had 15 days to film, several dance sequences, and a very large cast of children/teens. I’m not sure how we made it out the other side but we did.”
“Little did I know that I would turn around and do it all over again two years later with the sequel, To The Beat! Back 2 School and an even bigger cast of teens,” she said. “As an actor, I’d say one of the other proudest moments of mine was a scene we did in a film I starred in and produced called Pretty Broken, which came out last year. There was this scene we had decided not to film on and the writer and director quickly wrote a new scene for my character and her brother. It ended up being the most powerful scene in the movie to me. We did it in one take, both sides, and I think it’s some of my best work as an actor.”
“I had never felt that emotionally connected to a character than when I did in that scene. If you watch the film, it’s the scene with Lindsey and Monty in the car when she’s watching the old video of their dad. Shameless plug — all three films are available on Amazon Prime right now,” she said.
On her daily motivations as a filmmaker, she said, “I truly just love film. I could watch five movies a day if my schedule allowed. Every time I watch a new film I get this little fire in my belly and I get so excited. I love how movies can make people feel. That’s what motivates me.”
She defined the word success as “able to work on the things you love without a day job.” “I know a lot of people in this industry think that success is fame and recognition. Lord knows me and every other actor in the world would love to win an Oscar one day, but if I can just be on set acting, directing, and producing for the rest of my life, I would die the happiest person,” she said.
Clare concluded, “‘Thanks for Coming In’ isn’t just another show talking to celebrities. It’s truly about their journey — the stories they don’t normally tell, the failures and heartbreak they’ve endured, the wins, and how they keep themselves motivated.”
