With a long career in film and stage, Julia Barnett Tracy has experienced a little bit of it all. She talks with Julie Lyles Carr about what it’s like to be a person of faith in the movie industry, how she decides where the lines are for her, and why she left the New York City acting scene to build a life in Austin, Texas.
Listen to “#187 – Going Hollywood and Hometown with Julia Barnett Tracy” on Spreaker.
Interview Links:
- Follow Tracy Online | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
- Follow African Children’s Choir
Transcription:
Julie Lyles Carr: You’re listening to the AllMomDoes podcast where you’ll find encouragement information and inspiration for the life you’re living, the kids you’re raising, the romance you’re loving, and the faith you’re growing. I’m your host, Julie Lyles Carr. Let’s jump into this week’s episode.
You are in for a treat today, I have Julia Tracy with me. I am very fortunate in that I get to call her friend and it also get to have a lot of fun watching her on a variety of different TV shows, getting to work with her on a couple of productions, all kinds of things. Julia, thank you so much for being on the podcast today.
Julia Tracy: I’m excited to be here.
Julie Lyles Carr: So give my listeners a little history about you and how you ended up going into film, acting stage, all the things.
Julia Tracy: Yes. Well, I started acting as a kid actually, and you know, I, I did my first movie, we did, I did a PBS movie. It was one of those, um, anti-drug movies called Private Victories, um, when I was 18 and all my friends went to LA and I was like, oh, aren’t you supposed to go to college? So I went to college and then I took a little detour uh, with, uh, the African, well, it’s not really detour to her because I’ve been with the African Children’s Choir since 1992, but, um, I wanted to, I really wanted to kind of work in ministry. And we had this kind of revival that happened at our university the last year, but I realized that, you know, my calling was still in the arts, even though I was working in the arts, there were still other things that I wanted to do. So I did go, I went to, I spent a decade in New York doing television and film and stage and writing and yeah. Continued that in Austin, Texas for another decade.
Julie Lyles Carr: You know one of the things about you that I think is so fascinating is you chose to be part of a documentary that recorded the birth of your son for all the world to see. Your home birth with her, with Ricky. Like, how did you end up in that endeavor? I mean, who’s got you get to that. How did that go?
Julia Tracy: Well, what’s funny is my sister, who’s maybe 14 years younger than I am, went to my op my visit to, with my midwife. And, um, she was like, you should do that. I’m like, I’m not doing that. And my sister was so much younger than me that I think I kind of wanted to be cool for her as in my thirties. So I was like, fine. I’ll call them. Well, the funny thing about that was as I made them sign a little thing that no nudity, I mean, which is really silly because for a documentary giving birth, the women, I get it, you know, like you, you can be naked, but I just thought for myself and my own personal faith, and all of that, that I, I said, you know, no nudity. So, um, They didn’t end up filming everything. And when they went to cut the film, they did have a picture of Zander coming right out. And when I watched it, I just had him and I was crying and I told my husband, like, this is so beautiful, natural. This is the way it should be. And he looked at me kind of sideways, like you’re going to leave it and was like, I mean, anyways, he was like, okay, if that’s what you want to do. And so I, I messaged the , producer. And they said, oh, we had already cut the films. I took like a week to get back to them. So they had already cut the film. So the film cuts, you don’t see any of my private parts. You just see my son, like going onto my chest. And every time I’m in church, every time, like I go to new church, somebody says, oh, we saw you that documentary. And I’m always like, thank you, Jesus. Yes.
Julie Lyles Carr: But, you know, it does bring up an interesting question because you have, for the most part, been engaged in film and television that has not been geared necessarily for the Christian market. And yet I know that you’re a person, a very strong faith. I have other friends who are actors, musicians, whatever, and they’ve chosen to stay completely in the Christian market. And yet I know from watching you, watching your interaction, the people that you love, the friends that you’ve gathered, it’s been really important for someone like you, a person of faith to be in an industry in the side of the industry that is not always speaking Christianese. So how did you make that decision, because I would have to think there was some pressure, there was a lot of soul searching to decide what you wanted to do in that circumstance.
Julia Tracy: Well, when I started in the business, I mean, I don’t know how to say this kindly, but there weren’t any good Christian movies really. Um, and so I don’t want to, I want to do something that has quality. You know, and so I just went into the secular world, but I was a Christian. And with most of my friends in New York that were actors, none of them were Christians. I was the only one who went to church and was active in my faith. But for the most part, I had respect for that, but I did have to make choices. So I was certainly offered parts that I had to turn down that I’m sure were frustrating for my agent. There was other, remember that show rescue me where they really wanted me on that show. And there was, I mean, it was a graphic sex scene. And I just had to say, I can’t do this. You know, which w which I know for a lot of people listening, they’re like, of course you had to say no, but let me tell you when you’re in the business and somebody is offering you a job, it is not you know, and you have all these people that expect you to make money for them and all those things. So I just chose roles that I knew I could still have my faith and, and there’s a lot of things out there for that, but it’s really hard for, it’s easier for me to have because I’m older. So I’m playing the mom and, you know, nobody wants to see a mom have sex, really, so it’s fine. But, but when you’re in your twenties, And, you know, you’ve got a hot body, like that’s kind of what everyone wants you to be. That sexy girl. And so that required me to just know what my line was. This is, these are the things I’m going to do. And these things that I won’t do, I love that.
Julie Lyles Carr: You’re honest about the difficulty of that, because I think sometimes we seem to elevate people who, and I understand it, but we elevate people and they wanted me to do thus and such. And I was like, absolutely not. And yet when you’ve been going after a goal, when you are getting all kinds of accolades, when you have people who really seem to want you to do certain types of things, it can be a lot more difficult than just a, I know where my boundaries are, and that was it. How did you manage when these doors were opening, and a lot of times, particularly because we’re people of faith, we feel like when we see doors opening that maybe God’s behind it and yeah. You had to really discern, oh yeah, this door is opening, but this is not a God door. How did you work with that? Particularly when you had a lot of pressure all around you, from people who cared about you, who wanted to see your career rise and do well, how were you able to discern what a God door was and what was not.
Julia Tracy: I mean, sometimes we, we don’t always make the right decisions, and I’m sure that there are things that, that decisions that I made that maybe I shouldn’t have it. And we learned from them. But I think the most important thing for me was having spiritual accountability in my life. And, uh, we were in New York kind of the time during 9-11, and we were going to a really big church in New York city. And, um, so like the small groups were a hundred people, yeah. It was in Times Square. Right. And, um, we ended up being a part, my husband and I ended up being a part of starting a small church and I think that that really helped because I, even if I didn’t ask somebody, I knew that somebody was gonna know if, you know, if I did something that maybe wouldn’t ha would have gone against my, my philosophy or my beliefs or whatever. And so, and it is very difficult being a Christian in New York city. It was funny because when I moved to Texas, People started asking me what church I went to, and it was the strangest question because no one asked me that in New York, what you, I actually think that I might go to church, you know? So, um, but at the same time, I actually think that the, having a being a person of faith in a city like New York or, or Chicago or LA, you are actually a Christian. Whereas you can live in the south and go to church not have much faith because everyone around you is kind of talking the same language.
Julie Lyles Carr: Right. You have to fight for it more. You know, it’s been interesting because I’ve had so much fun seeing both some of the short films that you’ve been writing and directing and producing and acting in. It’s been really exciting to see a lot of those come out, and then it’s been super fun to be with you when your appearances on Nashville, and Fear, the Walking Dead came out. How did those opportunities come about? Because I’m sure there had to be a certain sense when you left New York and, and you headed to Texas. Yes. There’s some film production here in Austin, and we’re seeing more and more of that come to bear. But in the time that you and I have lived here over the last 10 years, you know, it hasn’t been this incredibly robust place to do a lot of film. So when you had these opportunities come, what has that been like post your New York?
Julia Tracy: I mean, I think my expectations just changed. We, you know, we chose to move to Austin for family and for a different lifestyle. And so my expectations of how much I was going to work and audition changed. In New York, I was auditioning five or six times a week. I was working all the time. Even if it wasn’t a television show is on a commercial or, um, or something else. And so I think that I just had to. So when, of course, when I get the opportunity to work on television or film, again, I’m super excited and I love to do it. It’s also probably one of the reasons why I’ve started… I mean, I started writing and telling my own stories in New York, but I’m, I’m doing it a lot more here because I feel a great sense of value being able to tell my own stories as opposed to being in somebody else’s. Although I love that too, and I love acting, but it’s allowed me to create a freedom being here that I may not have explored if I had stayed in here.
Julie Lyles Carr: You know, with your husband Van, who I just dearly love. He’s such an amazing guy, also an actor, and he’s had some really amazing career changes and turns that have been fascinating to watch. How did you guys make the decision? You had your line that you knew in terms of sexual content, things like that, but then you also have kind of this interesting thing that I watched some other actors of faith go through where as seen as in particularly, you know, heavily sexual, but it is, it requires you kissing someone who’s playing the part of your husband. How did you guys make decisions about things like that? Because I’ve known people of faith as actors who have made the decision that’s never going to happen. And that I’ve also known people who they’ve talked it out. Maybe both, both spouses are professional actors and they understand a little bit more about the industry. It doesn’t bother them as much. How have you guys made those decisions that maybe not everybody would completely understand?
Julia Tracy: I think because Van is an actor, uh, he understands that if I’m playing somebody’s spouse on Nashville and we have to kiss, and he just understands that’s part of the job. So there’s never been any kind of weirdness or jealousy or anything like that. The only time I remember… I tested for All My Children, which for, if you don’t know, they, they narrow it down to the regular series, regular on All My Children, not just, um, a one-time role or whatever. And so you go into the studio and you test with the lead.
Julie Lyles Carr: Maybe let’s save that story later.
Julia Tracy: But no, but I knew, okay, I’m going to tell this story. So I knew that… His name Michael Knight, for those of you who watch it. I think that’s his name. He played Tad in the show and I actually had done a show with, um, I had actually done class with him, so I knew him and we got there and we… so when you go to the studio, it’s a lot of pressure, you do the rehearsal. Tad, um, Michael was super sick, so he, there was a kiss. So he, he didn’t kiss me in the rehearsal because he wasn’t feeling well. But when you go in the studio, you’re in the studio, you’ve got all the cameras, the directors there, you do the whole thing. And then you kiss. Well, I had never done a, I had never kissed on a soap opera before. And so anyway, so we go for the kiss, and Michael opened his mouth and I just, it was reflex, you know, and Michael was like, I could tell he was like freezing up. Like, what is she doing? You know? And then I was like, oh yeah, I guess, I don’t know what just happens. Anyway, we did the whole thing and it worked out fine, but I came home and told my husband that story. And he was like, you did what? Like, and I was like, I know, I don’t know. It was just a reflex. It just happened. He wasn’t mad at me. I mean, it was like, we were acting and I was so embarrassed. Cause I’m sure Michael’s like this girl doesn’t know how to do a soap opera kiss. You’re just supposed to keep your mouth open and move around. Yeah. Any anyway, so then I didn’t get it, shocker. I, but you know, you like, you signed the contract, you know, you’re going to be getting all this money and all this. So we watched the first episode. Van and I did, just to see who they cast. Of course they cast someone 10 years older than me, so I felt great.
But this opening scene is her laying in bed in like a teddy, like a sexy teddy. And then, then like kind of kissing and rolling over. And he looked at me and he was like, I’m so glad you didn’t get that. So, you know, some of those things, even though you think you really want them, you realize, yeah, that was, I didn’t mean.
Julie Lyles Carr: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it’s such a difficult thing to navigate, to determine. And little known fact, Um, my husband was, he actually auditioned for a soap opera and, you know, looked like he might potentially get it. And I was like, I don’t think I can handle that. Like, I don’t think I have, I, I trust him and I know that he would be a great role model to people. And I know that that level of platform could be really interesting, but I don’t think I could handle that. And I think that it’s important that couples who are in those lines of work… because let’s face it, it’s not just in secular film, in theater, it’s also in Christian-based film in theater.
Sometimes this requirement for romance or whatever is part of the story. So I do think it’s important that every couple know what their line would be when it comes to those kinds of moments and, and to work it out. I mean, that’s one of the things I have always admired about you and Van is the level of relationship friendship you guys have as part of your marriage. What do you think is one of the challenges when a person of faith is onset? I mean, how is that regarded? Did you find that for the most part, people have been really accommodating and appreciative that you have something that you ground your life in? Is it something that you’ve had to fight against some stereotypes, maybe people thinking that you would be, I don’t know, a different person than you are when it comes to the creative space. What does that experience been?
Julia Tracy: I don’t know. I mean, I think there’s actually a lot of Christians in this business now, whether it’s the person doing your makeup on set or, you know, I just worked on a TV show and my husband, after talking to him, I realized that he was a Christian too. And I think that we’re just seeing a lot more people of faith going into Hollywood because for so many years and we were told if we wanted to really please God, we would become a pastor, we’d become a missionary. And I’m glad that the narrative has changed because we were absent from Hollywood. Faith was absent from Hollywood for decades, and now we’re seeing it come back in through writing.
I’m a part of Act One, which is a writing group in LA. If anyone is a good writer and they’re Christian, you should look up act one of my graduate of that. And they’re really trying to change Hollywood from the inside. Like let’s, let’s write some shows about redemption. Let’s get some characters out there that have quality. Um, so that we’re kind of, otherwise we’re letting other people write something about a Christian, you know, and they don’t know that’s not them. So I think that it’s changing. I think the hardest thing that I had was more probably with my friends that were colleagues and other actors. I definitely, I definitely had someone break up with me because I was a Christian, like a girlfriend. Um, I’ve had the whole, like, I’m going to take you to lunch and I don’t think I want to hang out with you anymore, which is really hard. Um, but I don’t, I don’t know. I mean, I think that those things all happen for a reason too.
Julie Lyles Carr: Right, right. With your kids, they’ve been involved in some of the endeavors that you and van had been part of, some of the movies that you’ve made different commercials, different, all kinds of things that you do. Do you think either of them are going to go for it? Do you think they’re going to head into the industry and how do you feel about that? Because it’s one thing to do it for yourself and to experience it. It’s another thing to have your child, knowing the challenges that you face, knowing the things you’ve had to stand firm on, knowing the times you’ve been like, maybe that’s not what I should have done. What do you think about if the kids decide they want to do it?
Julia Tracy: Well, both of my kids have been acting since they were little, whether it’s in commercials or, and even Lydia. Um, when she was younger, she did a little television show, but in other words, it was, yeah, it wasn’t a long running show. I think that one of my kids would probably be very interested in making this as a career, but it’s one of the reasons why we didn’t move back to New York and we didn’t move to LA you know? Them doing acting here in Austin is a totally different thing. It’s on a different level, the stress level, you know, it’s just like doing something every once in a while or working on a commercial or, or a one part. And, and it’s one of the reasons why I started teaching because, I don’t, I didn’t trust anyone, you know, to teach my kids. Cause sometimes as creative people can be a little weird. So I started teaching acting and I still do. I, I do a camp in the summer and I had like a teach on camera audition technique. And, and so really it’s just become like kind of a part of our family DNA culture.
Julie Lyles Carr: Right, right. It’s as part of what y’all do. So, you know, it’s interesting to me because you brought this in a previous statement that you made that a lot of times, if we don’t engage in some of these spaces, then we’re allowing the story of people, of faith to be told by people who may not have that experience. Or we’re also allowing content to be developed that might not have an infusion from a faith perspective. And I think part of what’s interesting is at times it feels like we’ve sort of abdicated. I think there’s, I think it’s great that there are all kinds of different media and things that are developed specifically for people in the faith space. But, if part of the mission is to reach people who are never going to go to those kinds of channels or aren’t going to go, you know, they’re not going to trend toward those kinds of films or different offerings, then how do we step in the gap and make sure that that voice is heard, that, that, that message of grace is available, even if it’s just through someone’s presence, in something.
Why do you think we have gotten to the place in previous years? And it’s good to hear that you think that it’s changing now, but why do you think we got to the place in previous years where we did sort of abdicate things? Because Julia, when I think about where the arts really found a huge level of Genesis, it was arts for the church. It was, you know, the best craftsmen making these incredible cathedrals. It was the best composers writing music. And, you know, in the early days, Of theater that we think of in the way now that was done as a means of teaching people, Bible stories. We often forget that that that was, it was a society that not everyone was literate. And so this was a way in which you could help communicate what the stories of grace and of Jesus were about. Why do you think that we sort of just backed up from all of that and for many years kind of absconded.
Julia Tracy: Well, you know, I just watched a Footloose again, the original Footloose, and it kind of reminds me of my own childhood. I mean, my, my stepdad said no secular music. We couldn’t, you know, no movies. There was a lot, most, no TV shows. So if you remove yourself from what is pop culture, what’s the culture around you, how in the world can you affect it? So that was kind of, you know, where we were in the eighties and part of the nineties. And I think there are a lot of organizations like ask act one and master media and different organizations that said, no, no, no, we have to be in the marketplace and we have to be the best at it. So. You look at movies that are coming out now that, that have, I can only imagine, the chosen, their high quality films and the filmmakers are incredible and they’re telling really good stories. So other people are going to see it. So I think this is kind of an exciting time because of the quality of content that’s out there.
Julie Lyles Carr: It feels to me there’s been a real, if you will, democracy movement that has happened within the arts, because with the advent of YouTube channels, and you can shoot reels on social media and all of these different things, you’re seeing so much talent come to bear that is not having to go through the same set of hoops that you would have had to have gone through 20 years ago when it comes to being able to get your message out and get your story out. How do you think that YouTube, Netflix, social media, all the things, how do you think that’s changing the way we’re telling stories?
Julia Tracy: Ooh. I mean, in every way it’s changing it. But, um, so, you know, we have a lot of young people and by young people, I mean eight to 12 year olds who are out there telling stories. I mean, I, I can’t imagine what that must be like, so I don’t know how it’s all going to play out, but I do think that it’s possible that people will be watching less TV and going to less movies in 10 years from now and watching stories on tic-tac and you know. That that could be the way things are going, which means it blows apart the entire system of Hollywood, which is you have an agent, your agent submits you to a casting director. They cast the film. And if people right now, anybody can make it with their iPhone 12. Right. Yeah. So I think it’s scaring probably a lot of the studios too, which is why everything that you see is just basically a remake because they know somebody, people will go and watch it. But it’s also a really exciting time for us to who aren’t a part of a big studio to put out something beautiful that people will watch. Even if it’s, what if it’s just 10,000 people that wow. You know, I mean, that, that could be really exciting as opposed to millions of people watching it on NBC.
Julie Lyles Carr: Yeah, I, I think it’s going to be really interesting because there are a lot of geniuses that we probably haven’t heard from in the past, because they couldn’t get to where they needed to get to, to have the gate open for them. And now all of that’s down. So I’m right with you. I think there’s going to be some really fascinating things that come out of the place where everybody’s got this incredible technology in their hands and they can broadcast immediately. It’s going to be really interesting. So I want to do a little bit of a hard turn because we’ve been talking about you’re producing and writing and being on camera and all the things part of your career. But you’ve also had this other part of your career that you mentioned at the top of the interview with African Children’s Choir. And so it’s so amazing to me the breadth of experience that, that gives you to be in more of a secular space when it comes to your own acting career. And yet you’ve also been with this incredible, incredible organization for all these years. Let the listeners know what African children’s choir is and, and how, how you are able to speak into the lives of these young people in a different kind of musical space that is more geared toward churches and people of faith and, and those kinds of audiences.
Julia Tracy: Yes. So the African Children’s Choir has been around since ’84 and all of our children, once they come into our program, part of the program is this musical tour because our children, um, either came from war situations. Many of them were orphaned. Um, they come from very vulnerable environments, and so the tour really helps them see their future. You know, if you grow up and you have an open running sewer in front of your house and you you’ve never been to school, you don’t know that a nurse is a job, or that you could be a businessman. And so the tour really gives them so much confidence. And then when they go back to their African nation, we pay for their education through university and many of them in our own school. So they come to our boarding schools. We don’t really. I don’t want to say we don’t believe in orphanages because orphanages definitely served their purpose. But these children, even if they don’t have parents, they have an aunt, they have an uncle, they have a grandma, and we want them to be connected to their community. So we help take care of the education. They live with us during the school year. And then on holidays they go home. And what we’ve seen is that they have such, um, a passion for their communities, that they are changing their communities. So just by helping the one child, we actually helped the whole family because we relieve the financial pressure. And then the family is also kind of rally around. They’re so proud of their child. So we’ve seen all of these communities just have incredible change. Um, and so a lot of the children that I worked with, I started out right after college, um, it was my first job and by job, I mean volunteer. And I was just going to do it for eight months and then, you know, basically moved to LA and I fell in love with the choir and the culture, and I ended up living in east Africa for many years. Doing relief and development work. Many of the children that I worked with in the early to mid-nineties are now adults themselves. And I’m so proud of them. And, you know, because of WhatsApp, I get to keep in touch of everyone with everyone. So, you know, every day I get a message from one of my quote, unquote kids. They, they call me auntie and you know, it really just has become a second family to me. And I’ve been with them for 28 years. So I, at first I was organizing like the audition process and the training and all of that, but now I oversee their, their tours and the, the musical production, and special events and all of that, and the albums. Um, the creative officer, you know.
Julie Lyles Carr: I think what’s really beautiful in talking about the art space is that you see some of these kids come from pretty dire circumstances and their lives are so beautifully enhanced by the work that African Children’s Choir does. And you also see how the arts elevate their ability to understand what is possible. What is it like to watch these kids who again, may have come from extremely difficult circumstances and watch them perform? Because I got to tell you Julia, of several of the choirs that I’ve been able to see, and my kids went, a couple of my kids, went to Africa to see the work that was going on there all of that, some of these kids are such naturals. I mean, they’re just, they’re incredible. I mean, their level of musicality and dance and expression is just off the charts and you stand there going, I know these kids have not had access to formal training or anything, and here they are. It really blows my mind.
Julia Tracy: Yes. It, you know, also music’s just such a part of their culture and, and the drums and all that, that all happens from a really young age. And that’s all just a part of being in the community. But I mean, you feel the presence of God on them when you’re watching them. And I’ve seen thousands of concerts and I still cry when I watch them. But, you know, we had a psychologist come, I mean, this is years ago and, um, he was watching the performance, and he, he said, you know, some of the dance moves that the kids are doing are what we would do in our therapy sessions. And I just feel like that’s just the Lord, because we didn’t know that. You know, so the actual part of also performing and feeling important and special is, is, um, really changing for them as well. So, yeah, there’s a lot of therapy that takes place, but both the singing and the dancing and all of that.
Julie Lyles Carr: Yeah. It really is something to be able to see them. And if you have an opportunity, if they’re coming to your area, you definitely want to take the time to go and experience the African Children’s Choir. Julia, what do you say to those parents out there that they have a child who seems to be expressing a lot of interest into looking into auditioning for things, and the parents are concerned. It’s like, I don’t want to lose my kid in the interest of this vocation and the interest of this obsession with performance. I mean, I understand why parents get really nervous about a child who seems to have some talent and really wants to push to go to Los Angeles or New York and audition and all the things. What do you say to those parents about those, both the cautions and the encouragement that you have for them?
Julia Tracy: I think the caution is legitimate. Um, I have. For my kids too. And you know, my daughters, she’s all about the acting and singing and all of that. I just think that you have to spend a lot of time in prayer. And if you feel like it’s taking over your life, then don’t do it. It’s not worth it. Childhood is way more important than having a childhood is more important than being, uh, on the Disney channel. You know, so, and they, and this is the thing, once the children are 18, they can go to LA. They can go to New York, you know, there’s, it’s not like they’ve missed their opportunity. So I, but I will say that there’s so many things that you can do in your own community, whether it’s theater or a local agent and doing commercials and things like that. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Um, but if you feel the call to go to LA, then that’s different. I just think that it’s for every family, they have to really be prayerful about that. We wouldn’t want to uproot our whole family to go to LA right now, you know? For 11 year old, it just doesn’t seem like that doesn’t seem the right thing.
Julie Lyles Carr: Right. Right. And there may be families that it is the right thing to do, but that, that willingness to seek and to not let something become really overwhelming. That’s really great advice. How have you handled… you know, we want to believe strongly that we are, we are God’s children, and we want to see ourselves that way. We want to understand our value in him, and yet when you’re talking about the entertainment industry, you are talking about setting yourself up for rejection over and over and over. Just like the publishing world, just like other forms of media. It is one of the few places where you just sign up vocationally to get told no, all the time. And to be told that you’re, in some ways you’re not enough, you’re not the thing we’re looking for. You’re not enough. This you’re too much of that. How have you navigated all of that with your heart and lean, solidly into your identity as a child of God?
Julia Tracy: I think it definitely created a tough skin for me all those years, um, of acting. And, and also I had something else in my life that had value, and that was my work with the African Children’s Choir. And I think that that’s really important that as an actor or an artist, if it can’t be your, everything, you have to have something else in your life that gives you joy and, um, other… cause if it’s all that, I think that then it is kind of terrifying if you don’t get that job.
Julie Lyles Carr: Right. Right. And that’s the place where I think we have seen people in the past. And what’s interesting, Julia, is this is even thing. This is something that can happen within the Christian entertainment industry. I mean, this is not something that is only part of the secular entertainment industry. There are plenty of places and spaces where you could audition for something. You could write something, you could go out for a part or whatever, within Christian spaces and not get it. And it really is a tough thing to navigate. I love that you designate that, having something that is giving your life purpose apart from all of the auditions is such a critical component. How do you think that things will change moving forward? Obviously we talked about with sort of the democratization of the arts of being able to put your stuff out there, whether that’s music, painting, acting, all the things and not being dependent on the system, that’s been developed over time, but it feels like to me, I’m seeing this transition where things do feel very story driven in a fresh way. There seems to be a real attention put on that. Is that something that you feel like you’re seeing and what do you think that’s going to mean moving forward in terms of what we embrace as the forms of entertainment that we’re involved?
Julia Tracy: Yeah. I mean, I think that like, even with my own children, know, my son prefers to play a video game. That he does like to watch movies, but over watching the television ship show, so, hey, wouldn’t it be great if we had lots of Christians in the video game industry, creating video games that at least there were some redemption or there’s a lot of concern on that? So I think that there are going to be so many different ways that people getting their entertainment over the next 10 to 20 years, that it’d be great if Christians thought about how to get into all of that.
Julie Lyles Carr: I love that such words of wisdom. Well, Julia Barnett, I’m so honored to call you friend. Thank you so much for your open heart and your open hand with the experiences that you’ve had. And I just can’t wait to see it in whatever the next thing is. You always dazzle me every few months. It’s like, oh yeah, by the way, I’m going to be on blah, blah, blah. And I’m like, so it’s just so fun to get, to see your career, get to see all the things that you’ve gotten to do. Such a multifaceted approach to everything that you do in the arts. And I just love your friend. Thanks so much for being here.
Julia Tracy: Thank you so much.
Julie Lyles Carr: Check out the show notes for all the links, info and other goodness from this week’s episode with a big thank you to our content coordinator, Rebecca. I’ve got a request please go like and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. It really does make a difference in helping other people find this. And I’ll see you next week here at the AllMomDoes podcast.
