For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an actress. I basically started singing as soon as I learned to speak, and so being onstage and performing have always been constants in my life. Sometimes people ask me why I became an actress and my honest answer is because that was the only option my soul would allow. I am a native New Yorker and I grew up seeing shows on stage and wearing out my videotape of MGM’s classic THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT. I performed in the Broadway on Broadway Kids’ Chorus and grew up singing and tap dancing as much as possible. However, over the last several years I have stepped away from musical theater as I fell in love with the magic of acting on film sets and the permanence of movies.
Lovely evening at the New Jersey Reel Recovery Film Festival, meeting @DanielBaldwin! #SupportIndieFilm #filmmaking #movies pic.twitter.com/RVN3TgFi8p
— Joy Shatz (@JoyShatz) June 3, 2017
indieactivity: Did you study acting?
Joy: When I was in college, I had a theater professor who introduced me to David Mamet’s approach to acting. I was immediately hooked! When I then saw a poster outside of the theater department advertising training programs at the Atlantic Theater Company, which David Mamet and William H. Macy are the founders of, I knew that was going to be the place for me.
So, while nearly everyone around me applied to grad schools, I applied to Atlantic, walked into my interview and said, “This is the only place I want to study. So if I don’t get in now, you can expect to see me here again next year.” Very thankfully, I was accepted into the Atlantic Theater Company’s Conservatory program and had a wonderful experience training there.
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
Joy: The technique that I studied at Atlantic, and still use today, is called Practical Aesthetics. I also frequently draw on my improv and sketch comedy background from training at the Upright Citizens Brigade and rely heavily on my own instincts about a character as well.
indieactivity: Do you take courses to improve your craft?
Joy: At this point I really don’t take classes anymore.
indieactivity: What acting books do you read?
Joy: I’m not currently reading any acting books, but for actors who are starting out and are new to auditioning, I recommend Karen Kohlhaas’ book “The Monologue Audition.” Ms. Kohlhaas was one of my teachers in acting school and she is great.
Joy Shatz in Karen
indieactivity: How do you keep fit as an actor?
Joy: I think one of the most important things for an actor’s mental health is to understand that the frequency of rejection that happens in this industry is not personal. There is room for all of us and everyone has their own path to success and their own definition of success. You will get cast because of who you are and what you very specifically bring to a role.
Whether or not you are ultimately right for a role is out of your control. But what is in your control is doing the best job that you can and being prepared. It’s important to take care of yourself, eat right and be well rested so that you can present the best, sharpest version of yourself. A well-rounded actor needs to be a well-rounded person first.
indieactivity: How do you prepare for a role, when you get it?
Joy: I always read the script several times and make sure I learn my lines pretty early. The sooner I can be fully memorized, the sooner I can really dig into who the character is and start pulling apart the script.
indieactivity: How do you create a character from a script into a person?
Joy: In addition to using my background of technique I learned in acting school, I spend a lot of time thinking about the point of view my character has about the other characters, about the situations she is thrown into and where she ultimately fits in the world of the script. It’s helpful for me to understand how my character moves the story along and what function she plays in the telling of the greater story.
indieactivity: How do you stay fresh on a production set?
Joy: I think it’s very important to trust the work and preparation that I have done, and to come on set ready to play. Being fully in makeup and costume very strongly informs my character work and when the camera is rolling I focus on every moment being a new moment. I really listen to the other actors and react to them, organically playing off of them during take, after take, after take. I am not usually one to keep myself in a very deep emotional state between takes, as I find that when the director calls “Action” is when the gravity of the moment really drops in for me.
indieactivity: Describe a memorable character you played?
Joy: A very memorable character that I played is the title role in KAREN, a short thriller that is now in the final stages of post-production. KAREN is a dramatic film, loosely based on a real life news story of a woman whose anger led her down a path of disaster. Working on KAREN was one of the most intense, exhausting, yet rewarding roles of my life. I am so excited for this film to start hitting film festivals in the coming months.
indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you took on set?
Joy: One of the most creative choices that I took, as well as the riskiest choice I’ve taken, was to create my short film WILD WOMAN. A few years ago, I was cast in a bunch of projects that all fell apart in a row. There were a few films, a play, a web series – all projects I was excited about that ultimately didn’t happen. It was a very make or break moment in my career because I realized that I couldn’t simply wait for everyone else to create opportunities for me.
And so I decided to write, direct, produce and play multiple roles in a short film because I figured if I was going to take a risk like this, I may as well do something that nobody would expect. Somehow, with a very dedicated crew that worked hard and believed in me, coupled with my own stubbornness to see this crazy thing through, I wound up with WILD WOMAN, a mockumentary comedy where I play 13 different characters.
WILD WOMAN screened at multiple film festivals, where I won awards for both acting and filmmaking. To this day, I can trace every single role that I have gotten over the last few years directly to WILD WOMAN. I don’t know what my career would be today without it.
indieactivity: What do you want most from a director?
Joy: I love when a director communicates with the actors and puts faith in us as partners that can bring a story to life.
Joy Shatz on the Red Carpet
indieactivity: What actors do you long to work with?
Joy: I would like to work with anyone who wants to work with me!
indieactivity: Why?
Joy: I am always excited for the opportunity to create something special!
indieactivity: What advice would you give to actors?
Joy: You will come across people, both within this industry and outside of it, who will resent you for following your dream. Don’t let angry people who never got to live their dreams stop you from living yours.
indieactivity: Briefly write about your career?
Joy: While I was still in acting school, I was cast in my first professional film, an international short called FREUD’S MAGIC POWDER. That was followed by years of lots of NYC theater, short films and sketch comedy. But after a bunch of projects I was cast in all fell apart, I took a risk of to create my own work, ultimately writing, directing, producing and playing 13 characters in my short film, a comedy called WILD WOMAN.
WILD WOMAN screened at numerous film festivals, where I won acting and filmmaking awards. Taking charge of my own career by making my own work allowed me to open lots of doors. Soon after, I booked a small role in the feature film SAM, executive produced by Mel Brooks, and leading roles in short films KAREN and THE NIGHTRUNNER, which is currently being developed into a feature.
I will be seen very soon in my television debut, playing a co-star role in an episode of the new SyFy series HAPPY!, starring Chris Meloni and Patton Oswalt. I recently wrapped filming on THE ABADDON HOTEL, the sequel to the popular found footage horror movie HELL HOUSE LLC, and I have several exciting projects being developed. As an actor, you truly never know what will come along tomorrow and I’m very excited for the year ahead!
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