Risking Everything On A 1% Dream: Laura Cayouette on Acting & Redefining Success | Ep. 21

Описание: Actor, writer and acting coach Laura Cayouette joins the podcast for a conversation about what it really costs to risk everything on a dream with almost no odds of success. Best known as Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, Laura has appeared in films like Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Enemy of the State and Now You See Me, and in TV shows including Friends, True Detective and Queen Sugar.

Before all that, she was teaching college English, pursuing a PhD and building a safe, respectable life, until an inner voice told her, “You’re supposed to be an actor.” In this episode, she shares how she walked away from Plan A, committed to a 1% chance of making it, built a decades-long career, faced depression and burnout, and ultimately redefined success around happiness rather than fame or status.

🔥 In this episode, we explore:
📌 What it takes to leave a “good on paper” life for a 1% dream
📌 How Laura built a long-term career across Django Unchained, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Enemy of the State and Now You See Me
📌 The intersection of ambition, ego and mental health for actors and creatives
📌 Why aging on camera forces you to separate self-worth from appearance
📌 How Laura now defines success, and why she chose a life that feels right over chasing more fame

⏳ Chapters
00:00 The Call to Act: A Life-Changing Moment
04:02 Training Like a 1% Actor
06:41 Preparation vs. Rehearsal in Acting
09:43 Finding Emotional Truth in Characters
12:55 Acting Mentors Who Shaped Her
15:51 Inside the Acting Business
18:44 Balancing Acting Technique and Emotions
21:24 Overcoming Mental Blocks as an Actor
24:23 How the Film & TV Industry Changed After COVID
27:42 What Keeps an Acting Career Alive
30:20 Why Community Matters for Actors
33:23 Why We Tell Stories on Screen
38:18 The Drive Behind Great Actors
40:00 Turning Competition into Support
44:47 Handling Fame and Recognition
47:26 What “Talent” Really Means in Acting
52:03 When Ego Helps or Hurts Performance
54:26 Looking Back on a Life in Acting
56:58 Fame as a Double-Edged Sword
01:01:56 Redefining Success and Happiness
01:05:20 Mental Health, Stigma and Speaking Up
01:11:46 Dare to Fail & Live Bigger

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https://lauracayouette.com

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📚 Books by Anna Iris
Psychological Thrillers
🔍 Missing: A Deadly Game of Deception – https://a.co/d/4MMBe3u
🔍 Time: A Race Against the Unseen – https://a.co/d/iyXIczX

Children’s Series – Tiny Irma
✨ Tiny Irma – The Strange Girl: An Inspirational Story of Self-Acceptance – https://a.co/d/9i2SQPH
✨ The Gift: A Journey of Generosity, True Friendship, and Unexpected Surprises – https://a.co/d/hM8zYtR
✨ Happy Messy Christmas: An Inspiring Story About the True Meaning of the Holiday Spirit – https://a.co/d/8A7xnZD

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