Meet Ron’Netta | Actress, Author, Producer

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

Hi Ron’Netta, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Over time, my work-life balance has had to be adjusted in ways that have not always been lucrative, but have definitely been fulfilling. An example is cutting back on hours/days working in my career as a Registered Nurse so that I can dedicate more time to my acting career. There have been days that I declined, or called out, of a nursing assignment to take a lesser paying, or even unpaid, acting gig. It’s all for the love of the art. You have to have that balance in the beginning because minor acting roles won’t pay all the bills unless you get a ton of them. Thank goodness I do it for love, not pay. A little nursing here and there to supplement financially has kept me afloat. I think balancing my nurse-actress life will be the reason I finally get seen in enough smaller roles to get that one BIG enough role to quit nursing all together. That’s when the balancing will show it’s worth. That’s the goal!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is acting and writing. I have self-published three titles and been the screenwriter on an episode of a television series. What sets me apart from others as an author is the tone of my writing. I usually write in the first-person speaking through the pages in the characters dialect. Often using slang and sometimes ebonics. You can actually feel the characters raw emotions jumping from the pages. My writings have a gritty edge, but are different from other stories of today. While the stories due contain s*x and drugs, as do most good stories, there is always a life lesson. My writings are full of detail. Like watching a movie. In acting, my strong, southern accent and fast paced speech sets me apart. Some find it musical while others may find it annoying. LOL. I got where I am today by taking chances on myself. It was not easy. Sometimes I’ve had to spend money that was not in the budget just to get airfare for the next audition or casting call. I overcame the challenges by balancing nursing jobs to fund my acting endeavors. I’ve learned that you have to be willing to take a chance on yourself. You have to invest in your dreams and make sacrifices. I am most proud of the upcoming film that I am producing and acting in based on the book that I wrote, Tha’ Trouble Wit’ Shaun. I want the world to know that my brand, Ronnetta LLC, is built on passion for the arts and I will always do the most to deliver great books, films, and performances.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were visiting for a week we would definitely have to see a play or musical. I’d take her to Broadway in NYC to see Michael Jackson the Musical. I’d also love to go and eat weed infused pizza at that cool spot in the city that I have been hearing about. I’d definitely take her to one of my acting classes to sit in on. That would all be so exciting.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my shoutout to my mother, Linda Laffitte-LeDoux, who submerged me in the arts from a young age. She took time and taught me poetry by famous poet Paul Laurence Dunbar who was one of the first influential Black poets in American literature. I recited these poems for audiences and loved the natural high of the applause. She put performing in my blood as she was, too, an actress in her own right with a reenactment role on America’s Most Wanted & many performances in local theatre. My grandmother Genella Laffitte also deserves a shoutout for putting me in front of any Church audience who would hear me perform. Lol.

Website: https://realronnetta.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealronnettaronnetta/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MizzRonNie