Meet Ritzi Lanier | Actress

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

Hi Ritzi, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Art has been a part of my life since I was three years old, when my mom enrolled me in my first ballet class. I began acting in church plays at eight years old. I took my first Drama class in the eighth grade and that is when I remember feeling the first spark of love for acting. I decided that I wanted to pursue acting professionally in high school when it was time for me to start thinking about college. Without a doubt I had to go to college, according to my parents, but I didn’t know what the best major was for me because all I wanted to do was perform and nothing else. After visiting different universities that were still close to home and conducted research on their Theatre Departments, I settled on Georgia Southern University and obtained my Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a double minor in Business and Spanish. Then 5 years later, I moved to Los Angeles, CA because I wanted experience in film acting and attended the LA campus of New York Film Academy for a Masters of Fine Arts in Acting for Film. Now I am currently pursuing all mediums of performance and acting professionally, while living in Los Angeles.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Telling stories while living truthfully in imaginary circumstances is a service for me. I believe that I am servicing others by helping them escape their every day lives and stressors while entering into an imaginary world for a couple of hours. Being an actress isn’t easy but as they say, “Nothing in life worth having is easy.” I started in the Atlanta market right after I graduated but I felt the market was too close to home for me and distractions were everywhere. Moving to California was the challenge that I needed and I don’t regret anything. I am most proud of the cross country drive that my husband and I took on our move to California. We made it within three days, that was 7 years ago. It’s all because of God who continues to keep us on the west coast. Starting as an actress in the Atlanta market prepared me for Los Angeles. Atlanta taught me the hustle that I had to have with auditions, classes, and networking with other people. It taught me that nothing was going to be handed to me and if it was, it’s too good to be true. The Atlanta market gave me tough skin and a network of people that I am still close to today. Once I moved to California and completed my masters degree, I felt even more prepared to take on the professional world. I performed in student directed plays, graduate student films, short films, pilots, regional theatre productions, commercials, and voiceover. My resume has grown since I’ve moved to LA. I am also a member of A Tribe called Melanin, an all black improv troupe, and the journey with them has helped me become stronger as an actress. And I’m a life time member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
There have been many days that I wanted to quit this artist lifestyle but I think about the poem “Don’t Quit,” by Edgar Albert Guest. Then I ask myself, “What else can I do? And will I be happy doing it,” and I can’t think of an answer. When times get tough because they will sometimes, I always remind myself that if being an actress wasn’t meant for me, then God wouldn’t have had me make it cross country, graduate with my masters degree and continue to work in the industry 7 years later. Looking back to where I started, to where I am now, makes me excited for the blessings that are on their way in the future. This journey has been beautiful with a lot of mountains and hills to climb, but I wouldn’t trade it for any other career. For all of my artists and creatives out there, Keep Going. It’s ok to get frustrated, to want to give up, to want to throw it all away but when you feel those feelings, ask yourself, “What else can I do?” If you can’t come up with an answer, then you are right where you are supposed to be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is a major city with lots to do. Some of the old hot spots I use to frequent was Atlantic station, Little Five Points, Edgewood Avenue, Peters Street, and Midtown Atlanta. I know things and places have changed since I lived in Atlanta but if those places are still hotspots, those are the spots I would show my best friend. Atlanta is filled with diverse groups of people so it’s easy to find something that caters to many interests.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout multiple people and they are all in my family. I would like to first shoutout, my Almighty God, because I wouldn’t have made it thus far on my journey without his guidance and protection so He deserves all of the praise! Next is my husband, he has supported me through it all with words of encouragement, inspiration, prayer, being my backbone when I feel like I can’t stand anymore and I want to quit. He gives me the space to cry on his shoulder for no particular reason, just because I’m an artist and I’m emotional. He is my rock and I’m so grateful. I want to shoutout my parents because they have always told me since I was a little girl that “I need to perform, that I deserve to be on stage” and they never tried to deter me from my passion and my dreams. Lastly, I want to shoutout all of my extended family and friends, who have taken the time to support me by showing up to my screenings, plays, or just visiting me while I’ve been in California (you know who you are). The love and support is truly felt and it motivates me to continue.

Instagram: @ritzilanier

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRnf6fUbVO4

Other: IMDb: imdb.me/ritzilanier
Tiktok: @ritzi030

Image Credits
Cineman Shots, Rhyan Michele, Loft Ensemble, A Tribe Called Melanin