Meet Claire Lefort | Actor, Director, & Intimacy Professional-in-Training

We had the good fortune of connecting with Claire Lefort and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claire, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
When I first started out in acting, I was terrified about getting “it” wrong. “It” meaning everything to do with being an artist. I carried so much fear in the things I couldn’t control, and that fear dictated me throughout my life and work. Embarrassing myself in front of others made me physically ill, never quite reaching perfect lead to endless hours of tears and mucus, and the feeling of failure at my heels kept me paralyzed from trusting myself and others.

A big part of what liberated me was a motto my professor continuously exclaimed: “Dare to suck!” This advice led to a perception shift that felt exciting. The challenge wasn’t to “be good,” but instead, what can you find that is new, bold, and interesting? How can you test the limit and then go past it? Where can your curiosity take you, and can you dare to fail?

These questions led me to create art that centered around what I thought was dynamic and fascinating, rather than trying to impress anyone else in the room. It took many, many baby steps, and is still a work in progress, but now I have a need to walk the line of failure. It’s given me the opportunity to embarrass myself a whole lot, and the confidence to keep doing it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What I love about my craft is that I have the opportunity to step into worlds other than my own and learn from people that I am unfamiliar with. What is important to me in my art is the human experience in every aspect, not just the pretty. I am so invested in stories about people who are morally grey, who we don’t know if we can root for. Nothing is ever black and white- people do things for a reason, even if they are bad. Everyone is flawed, and yet everyone is loved. It’s shows like “Fleabag” and “Bojack Horseman”, or films like “Worst Person in the World” and “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.” This medium allows us to expand on those ideas in a multitude of ways.

I’ve only just stepped out into the world, but I know I want to create work that invokes thought and pushes us to explore the unknown outside of ourselves. To prep for it, I recently acted and directed in a brother/sister version of Sam Shepard’s “True West.” If we’re going to talk about living in the grey and discovering who people really are, that show is definitely it. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done, and simultaneously most rewarding. I think I’m gonna keep following that path.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love a little trip! Let’s say they get in on a Friday late morning. Lunch is happening at Pj Thai. No negotiation. Drinks and snacks savoy are a must, and then a little trip down to Congress and River Street depending on the vibe. Club One drag show at 10:30pm. Karaoke will be done at either Bay Street Blues or Rogue. The next day would be coffee/tea at Agatha’s, the Savannah Farmer’s Market, and then maybe a little Tybee trip! Love Sea Wolf, love Huc-A-Poo’s. Saturday night dinner, if we made it, would be Tacos and Tequila on Habersham. Sunday could be our causal, calming, walk around Savannah day. We’ll coffee shop hop and do Sly’s Sliders and Fries for a late lunch.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Everyone deserves to be mentioned in this shoutout. I’ve been so lucky to have such a strong support system and there’s no way I’d be where I am without any of these folks. There are multiple professors who have made such an impact in my life, particularly from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA and SCAD in Savannah, GA. It’s also important to note my family has always been my backbone. If my mom had a quarter for every time I called her for a pep talk, she would have a very, very inconvenient number of quarters. From the bottom of my heart, thank you mom and dad. Kristina Arjona, an Intimacy Professional based in Atlanta, also deserves ALL of the love. She’s been an incredible mentor and has consistently shown up with hope, strength, and grace. She’s a mega super star! And last, but not least, my close friends are my lifeline. It’s an honor to watch all of these fabulously brilliant people grow and create such fantastic work. It really is a privilege. If I have to dedicate my shoutout to ONE group of people, it would be my ride-or-dies. Amaya, Coco, Emma, Neha, Allie, Isabelle and Erika. I can guarantee you I would not be who I am without these folks.

Website: https://clefor20.wixsite.com/claire-lefort

Instagram: @claire.as.dayy

Image Credits
Maddie Steele, Snigdha Gopidi, Makena Schmidt