Meet Jennifer Ryan | Actor and Voiceover Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Ryan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I fell in love with acting and the arts at thirteen years old. My parents were both educators and believed strongly that every child needs to have an outside activity that they can be involved in. I was definitely not an athlete (I tried and failed miserably at it) and I wasn’t really passionate about anything in particular. My mother heard about San Diego Junior Theatre and signed me up thinking maybe that would hit for me. And did it ever!! I was a very shy kid, so I would’ve never thought being on stage would be something I would thrive in. But, to me at the time, theater was an exotic, fun, inclusive environment full of kids just like me. To this day, I feel the most comfortable when I’m around other creatives. After high school, I attended, and graduated, from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. At that time, you couldn’t self-submit for projects like you can today and I couldn’t find an agent in LA. My parents pushed me to go back to school and earn a business degree, so I did. I took an over 20-year hiatus from acting to raise my kids and work in corporate America, but I always had a longing to get back to my acting roots. I started back into acting a little over four years ago by taking acting classes at the Rehearsal Room in San Diego with Carey Scott. In the last four years, I’ve been involved in various shorts, feature films, television shows, commercials, voiceover projects, earned my SAG card along the way, and I am now repped in Los Angeles by both a theatrical agent and talent manager. I have also been training for the last year with Howard Fine in Los Angeles and am part of his ongoing advanced class. I’m what is referred to as a “Second Act Actor”, meaning that I came back into the business and craft after being out of the industry for a bit. I’m determined to make a full-time career in this industry and I’m loving every minute of it!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m extremely passionate about the art and craft of acting. We are storytellers that have the ability to make people feel deeply and affect people’s emotions. I love that. We take our audience on a journey of the human condition. Art is vital and important, and I’m so honored to be a part of it.

One interesting, and humbling, experience is coming back into acting after over twenty years. The whole landscape has changed. I actually got back into acting thinking I would just dust off my acting skills to do community theater. However, I had teachers that nudged me in the direction of film and tv. And it’s a medium that I have fell in love with. Another interesting shift in getting back into acting has been the change in my “type”. I left as a young twenty something romantic lead type and came back into it playing mom roles and character type of roles. It’s been a shift, but I love the type I am now. I also have something that I didn’t have when I left the business previously which is a ton of life experience that I can now bring to my work. It’s deeper and richer than what I had inside of me in my 20s and that’s a beautiful thing. I have a lot more tools to work with now at my age.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a San Diego native so I have a ton of suggestions for things to do and see in hometown. My favorite place in the city is Balboa Park. It’s chock full of museums, places to relax and picnic, and amazing theater (Hello, Old Globe). I would also take my friend to downtown San Diego in the Gaslamp area for amazing dining, views, listen to live music, or catch a comedy show. We also would have to visit Coronado and see the Hotel Del Coronado, which is especially magical all lit up for the holidays. One of my favorite places to take people visiting from out of town to eat is Bali Hai. It’s an old school San Diego restaurant with views of the harbor that can’t be beat!

If I was showing my friend around Los Angeles, there are countless cool and iconic spots to visit. No visit to LA would be complete without visiting the Griffith Observatory and park. I would also take them to the Getty. If they have never been to LA, they need to see the typical tourist sites like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Sunset Boulevard. If the weather is nice, which it mostly is, a hike up to the Hollywood sign is fun. I also love catching a show at The Groundlings or Laugh Factory. I’m a comedy girl at heart. I also adore the flea market at the Rose Bowl. It’s such an eclectic mix of vintage and creative items for sale. And then we would grab a drink at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They make a mean Manhattan! So much to do and see in LA! I think my friend needs to come for another visit to see all of the sites!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people throughout my life that deserve recognition and credit for who I am today. First, and foremost, my parents. They taught very strong values, including an incredible work ethic. “Hard work works” my father used to say all of the time. It stuck with me, and I have a very strong work ethic thanks to them. I owe San Diego Junior Theatre for igniting my passion for acting as well as various acting teachers such as Howard Fine, Carey Scott and Corey Parker. I’ve learning so much about the craft from all of them. And, lastly, but definitely not least, I want to give a huge shout out to my husband Paul. He is not an actor himself, but he has encouraged me every step of the way to pursue acting as well as being my “reader” for countless auditions and self-tapes for acting classes. He even surprised me by purchasing my home voiceover studio that I now have narrated three audiobooks in!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferryan8711/

Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11362541/

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Cameron Radice Photography: https://www.radicephotography.com/