Today we’d like to introduce you to Lanette King.
Hi Lanette, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was adopted as a young child and was sort of raised like an only child. My situation wasn’t the best, but my adopted mother made it a point to remind me that it could always be worse. In order to escape my reality, I would go into my imagination and create a space just for me. Eventually, that space became a world of my own and it would spill out into reality. I began singing, writing and dancing and falling in love with the arts. Unfortunately, I realized that my reality could be controlled by others and people could push you so hard into your passion until you no longer wanted to do it. It happened to me with singing, playing the piano and a host of other things. I found that group settings were my safest place and allotted me some form of control. Instead of having personal voice lessons, I joined the choir. Instead of learning to play the piano, I joined a band. Instead of taking dance classes where I could be singled out as an individual, I joined a group drill team. I found that I was able to explore my individuality by folding myself into group settings but the only real safe place was in my imagination.
My reality wasn’t always the safest, physically or emotionally, but as long as I had my imagination or someone else’s by way of a book, a movie, some music, a painting or something, I was ok. Even if the alternate reality was somewhat worse than my own, the major difference; the thing that I could hold onto was that I could leave that alternate reality and go to another, or I could stay there and work my way through it. I had options, unlike in the real world. I had to deal with what was given to me and I felt as though I couldn’t change it, even if I fought with every fiber of my being. I decided that I always wanted to have an alternate reality to go to and to be able to bring those stories to life. In the real world, I decided to be an actor.
I began acting in the theater department in college at Saint Augustine’s College (now University) in Raleigh, NC. It just came to me naturally. One audition led to acting during my entire college experience. After college, I participated in church plays. I continued not only to dance but to teach dance, as well as jumpstarting the media ministry at the church. After some time, I knew that I needed to do much more and that I had let the missteps of life stagnate the dreams that I had for myself. I jumped out and begin auditioning again and would land a role in a music video with Actor, Musician, and Golden Globe Award-Winning Idris Elba (Luther, Obsessed, Thor) and a role in a web series. Shortly after, life happened again and my dreams were again put on hold. By this time, I was well into my 20’s and people were still infringing upon my life and I felt as though I could never actually gain control to do the things that I wanted to do. I gave myself a timeline. I didn’t know how I was going to do it or when, but I knew that I would gain control of my life and attack my dreams like they owed me something. Perhaps the hiccups were in place to make me stronger and to prepare me for what was to come. What I did know was that I wouldn’t be in Kansas City much longer and that had my heart set on Atlanta, Georgia and nothing was going to stand in my way of getting there.
While listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show in 2014, I heard that David E. Talbert (Jingle Jangle) was having a workshop and holding auditions I made the decision that it was time for me to get back into acting and this time, I wasn’t going to stop, no matter what. I made the 9-hour drive to Chicago by myself and gave it my best shot. After my audition David Talbert walked up to me and whispered in my ear to go back home and train. Having almost no knowledge of where to start in Kansas City, I took to the internet and worked on as much as I could. I wouldn’t audition again until 2016, landing the only swing and understudy for the role of Effie in Dream Girls in Concert (Kansas City Black Repertory Theater). I sang, I dance, and acted. It was phenomenal!
I stayed in Kansas City working on my craft in every way imaginable; from theater, to film, to musical theatre, to voiceovers, to background work, to print modeling… all things art was getting my attention. When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, I was one of the only actors in my city who never stopped working. I booked local and national commercials, graduated from Second City of Chicago’s Improv program, trained with Emmy Award-Winning Actor, voice artist, and Producer Keith David (Greenleaf, Dead Presidents, Armageddon…), I created my own website, business cards and acting clips. I traveled to California and Atlanta to get professional headshots and begin building a web of connections. During this time, I also decided that it was time for me to audition for roles that would grant me membership into the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). I auditioned, and I booked! I am currently a “must join.”
In the Summer of 2021, I decided that I didn’t want to open my eyes on the New Year of 2022 and still be in Kansas City. With the help of my best friend, we got my personal affairs and belongings in order, and I drove me and my two toy poodles to Atlanta, Georgia on December 19, 2021. I am currently in Atlanta, auditioning, booking and looking to build more connections, but the best thing is that I have kept that 2014 promise to myself and I haven’t stopped acting.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been smooth and to be honest, if it had been, I probably wouldn’t want it. I was a single mother with practically no sufficient guidance or any real family who I could depend on. I had to figure out a lot about life on my own. I had to figure myself out and learn how to deal with my past so that I could make it to my future. You know how you deal with things and you believe that you’ve handled whatever it was so that you can move forward in life; only to find out that whatever it was still has you bound? That was me. I was a walking mess for quite some time, but I finally figured it out. I had to take back control of my life. I had to realize that just because people set you up for failure doesn’t mean that you have to fail backwards. You can actually fail upwards, and sometimes what was meant to be your detriment can actually turn out to be for your benefit, but we may not see it immediately. My divorce, my family issues, the reason I had to return expeditiously to Kansas City was all for my benefit and for the bigger picture. I didn’t see it then, but now that I look back and see all of the territory that has been expanded in my favor and my level of growth, I appreciate it all like never before. ‘
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a loving spirit who loves to tell the stories of others. I love giving selflessly when it comes to the imagination of others and lending every fiber of my being to having the writer’s truth told. I am an Actor, a singer, a writer, and if you catch me at an open mic, I may even be a comedian. You can see some of my work on my webpage at www.LanetteKing.com.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I’m authentically genuine. I am self-driven, goal-oriented and determined. I love meeting new people and sharing the knowledge that I have. I get the most joy from watching others succeed. I firmly believe that if someone comes in contact with me, no matter for what length of time, that I should leave them with something of greatness and of importance, even if it’s just a kind word. It costs absolutely nothing to be kind, so why not give the gift that keeps on giving?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LanetteKing.com
- Instagram: lanette_king81
