Q & A With Lucy Drew
Actress, writer, and creator Lucy Drew began acting at a young age when her parents put her in an acting class to curtail her energy. “I’ve been acting for twenty years now,” Drew says, “I started when I was six years old in musical theater.”
She immersed herself in the world of theater throughout her childhood until she moved to Georgia to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, a specialized school for creative careers. Because of its idyllic location, the school was able to persuade the celebrities who were in town for the Savannah Film Festival to volunteer their time and wisdom to the students of the Savannah College, including Hollywood luminaries like Alec Baldwin, Mike Meyers, Dianne Lane and Jeremy Irons. One of Drew’s favorite memories from college was being able to improvise a scene with the comedic genius, Mike Meyers, himself.
Drew took her comedy training to heart and began studying at renowned schools like Second City Chicago, Upright Citizens Brigade and the Groundlings both as a performer and a writer. She wrote sketches and began posting them online, including her series, “Lucy Drew a Sketch,” where she plays a multitude of zany characters.
“Characters are an escape for me. One of my favorite things to do is put a wig on and be a weirdo in the best way. I grew up in the theater where you can get cast as a different age and totally different walk of life,” Drew laughs. “I just love observing human behavior.”
When she came out to Los Angeles, she would frequently get called in to play roles as diverse as the nutty young mom that left her kids at the pool or the upper-class ethereal villain. Although equally adept in comedy and drama, Drew felt like her 5’11” frame and statuesque presence was limiting, so she began writing roles and projects for herself.
“I am the biggest advocate of creating — you don’t want to fall into the trap of just going to auditions,” she explains, “You have to be a smart actor and take control of the things that you have power over.” True to her word, she wrote and filmed a comedy pilot a year ago called, “Holier than Vows,” and has several feature films in development.
Where are you from originally?
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is truly home.
When did you come to Los Angeles?
I moved to LA in 2016 and I have fallen in love with this city.
What inspired you to be in the industry?
From a very young age, I took an immense interest in human beings. I loved observing them, talking to them, I loved talking in general, and I did it all the time. It was only a matter of time until my mom signed me up for my first theater class at the age of 6. I played Ginger the movie star in Gilligan’s Island. I wore a feather boa, rhinestone glasses, red lips, and my flower girl dress from my cousin’s wedding… it just felt right.
What are some of the projects you have worked on in the past?
I filmed a pilot last year that I wrote and produced. It was the best decision I ever made. I put together all my most talented peers and we all brought our A-game to set. We filmed for a week and those memories are some of my fondest to date.
What are you currently working on?
This past month I just wrapped up my Writer’s Lab program at Groundlings. It was absolutely epic and I learned so much. I got passed on to Advanced Writing Lab with them so I will look forward to participating in that in around a year. I also just got to showcase some of my original comedy characters in the Just For Laughs Montreal Festival auditions. It was such a cool experience getting to audition. I did four characters in seven minutes. It was a whirlwind. I’ll never forget it.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I hope to be moving forward in my entertainment career and continue to tell stories through that medium. From that, I hope to have a larger platform to encourage positive change for females and the LGBT community in Religion. I am a Catholic and I feel it is my mission to insist that women be held equal to men. This includes the ability to hold a position of power within the Church i.e. being a priest. I also strongly believe that religion must view the LGBT community as equals as well i.e. their right to be married and have a family within the Church.
How do you feel the industry is changing and how do you feel it benefits you as an actor?
I think the industry is constantly pushing for more untold unique stories to be shared. For me, that is so exciting because we can all learn invaluable lessons from each other’s distinct histories.
