As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Amy Lyndon.

Amy Lyndon is widely considered Hollywood’s leading celebrity master acting coach for almost three decades now. She currently has 56 series regulars on TV, including Marisa Davila, who stars as the series lead in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Other successes include Emmy Award winner Christel Khalil, Carlos Pratts, Nadine Velazquez, Adam Brody and Hosea Chanchez, among many others. Amy created the revolutionary technique called The Lyndon Technique: 15 Guideline Map to Booking,” which has been recognized as the secret weapon for thousands of working actors around the globe. In her book of the same name, Amy dispels the myths of the audition process and provides actors with an effective, straightforward approach to nailing their auditions and booking work. She is also the creator of the inspirational line of positive apparel and accessories, “I Am Enough Collection.”

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. My mom was 20 when she had me, so I basically grew up with her. I loved sitting in the bathroom watching her put on her false eyelashes and go-go boots. My Dad owned a retail fish company in the Fulton Fish Market in NYC, so he would leave at 3 a.m. to meet the boats and wouldn’t return until noon. Dinner was always an important family time together. My father taught me the importance of discipline and hard work. When the business closed because of the Mafia, he pivoted to many other ventures. Some were successful and some were not. He was always able to pick himself up and forge ahead regardless of the outcome. His perseverance was admirable and has shaped me into who I am today. Keep going. Never give up.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I started acting when I was 10. My parents used to send me to a camp for two months every year in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, called Wahconah/Potomac. They had a play every year and I would be in them. That’s when I decided I wanted to be an actress. I acted in anything I could get my hands on. I studied in NYC at The Neighborhood Playhouse when I was 16. Then at 17, I went to London to study Shakespeare. When my uncle Gene Kirkwood won the Academy Award as the Executive Producer of “Rocky,” my entire family followed him out to California. My parents packed me up when I graduated Syracuse University with a BFA in Drama and brought me out to San Diego where they lived at the time. When I moved to Los Angeles, I started booking feature films, but I was having a hard time booking television. Finally, I figured out a way and began shooting show after show. My friend at the time asked me to coach her daughter on a big studio feature film and I said, “I never coached anyone before.” She said, “Just teach her what you’ve been doing.” She booked it and “The Lyndon Technique: The 15 Guideline Map To Booking,” was born.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I seriously had no idea if this new “Technique” that I had created was going to work. When my students started booking Series Regulars one after the other, I just couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I actually created something that would help actors change the course of their lives. 28 years later, 56 Network Series Regulars, an Emmy winner and 1000s of actors working around the world using my Technique is mind boggling.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Oh my goodness… so many to choose from! One time I told a Casting Director that I was 16. She asked the year I was born and I went backwards instead of forward. I finally had to tell her that I wasn’t 16. I mean, I was just about to faint right there in front of her! I told my agent at the time that I couldn’t lie about my age anymore because I felt I couldn’t play it, and they dropped me.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

After countless Managers and Agents, I finally met Rachel Kae who was instrumental in moving my career forward. I must have booked 10 big jobs during the time I was with her. When she died, I took her first name when I secretly became a Personal Manager and CEO of a Management Company for nine years. She taught me marketing, instilled confidence in me and pushed for me when no one else would take a chance. I will forever be grateful to her. Fun fact: I was Adam Brody’s Acting Coach all the way up to “The OC.” He would drive up from San Diego to start studying with me when he was 16 and then I managed him when he was 19.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Failure is a choice. You can choose to believe that you are a failure or you can say to yourself, “The only way that I will fail is if I quit.” Working hard and smart is key and surrounding yourself with a team of people who believe in your success is paramount.

Every industry iterates and seeks improvement. What changes would you like to see in the industry going forward?

The Entertainment Industry needs to open itself up to more creative people that make content. They seem to keep doing the same thing in different ways. The movies and television shows that get huge recognition showcase real people with real circumstances that highlight the obstacles in their lives with depth and love. When the “little guy” sticks to their convictions, they can overcome anything. Positivity should be a requirement. Maybe I have an affinity towards the underdog. But it does seem that audiences oftentimes agree.

You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?

I started an inspirational apparel and accessory line called “I Am Enough Collection” during COVID. I believe that you are enough exactly as you are and I intend to keep reminding everyone daily. I also launched a Private Club for actors called “Actor.Club” to help actors all over the world understand the principles of booking jobs. I will continue to teach my four Master Classes and help change actors’ lives weekly. And I’m set to shoot a feature film in Florida. I will hopefully one day work with Jennifer Coolidge as her younger sister in a sitcom. That’s a big ‘bucket list’ dream.

We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?

If television and feature films are supposed to show true life, how can that happen without diversity? Our world is more diverse than it’s ever been. As actors, since we are a mirror to life, then why not represent the truth? And why not show the real ethnicity, rather than casting someone that doesn’t represent that in its truest form. And lastly, can we get to a place where we are all just people?

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. To only pick people who want the best for you. I finally learned that it’s okay to say, “No.”
2. College was a waste of time for an actor. I was only able to play a teenager for a short period of time.
3. Stay focused on the goal. Stop doing a ton of things that have nothing to do with your dream.
4. Save up a ton of money. I spent too long working two or three jobs to survive. I didn’t have any energy left to pursue my dream.
5. Surround yourself with people who want to help you get to your dream. I didn’t know who those people were until I met Rachel. I also say to my students all the time, “I wish I had me when I was you.”

Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.

I’ve been using X39 from Lifewave. If you want to get going on the patch, let me know. It’s been a life changer. I have more energy and focus. My skin looks amazing and my muscles feel flexible. I also use Revision as my daily skin care routine along with Estee Lauder’s Night Serum in the brown bottle. I do floor exercise with weights and yoga when I have extra time.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“The actor must approach acting like an Olympic athlete. The more you practice the necessary skills, the more you will book. When a high level of discipline and concentration on the work is achieved, you will see incredible results.”

~ Amy Lyndon

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I AM ENOUGH. Every time you wear anything or use anything from my collection you will be reminded of the power within and that you are enough exactly as you are. Believe it. Live it. Wear it. Stand up and be counted!

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

Jennifer Coolidge. LOL

This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

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