Emmy Winner Blanche Baker On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career in TV and Film
Being famous won’t make you happy. During my “15 minutes of fame” trashing hotel rooms and riding in limos had its allure but left me feeling anxious and empty.
As a part of our series about creating a successful career in TV and Film, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Blanche Baker.
Blanche Baker’s feature films include Sixteen Candles, The Handmaid’s Tale with Robert Duvall, Raw Deal with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Kevin Bacon HBO film Taking Chance. She won an Emmy for Holocaust with Meryl Streep. Blanche was part of the Yale Repertory Theatre. Her theatre roles include Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias and Edward Albee’s Lolita with Donald Sutherland. Blanche has written and directed the award-winning short films “Streetwrite” and “Make America Safe” and she is slated to direct the feature film “Girl in a Glass Box” in the fall of 2025. Blanche is Senior Faculty at New York Film Academy where she teaches Acting for Film in the BFA Program.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up? Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I come from a strong lineage of acting and acting instruction. My mother is Carroll Baker, who first made her mark in Elia Kazan’s film of Tennessee William’s “Baby Doll.” My father, Jack Garfein, was a director and acting teacher. My parents met at The Actor’s Studio and I was born in NYC, but after “Baby Doll” was released, we moved to Hollywood. It was a bumpy road for my parents’ marriage, and their careers. My father helped set up the Actor’s Studio West and became a full-time teacher. My mother broke her contract with Paramount studios and was blacklisted in Hollywood. She divorced my father and started her career over in Italy. I was fortunate to grow up in Rome, Italy, and have a childhood far removed from the chaos of Hollywood.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Jerry Sherlock, the founder of New York Film Academy, produced the first Broadway play I was in. I played the title role of Lolita opposite Donald Sutherland in a script written by Edward Albee. Years later, I approached Jerry about teaching at NYFA, just after he started to bring actors into what had previously been a filmmaking program. Perfect timing!
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’ve done some terrible but funny auditions based on misinformation. I did an audition with a Russian accent only to learn they had changed the role to that of an American but of course, they let me to do the whole audition. I was devastated, but I’m sure they were very entertained. They probably don’t remember the bad auditions, just if someone was unkind.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
The films I have written and directed have been about social issues, including freedom of speech, sexism and gun control. I like having something interwoven into a story that is relevant to what is going on in the world today and makes people think about social issues. I’m excited about the current film I’m writing/directing, “Girl in a Glass Box” based on a book by Raf Lindia. I was drawn to the story because of the way it explores psychological manipulation. The fact is someone loved and trusted can gas light you. The term was made famous by the 1940’s film “Gas Light”. An abuser instills self-doubt in the victim, making them feel confused, unstable and irrational. In the story, friends and professionals alike are blind to the control the manipulator exerts. I want to shine a light on the trauma inflicted by those seeking to control others so we can better understand the warning signs of abuse.
The teaser for the movie of Raf Lindia’s book “Girl in a Glass Box” can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwP0ru04bFw
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
A key to success is being able to change, not clinging to the past or any one idea of what your life should be in the future. Just be curious about what is unfolding in the present, see where it leads you, pursue what you are passionate about and be a scientist on your journey — observe life, read, educate yourself, build up a storage of experiences then, when you are acting you will have so much to bring to the work and share with the world. If you have learned technique, you can work on your acting for your own betterment and be your own judge of how you are doing. These things help to keep you on an even keel in a business that has a lot of ups and downs.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Diversity is a direct result of open-mindedness. Art without open-mindedness is nothing more than cliché. The true ground-breaking work in film and theater can only come from a willingness to explore ourselves and our society. How could that be possible without diversity?
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1 . Being famous won’t make you happy.
During my “15 minutes of fame” trashing hotel rooms and riding in limos had its allure but left me feeling anxious and empty.
2 . Putting other people first will make you happy.
When I was pregnant with my first child it was my first experience of someone else coming first. It was revelatory. I began experimenting with serving others and have found its the path to being a better and happier person.
3 . It’s a privilege to be able to do what you love to do.
It is the collaborative aspect of our work, the relentless pursuit of being able to communicate aspects of human nature plus the serving of others that makes it fulfilling. I feel blessed to have a life in the arts.
4 . Nobody is going to help you — you have to make it happen.
It is all on your shoulders, so you have to be proactive. In the days of “hitting the pavement” I showed up at auditions where I wasn’t invited but just sat there and was eventually invited into the room. These days I recommend Equity Open calls to my students. I met many people in theatre world that way. If you do nothing, nothing will happen. Just try it!
5. You are enough and you have a valid contribution to make.
I’ve often failed by striving for an ideal like being the perfect mom because those kinds of ideals don’t exist. We just need to find our path, do our best and we will be able to make a positive contribution to the world.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Prioritize by doing the most important things first.
Delegate to others who are looking for opportunity.
Take a walk and try to be in harmony with nature then return to the task at hand.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Really listening to others and trying to put ourselves in their shoes. More understanding would lead to a better world.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I was fortunate to study with Uta Hagen. Her book “Respect for Acting” inspires me to this day. Since she was both an actress and a teacher she was my role model.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
From the Dalai Lama’s “The Art of Happiness”. “If you can do something about an issue you should do it, if it’s out of your control, let it go.”
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Patty Smith fan!
How can our readers follow you online?
Insta: @Blanche_Baker
Fb: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011009102354
Website: www.blanchebaker.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
