Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Actress Jackie Moore Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry

I love telling stories and understanding the motivation behind a character. I want to see more diversity, more roles for women, and more original stories!

As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jackie Moore.

After breaking into acting with small roles in the feature films Fugly! (opposite John Leguizamo) and Chlorine (opposite Vincent D’Onofrio), Jackie Moore moved to Los Angeles to continue working in film and TV. During her first year in LA, she booked the leads in six feature films. In addition to more film work, Jackie has recently appeared on The Mindy Project, Westworld, Dr. Dre’s upcoming series Vital Signs, The Odd Couple, and soon-to-be-released Barry (HBO). She has studied at The Groundlings, The Second City, and has trained consistently with Greg Braun at The New Collective Acting Studio since 2013. Jackie is also a trained singer, visual artist and recently co-wrote her first screenplay. Recent graduate of The Second City Conservatory and Grad Revue program (2019).

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Thanks so much for having me! I grew up in northern New Jersey. I was always interested in performing arts, even at a young age. I wrote plays and made short films growing up, and my first dream was to be a movie director. I moved to New York City right after high school.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was walking down 44th street in Manhattan (close to the theater district), and someone stopped to talk to me about how I should act and even gave me the name of an acting coach I should go see. I went home that night and looked her up. I studied with her for two years before moving to Los Angeles, which was life-changing for me.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

My first co-star role on a TV show was for Westworld. I was so excited to be cast, but the issue was I would have to be okay with nudity. I remember I flipped a coin and said if it’s heads, I’ll do it. It was heads.

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?

Too many to name just one, but I believe mistakes are how you grow.

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?

Yes. A friend of mine (who is a producer) said to me after his movie premiere in New York that If I wanted to act, I had to move to Los Angeles. He said, “if you want to do finance, live in NYC. If you want to act go to LA.” That comment hit me very hard, and I remember I cried over it. I knew moving to LA was what I had to do, even though my whole family is on the East Coast. I found a way to move within a few months, and I’ve been here ever since.

You have been blessed with great 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?

Failure is part of the journey. Never let someone’s opinion change your mind about what you want to do. If you don’t get picked for a part, that’s okay; the right roles find you.

What drives you to get up every day and work in TV and Film? What change do you want to see in the industry going forward?

I love telling stories and understanding the motivation behind a character. I want to see more diversity, more roles for women, and more original stories!

You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?

Thank you! I’ve been lucky to be a part of some interesting projects, Wanton Want being one of them. I just keep going and keep taking opportunities that I connect with. I want to see myself directing and writing more. I have a film that I co-wrote and will be the executive producer on. It will hopefully be in production next year.

We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?

It’s important because America is diverse. We are a country built of people coming from other places. Without diversity, what would America be? Everyone needs stories of hope. If a kid sees a movie that reminds them of their life and inspires them in a positive way, that could change their life forever.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started,” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. Never compare yourself to others. Your career path might not look like someone else’s, but you will have your own amazing opportunities too.
2. The characters that you are meant to bring to life will be yours. Parts find you.
3. It’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. Being in a movie is not as glamorous as one may think; it’s A LOT of work and time.
4. Never settle. Don’t take a job because you feel pressured, do parts that you connect with. If you don’t feel comfortable with the material, then pass on it.
5. Don’t give up. There have been many times when I wanted to, and suddenly the phone rang with an opportunity.

Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices, or treatments that you do to help your body, mind, or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.

Yoga, sound bath, meditation, and a lot of water.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Just be “you.” There will never be anyone like you, and there’s nothing more valuable than being yourself.

My life got a lot better when I loved myself and lived more authentically.

You are a person of huge 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?

Less hate, more love. Love wins every time.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

That’s a tough one. Maybe, Nate Bargatze? He’s my favorite comedian.

Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?

Instagram: Jackie__Moore

Twitter: mooreJackie_

This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!