Actress-writer Andrea Lewis is making waves with her Web series, “Black Actress.” The project, which is produced by Issa Rae and Tatyana Ali, features Lewis as Kori Bailey, a struggling actress, and also highlights actresses discussing the ups and downs of being a woman of color pursuing a career in Hollywood.
“I started in the entertainment industry when I was a toddler,” Lewis tells rolling out. “My mom was approached in the mall by a casting director when I was a 1-year-old and she wasn’t sure at first but a year later she called the casting director and I got started! I was doing commercials and modeling as a child and I think when I was about 8 years old is when I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I’ve been a singer my whole life as well and from a young age I looked up to entertainers who did both and I knew that I could be just like them!
“I think the hardest lesson that I’ve had to learn in the entertainment industry is that it only takes about 10 percent of your talent in order to make it, the other 90 percent is all about who you know.
“I’ve definitely had moments of doubt on my journey, especially when I put a lot of work into something and it didn’t work out the way I hoped,” she continues. “But I can never give up because this is the only thing I want to do, and I feel like I was put here to create and entertain. It’s in my soul.
“‘Black Actress’ is inspired by my own experiences and my friends experiences in the entertainment industry. Lessons that we learned and random things that made me laugh. When I was working on it, it was a constant reminder of how far I’ve come in this industry and reaffirmed my love for it. The character ‘Kori Bailey’ represents a time in my life, when I was pursuing my dreams but very insecure while doing it and I meet a lot of people who are similar to her and they just don’t know how to get out of their own way.”
For Lewis, perseverance has been the key. Through it all, she remains focused on her goals and encourages others to do the same.
“Keep Going. The every day reminder from all of my peers to just keep going has been my best advice,” she says. “Pursuing a career in the entertainment industry takes a long time and there’s no right or wrong way to do it, everyone’s path is so different, so sometimes just encouragement to ‘keep going’ and not stop is all you need.
“I’m a creator, and I find fulfillment in creating a story and a character and seeing it through all the way till the images that are in my head are on a screen. And I love creating a song and then putting a visual to it so that people can understand my story. And the same goes when I’m just acting, and getting the chance to be a character and create a life for this character and story. I enjoy everything about my career.”
