Conversations with Cait Cortelyou

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cait Cortelyou.

Cait, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been acting since I was a kid; I grew up in Madison, WI and did a lot of community theatre and Shakespeare plays. I moved to New York after high school and got very involved in the indie theatre scene there, performing in numerous world premieres and making friends with writers, and then in my mid-20s I became interested in film and television. My first big TV acting job was playing Nurse Monk on a few episodes of “The Knick,” which was a hospital drama set in 1900 that Steven Soderbergh directed.

After years of auditions and small gigs that seemed exciting but didn’t end up going anywhere, I realized that I was sick of waiting for permission to act and that I wanted to create my own opportunities. I got a job at a hedge fund for a few years and saved up most of the money I made, then quit my job and lived off that money while I focused on networking and developing my first feature film, “Ask for Jane,” which I produced and starred in.

This movie was a passion project in every sense of the word – it’s based on the true story of the Jane Collective, who were a group of regular Midwestern women (like me!) who began providing safe and illegal abortions in the years leading up to Roe v. Wade. We won some cool awards on the festival circuit and even had a limited release in theaters across the country before the pandemic. “Ask for Jane” opened a lot of doors for me as an artist (I was even flown to Beijing to teach a master class!), and most especially it helped me realize that my passion lies in telling stories that matter.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve been working diligently on my acting career since I was in middle school – building my resume, taking classes, hiring a business coach, doing photo shoots, and now producing my own work. Given how long I’ve been dedicated to this career path, it can sometimes be frustrating to see people starring in my favorite shows who are no more worthy than I am – but learning just how nepotistic Hollywood is makes me feel even prouder of my accomplishments, and even more determined to forge my own path.

Acting really is a terrible vocation in a lot of ways – work is erratic, feedback is nonexistent, and schedules are a joke. There’s a cliched saying that if you can see yourself doing anything else, go and do that thing instead. But at the end of the day, I personally find it harder to not do the thing I love! Being an actor is hard, yes, but it’s also the most fascinating, fun, and fulfilling work I’ve ever found. For me, the struggles are worth it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve always had a great eye for vintage looks (my sister is a costume designer), and I’m kind of a big ol’ nerd with a passion for sci-fi and fantasy, so those are my favorite sandboxes in which to play. I’ve been billing myself lately as “Hermione Granger if she were a Slytherin.” That’s a good description of the roles I excel at, but it also describes my general vibe: I’m ambitious and a little neurotic, and I want to help make the world a better place.

I would say I’m most known for my work in front of and behind the camera on “Ask for Jane,” which is also definitely the thing I’m most proud of! I was a volunteer escort for Planned Parenthood for years before I made that movie, and it felt like a really organic and positive conflation of my work as an actor and as an activist. Movies (and theatre and TV) have the power to start important conversations about difficult topics, and I feel like it’s my responsibility as an artist to talk about things that matter.

Currently, my partner and I are writing and developing a very funny workplace comedy pilot through which we can explore important and relevant issues in an ongoing capacity. If you know any established showrunners who’d like to hear a pitch, please send them my way!

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I can’t get over the trees here in Atlanta, they’re massive and they’re everywhere! And it feels glorious to be able to see so much sky. I lived in Manhattan for most of my adult life, and there were days when I barely saw the sky because the buildings were so tall and times when I had to take a subway to get to any sort of green space. I admire how well the city of Atlanta incorporates nature. I’ve also made some really terrific friends here, who I feel lucky to know. And I’m obsessed with Dragon Con!

The thing I like least is definitely the traffic. Coming from New York, I was an avid pedestrian, and learning to drive here was very intimidating – the drivers are aggressive, and the streets don’t make a lot of sense. I’m definitely getting better, though! New achievement unlocked.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.CaitCortelyou.com
• Instagram: @caitcortelyou
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitcortelyou/
• Other: www.imdb.me/caitcortelyou

Image Credits
Michael Bernstein Noel Nichols Josh Goldsmith Mike Coppola levelFILM Unknown Hunter S. Canning