Rising Star Michele Dawson On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
… Always be creating both on your own and with your friends. I have a very talented director friend whom I’ve worked with for years creating experimental projects. It has given me so much enjoyment and the sense of always being productive as an actor even when auditions are few and far in between. Whenever he has new equipment or borrows a new fancy camera, we get together and just improvise scenarios. It’s fun character work for me and helpful for him, too. Some of the stories that we have played with have turned into other scripted projects that we’ve filmed. We currently have a short film doing the short film circuit right now, and it even recently won an award at an Italian film festival. You just never know what cool ideas may be inspired by collaborating with your friends.
Actress on the rise, Michele Dawson, is quickly positioning herself as one-to-watch in the entertainment industry today. This year, Dawson can next be seen starring as Nurse Deb in the unexpected final chapter of Universal Pictures’ “Halloween” franchise, “Halloween Ends,” from David Gordon Green.
“Halloween Ends”, set four years after the events of the second film of the relaunched “Halloween” franchise follows Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in a final confrontation with Michael Meyers. Laurie is living with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) and is finishing writing her memoir. Michael Myers hasn’t been seen since. Laurie, after allowing the specter of Michael to determine and drive her reality for decades, has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life. But when a young man, Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell; The Hardy Boys, Virgin River), is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all. Dawson portrays the role of Nurse Deb, a determined nurse, who might appear to be a mindless beauty but don’t be fooled by her irreverence. She is already one step ahead of you. Deb is unrelentingly searching for joy in the next moment. Fearless and in constant motion if she possessed wings, she would try to fly. “Halloween Ends” is slated for theatrical release on October 14, 2022. The film will also debut on NBC Universal’s Peacock streaming service on the same day and date.
Additional credits for Dawson include her first television role in CBS ‘Criminal Minds,’ and the short film Flattest' by Michael Gallagher which debuted at Cannes Film Festival. Prior to booking her role in ‘Criminal Minds,’ Dawson studied theatre at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. During her time at LMU Dawson immersed herself in the theatrical community pursuing roles in ‘Macbeth,’ ‘The Seagull,’ ‘Skin of Our Teeth,’ and ‘South Pacific.’ Upon graduating with a BFA in Theatre, Dawson went on to advance her formal acting training through Meisner-based classes with Andrew Benne and landed at Stan Kirsch Studios, where she continues to train and hone her craft. From a young age, Dawson always wanted to be an actress, although she was shy as a child. A natural athlete, growing up in Atlanta Georgia she trained as a competitive gymnast and much of her childhood was spent inside a gymnastics gym or doing homework. Gymnastics helped break Dawson out of her shell through her performances on the mat, which led her to explore her love for performing further, transitioning into acting when she graduated high school. While her career as an actress is Dawson’s key focus, she spends her free time practicing partner acrobatics, a passion she discovered through social media in 2019. Dawson performed all of her stunts in her role in “Halloween Ends,” allowing her to showcase her athleticism on-screen.
When Dawson is not on-set, gracefully flipping through the air at the gym, or learning new partner acrobatic skills she can be found rock climbing at the climbing gym and practicing yoga. Additionally, she enjoys educating her clients on the clean products that Beautycounter has to offer. While Beautycounter is committed to offering clean beauty products and packaging to their clients they also are starting a movement that’s taking a stand to change the beauty industry. The goal of the movement is to create cosmetics and skin care that are healthier for everyone. Additionally, Beautycounter has engaged their movement to Washington D.C. and is actively trying to change the laws on the beauty industry which is one of the things that sets them apart from other companies.
Dawson currently splits time between Atlanta and Los Angeles.
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?
I grew up as an only child, very quiet and shy when outside of my home. In a small, older neighborhood in Atlanta, GA, I enjoyed playing on my swing set and making mud pies in the backyard. I was always climbing on everything inside and outside…trees, kitchen counters, furniture, you name it. When I was 8 yrs. old, my parents signed me up for a gymnastics class upon referral from a friend. From 8–18, I trained at the Atlanta School of Gymnastics both recreationally and also on a competitive club team.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I can’t remember not wanting to be on the television and being a part of those fictional worlds. As a kid, my parents watched a lot of sitcoms, and they drew me in. My best friend in high school and I had a night when we were trying to figure out where I should apply to college and what career path to pursue. I had just gotten denied early decision admittance from a university that I had been interested in at the time. After hours of personality tests and deep discussions, we decided that finding a school in Los Angeles would be a great option for me to study acting and be close to the industry that I hoped to work in. Thus, I emersed myself in theatre classes in college and ultimately became a theatre major.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Oh, yes, and it’s recent! My experience with booking ‘Halloween Ends’ takes the cake! I had submitted myself via one of the online acting sites for a film that was casting under what I thought was kind of a funny title name and which I later found out was an alias. The character breakdown spoke to me, and then when I received the audition, I enjoyed the material. It was over this past Thanksgiving holiday weekend (2021) when I filmed and uploaded my original audition. The next thing I knew, I had a zoom callback with the director, David Gordon Green, and his teammates. Once I was privy to the real title of the film, I could not have been more ecstatic to be a part of the greatest horror franchise in history!
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?
One of my first ever auditions was for a tv pilot about teenagers in a surf school in Hawaii. I may have spent as much time shopping for my outfit as I did preparing the audition scenes. I remember going to a surf clothing store and buying a beach skirt that I hardly ever wore afterward. Also, I did not advance beyond that initial audition. I don’t remember the audition being particularly bad, but I do think that I probably could have focused more on the work and less on what I was going to wear.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person whom you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There’s a lot of truth in that. My husband joined me along the way and has been in the trenches with me and believes in me without any reservation. He is my emotional support as well as the person who helps with all logistical matters, everything from running lines to IT support. Additionally, my parents have always been a constant, supportive foundation throughout my journey.
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?
It might sound cliché at this point, but my advice would be to create your opportunities and keep knocking on every door. The right one will open at the right time, and things will eventually align if you keep pushing forward.
Every industry iterates and seeks improvement. What changes would you like to see in the industry going forward?
I like stories that take us outside of what so many are used to seeing in shows. Not everything happens in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago. There are many wonderful stories to be told in locations yet unexplored.
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?
Right now, my laser focus is ‘Halloween Ends’ through its release on Oct. 14. I hope to do more films and maybe a series. I hope to be announcing another project this Fall.
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?
I think that it’s important to have diverse representations. When people can feel connected to a character whom they feel is more representative of them, then it heightens their emotional investment and enjoyment of the story. People may feel hope or less alone in relatable experiences. They may be encouraged and uplifted, which can have cascading effects in real life.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Be gracious with yourself, especially for auditions, because casting directors understand that actors are human and can have off days. They will most likely give you a second chance. These days with self-tapes, there aren’t as many in-person auditions, so it’s easier to send in an audition that you’re happy with. When I was getting started, most auditions were in person, so you only had a take or two, maybe three if you were lucky, and casting already liked something about you and wanted to work with you to get whatever it is that they wanted to see out of you. I remember leaving auditions and getting to my car and crying because I had only done one take in the room and didn’t feel great about it. It was hard.
- Casting directors and directors aren’t looking for the “perfect” audition. They are looking more for a connection and sense of character in your performance. I always try to be word perfect, but I used to get upset with myself if I knew that I had accidentally said one wrong word during an audition. I would focus on that mistake and let it take me out of the moment. As a recovering perfectionist, I’m so good at beating myself up.
- Find a hobby that has nothing to do with Hollywood or acting. I found partnered acrobatics a few years ago, and it felt like a huge weight was lifted from me. No longer was I sitting a home wondering when I would get the call that I was booked, waiting for my next audition, or wondering why my career wasn’t progressing as quickly as I wanted it to. Now, I do my work as an actor, and then I looked forward to getting to go to the gym or a park and training for a few hours. Having a physical hobby that requires so much concentration has been very helpful to me. When I’m flipping on my base’s feet or standing on my base’s hands over his head (sometimes in a handstand), it’s hard to think about much else other than what you want your physical body to do. You’re fully present, and it’s so nice. I forget about everything else that happened that day or my worries about tomorrow when I’m flying.
- Auditioning is a skill in itself and differs from acting on set. Train both. When I was fresh out of college, I felt very comfortable acting in scenes on stage and in front of the camera, but I soon realized that acting in auditions was its own beast. I remember how bad I was at auditioning when I first started. I soon realized that I need to learn proper audition techniques in addition to training my aching muscles.
- Always be creating both on your own and with your friends. I have a very talented director friend whom I’ve worked with for years creating experimental projects. It has given me so much enjoyment and the sense of always being productive as an actor even when auditions are few and far in between. Whenever he has new equipment or borrows a new fancy camera, we get together and just improvise scenarios. It’s fun character work for me and helpful for him, too. Some of the stories that we have played with have turned into other scripted projects that we’ve filmed. We currently have a short film doing the short film circuit right now, and it even recently won an award at an Italian film festival. You just never know what cool ideas may be inspired by collaborating with your friends.
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.
Oh, yes! I love this question! I’ve long since learned the value of sleep, hydration, exercise, and good nutrition. You can’t out exercise a bad diet or life habits. I take roughly my body weight and divide it by two, and that’s roughly how many ounces of water I try to drink every day. Also, I’m a huge fan of homemade green smoothies. I drink one almost every day. I do very simple ingredients: oat milk, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, and chia seeds.
Also, I mentioned my love for partnered acrobatics earlier which requires quite a bit of training to grow and maintain current skill sets. This practice not only helps my body but is a great source of psychological stress relief and makes my heart sing.
In addition, I’m a big proponent of clean skincare and better beauty products. Keep those toxins and hormone disruptors away! I was introduced to Beautycounter four years ago through my cousin who sent me some samples. I immediately fell in love with the sheer lipsticks and my obsession with Beauty counter’s products has continued since I became a consultant two years ago. I love that I don’t have to check every ingredient on their products to see how toxic it may or may not be — who has time for that?! — but can simply trust that Beautycounter is going above and beyond to develop effective products that won’t harm you. With over 1,800 ingredients on Beauty counter’s never list, I never have to worry about putting their products on my skin. I love indulging my skin daily in the All Bright +C Serum as well as the Counter time regimen set. The Lotus Cleansing Balm is another favorite of mine that I occasionally use as a hydrating mask.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“No one else can do it for you.” Here, I’m speaking specifically about the individual choices that we each must make in our unique pursuits. Life is all about choices: what you feed your body matters; your daily habits matter; what you choose to think about matters. Everyone is different and every day is new.
I do my best to set myself up to be as successful as possible with each task in front of me. I prepare. I’m very intentional about figuring out how to best equip and fuel myself in my daily goals, no matter how big or small. For example, I will do relaxing nighttime yoga stretching to help prepare my body for sleep on nights when I need to go to bed earlier than I’m accustomed to preparing for an early morning call time. I know that I don’t operate well without a certain amount of sleep, so I will plan my evening to make getting to bed early a priority.
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?
Use kind words. As the Proverb goes, “Kind words are like honey sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” I think that kind words can change lives. Kind words are contagious. When you used kind words you encourage, strengthen, and uplift others as well as yourself.
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!
I think there is something so magnetic about Jennifer Garner, so she would have to be near the top of my list. I became a fan watching Alias and was so impressed by her versatility as an actress. By all accounts, she strikes me as an exemplary woman — in business, philanthropy, and acting. Plus, her social media is so fun and inspiring.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Yes, I enjoy playing on Instagram. I’m regularly active there. You can find me at @itsmicheledawson
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you! I appreciate your time as well. ☺
