It all started back when I was about eight years old. We had cheerleader tryouts for junior league football. My older sister and I were so excited! We both tried out– she made the cut– I didn’t. However, I was offered the chance to be the team mascot. A lion! I was going to be considered a good luck charm for the team! The next best thing… to a cheerleader. Thus started my long, confusing and uphill quest to become an actress, being cast and stereotyped in everything I auditioned for– as the next best thing to a lead female…
Author: Dellany Peace
Dellany Peace
Dellany is a plus size actress/model, public advocate and activist for the body positivity movement. Increasingly frustrated with Hollywood’s toxic and narrow-minded perception of all types of women and the very limited roles for larger actresses, Dellany took matters into her own hands and started her own grassroots production company: Peace Not Quiet Productions As an indie producer, she has freelanced and partnered with writers, actors and directors who are taking action to promote diversity in film/tv. As a creator, Dellany is making content for people of all shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities and special abilities so that storytelling can be told and shared through a fresh & unique lens while pushing inclusivity and empathy for all to the forefront. Dellany is the creator, writer, producer and star of the comedy series She’s Too Fat. She's currently in pre-production for her superhero series Girl+. Follow her journey on IG @dellanypeaceoriginal
My head is SPINNING — The month of June ended up killing it for me in industry land! Here is a list of every event I was fortunate enough to attend (Psst..Permission granted to geek out on every guest speaker just like I did): Women Of Action: Redefining The Superhero See Jane Salon (presented by Geena Davis Institute on Gender In Media) Etheria Film Night’s Reel Grrl’s Charity Mixer LA Film Festival Black Lives Black Protest Panel LA Film Festival Women Make It Happen With such a diverse group of panels– below is a mashup of what I learned from…
Do you ever look at someone and wonder, “What is going on inside their head?” asks Amy Poehler’s character JOY in Inside Out, Pixar’s upcoming feature about the emotional mindscape of an 11 year old girl (***100 points if you can name the first Pixar film!***). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seMwpP0yeu4 I do! All the time. Artists, especially, are naturally inclined to wonder what is going on inside someone’s head pretty much all the live long day. Whether it be a writer coming up with a complex character, an illustrator enhancing a visual concept of a human being, or an actor taking on a…
Have you ever found yourself fantasizing about going back in time, ‘Terminator-style’, to smack some sense into your younger self? Confession: I’ve been doing that all morning, instead of writing this month’s column. And it dawned on me- I should let you eavesdrop on this scene! Step into my sea salted caramel latte-fueled mind for a moment. FADE IN: I’m at a weight-loss commercial audition in WeHo. A more tense than usual room where us actors just discovered that this is a ‘Group Co-Ed’ audition. In bathing suits. If you feel 100% confident about your shape, you’re thinking “big deal”,…
As an actress in Hollywood, and as a plus-sized woman, I often hear some variation of this nugget, from colleagues and strangers alike: “But you have such a pretty face! “, “You are ruining your acting career…” “Either need to gain 40 pounds or lose 60 pounds if you want to work in this town”… You may not be someone who ever hears this, but here’s a not-so-shocking reality, body-shaming happens ALL. THE. TIME. If you live anywhere near the entertainment capital of the world, you’ve probably heard various critiques about your natural body shape – including, but not limited…