5 Weird Secrets from My Actor/Mom Life

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My career isn’t the average career. I’m a professional actor. Having been in this business for my entire motherhood, sometimes I forget what a strange existence it is. But during a particularly busy season recently, I realized being a mom “in the biz” is not your average life, and I thought I’d share the inside scoop. So check out these five weird secrets about my actor/mom life.

Kate shares the secrets of her actor/mom lifeIt’s Feast or Famine

What most people don’t understand about being an actor is that the main and constant job of an actor is submitting and auditioning for the next job. It’s a competitive business, so much of the time, I work from home taping auditions as they come in and parenting my five and three year old full time. In fact, my industry completely shut down for over a year during the pandemic (as did others), so I stayed home with the kids. SAHM boot camp!

Then comes the feast portion of my actor/mom life. In summer 2021, the industry burst open with a vengeance, and I found myself cast on both a television show and performing on stage while simultaneously trying to mother and field auditions. It was . . . how shall we say it? Intense.

My Car Is My Home Away

During this recent “feast” spell, I did A LOT of driving. Sometimes I’d leave set (working on the tv show) and have some time to kill before I had to arrive at the theater to do the play. Usually, I’d go for a hike to unwind and then find a shady spot in a busy parking lot to curl up in my backseat for a nap. Yup, it’s true. This lifestyle is glamorous.

I Have 3 Husbands

Ok, ok, not reeeeeally. But there was a very bizarre evening when my real-life husband and my tv husband came to see me perform onstage with my theater husband. Talk about worlds colliding! As I said, not your average job.

My Kids Speak Movie Magic

Since she was about 2 1/2, my daughter has been “writing me scripts” to practice. During the pandemic, she acted in her first actual short film with me! She and my son love to watch me tape auditions, and I often have to edit out their giggles at the end of a take. A few weeks ago they asked to “tape their audition” and then proceeded to have my hubby record them doing a strange but enthusiastic vlog/workout video/nature show hybrid.

Kids play what they see their parents doing. And mama does some unique things for her job.

I Miss My Kids . . . But . . .

Some days during this stretch, I didn’t get to come home between days of work so FaceTime was our best friend and shaky wifi on location shoots was the enemy. Some nights I came home but the kids were already asleep, and I had to leave before they were up the next morning. It was a tough season for all of us. We missed each other terribly and the mom guilt was real. 

But the feast ended. I wrapped my tv show and closed the play right around the same time. When I came home after my final performance, my daughter cheered and I collapsed into a pile of family snuggles. I’m ready for the famine for a little while. However, I’m proud that my children see me work so hard at something that matters to me. And when my daughter says she wishes I “never had to work,” I say “I know, I miss you when I’m away. But I’m very lucky. I love my work.” I explain to her that acting fills me up, just like drawing and school fill her–that being an actor makes me a happier mama.

And I hope someday my children are privileged enough to find a career that fills them up as well.

Want more behind the scenes of my actor/mom life? You can find me on Instagram here! And if you want more actor/mom life secrets, let me know in the comments!

Originally published January 2022.



The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ABQ Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.

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