Darcy Donavan Featured in Cryptic Rock Magazine.
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INTERVIEW – DARCY DONAVAN
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From a young age, Darcy Donavan had a passion for entertaining others. Dancing, singing, and acting, in enough words, she was a born entertainer. Taking that energy to the next level, Donovan has built a successful career in film and television over the past two decades with recognized roles in ABC’s Modern Family, NBC’s Parks and Recreation, and the hilarious 2004 film Anchorman. The buck does not stop there for Donavan though, she has even been working diligently as a singer-songwriter as, attaining success earlier on with singles such as “Gold Collar Diamond Ring” and more recently with “It’s My Life.” Inspired and dedicated, there is simply no telling what she will do next. Recently we caught up with the upbeat Donovan to talk her career in acting, her love for music, plans for the future, and so much more.
CrypticRock.com – You have been involved in entertainment for some time now, starring in a list of films and successful television series. From acting to music, first, tell us what inspired you to pursue a career in entertainment?
Darcy Donavan – In all honesty, I’ve been entertaining in one way or another since I was a child. My mom said I was big ham, always performing. Even when I just started walking as a baby, I would dance around and try to sing. I don’t think there was anything that really truly inspired me, I just think that it was in my inner being and in my soul from the start. I always had it in me to want to become an entertainer and I guess a big ham. (Laughs)
CrypticRock.com – (Laughs) Well, it all seems to have worked out well for you. In your acting career, you have done a good deal of television. How would you compare the experience working on television opposed to full-length feature films?
Darcy Donavan – That is a fantastic question! Film and television are definitely two very different experiences. To start off, I will say that there are great perks when working on television. The nice thing about television is that you do get paid a lot more over time. It’s really good money if you have a permanent role on an ongoing series. Also, when it’s television you are normally working on a sound lot or a sound stage. During your breaks, you have a designated honey wagon and the set up is really nice. At night, you get to go home.
It’s a lot different than when you’re doing a film. When you’re doing a film, you might be on location for several weeks at a time and you may have to go to different places every day for each different scene. Depending on the movie, you may have to shoot a scene in the middle of the night. It takes a lot of endurance, but overall there is a great sense of adventure in shooting a film. I do love the excitement of working on feature films, but television definitely to me is a lot of fun as well.
CrypticRock.com – It sounds like both have their good points. Beyond acting, you have also done your share of music in recent years. What came first for you, a passion for acting or music? That in mind, at this stage in your career, how do you balance the two?
Darcy Donavan – Well, I have to say that I get asked that first question a lot. I started my journey in both acting and music around the same time and I had a passion for both. I was singing and I started forming a Rock band when I was really, really young. I was also going on commercial auditions around the same age and loving it. I was very tenacious as a child and I worked hard to excel above 500 other children to receive several of the acting jobs I was chosen for.
To this day, people also ask me which one I enjoy more, acting or singing. I would say that I love them both and I can’t compare which one is my favorite. I tell everyone, it’s like having twin babies. You love them both equally. You don’t have a favorite when you have twins and that’s the way music and acting is for me. I love them both the same and they both give me such great satisfaction.
To answer your second question, how do I balance the two? Surprisingly, that is a rather easy question. You have to be extremely organized. I am sure that goes for any profession. I also thank God that I have an amazing assistant and business manager who help me to stay on track. I also want to stress the importance of being professional in your career. What really irritates me is when I see an artist that doesn’t treat this like a business. They let their emotions get involved and act childish. They show up late and don’t do their best to put out a great product. They don’t honor the craft. It’s highly disrespectful. This job is no different than any other job where you have to work all day and then you make time to see your family at night. It’s a juggling act. It’s the same for me when pursuing both acting and music (I just have more balls to juggle). (Laughs) One of my definite goals is that I want to play the Super Bowl in the future. So I may be working on a movie and then have to fly out to do the Super Bowl in between. Hey, that’s just fine with me! (Laughs)
CrypticRock.com – Wow, it sounds like you have a good deal of passion for both acting and music. You had a great deal of success with your music, which is best described as strong, danceable, and fun. As a performer, what are some of the most important goals you want to achieve with your music?
Darcy Donavan – One of my most important goals is to be satisfied with the music I create for others. I’m a perfectionist and I will sit and go over the song over and over again till I feel like it’s perfect. If it’s a Pop track, I want people to listen to it and have it move them to get up and dance. If it’s a love song I want others to really feel themselves in it.
As an artist, I feel that anything that you do vocally needs to have a story behind it. The song always tells you the story of what’s going on. For example, in one of my songs, “Helping Karma Along,” it’s a true story about a close friend of mine that betrayed me and betrayed others at the same time. I wrote that song and it’s kind of like my therapy. It makes me feel good when I can put my emotions in my music. It is very therapeutic for me to put to rest things that have I been mulling over my head. To me, that’s what true art is. Expression of your heart and mind. I feel like when you’re an artist you should pour your emotions into your music/art/etc. I mean look at Van Gogh and all the beautiful paintings he created. He was a wonderful painter but at the same time he had a lot of inner struggles that shaped his work and made it magnificent. Any song I create, tells a story. If you ask me about it, I will tell you more.
CrypticRock.com – That is what makes the best music and something listeners can connect with. In 2017, you released a remixed edition of your single “It’s My Life.” An uplifting track, can we expect some new music in 2018?
Darcy Donavan – Actually, I’m finalizing an awesome song right now and I’m totally excited about releasing it. It’s definitely one of those summer anthem songs, so I’m hoping to get it released by this summer. My team and I are discussing the music video that will go along with it. It’s exciting because the engineer that I was working with said he couldn’t get it out of his head when he went home. He told me that it just kept going over and over in his mind. I was like, “There you go, we have a hit!” You know when something like that happens, then you’ve got a great song that people will love and really relate to. So keep your eyes out this summer and get ready to dance. Whoot!
CrypticRock.com – Great to hear! Beyond entertainment, you also have a book, entitled Darcy’s Daily Dose of Inspiration. Tell us a little about the book and the charitable causes behind it.
Darcy Donavan – This was a really incredible project for me. I have created a book that has daily inspirations to make yourself better over the course of a year. Every page has a different message to help you grow and have a successful life. The book also has cool bonus tips that include tasks that you can work on everyday to achieve your goals. The book is something that I’ve always wanted to do, so when my fans asked me to create it, I couldn’t say no. I love to do devotionals everyday and this was my labor of love that was a gift to my fans. I know how my daily Facebook inspirations have helped so many people and I am so happy that this book will help readers continue that journey as well.
I am also giving back with the book in another way as well. Proceeds from the book campaign are going to help 3 amazing charities that are near and dear to my heart. The first charity is the Wildlife Waystation, a 160-acre non-profit animal sanctuary in northern Los Angeles County dedicated to rescuing wild and exotic animals. It is dependent on donations to raise the revenue necessary to care for the over 400+ animals it houses. The second charity is Protect.org. This dedicated organization hires veterans to protect children from predators and remove those predators off the streets. Last, but not least, the Valley View Vaulters, a fantastic charity that works with “handy-capable” students and teaches them vaulting on the amazing rescue horses that they help to rehabilitate.
CrypticRock.com – That is really wonderful that you are so involved in making a difference. You seem to keep quite busy. What can you tell us about some of your upcoming film/TV projects?
Darcy Donavan – I have a lot of great projects coming up that I am very excited about. First and foremost, the Thriller Suspense movie that I starred in as a detective is coming out in the next few months. It’s called Mr. Thursday and I can’t wait for you all to see it. It was such a gritty role to play and I loved working alongside D.B Sweeney, who is extremely talented.
I am also helping to produce and star in an amazing faith-based film that is a wonderful underdog story of dedication and hope. I can’t currently disclose more than that, but I’ll be sure to keep you all posted as that project progresses.
CrypticRock.com – Excellent. It will be exciting to see both films come out. Seeing music is a big passion of yours, what are some of your favorite artists and musical influences?
Darcy Donavan – Well, that’s really hard because I have so many musical artists that I absolutely adore. One of my all-time favorite artists is George Michael because I absolutely love his voice. I think he is amazing. I’m also big fan of Lenny Kravitz and how talented he is. He is such a down-to-earth human being as well. As for the ladies, I’m definitely a big Madonna and Janet Jackson fan because of how they perform and how versatile they are. They have both adapted to the industry like chameleons over the decades. They can still compete with the newest top artists out there today. I just think it’s very impressive.
CrypticRock.com – That is a nice diverse mix of performers. Last question. We also cover Horror and Sci-Fi films on CrypticRock. If you are a fan of either or both genres, what are some of your favorites and why?
Darcy Donavan – I am definitely a huge fan of both genres. I love Horror movies. The classics to me are still the best. I love Jaws (1975). When I was a little kid, that movie had me literally jump behind the couch. Another one of my favorites is the movie Carrie (1976). These types of Horror movies are so straight-forward and realistic, rather than being digitally overdone. Sometimes I think the simple things can be more compelling and you get lost in the story. With all the special effects that they have in movies now, unless it is really well done, you can lose the “real-ness” of it.
I am also such a huge fan of Sci-fi Films. I love the Alien franchise, and every time they have a movie that comes out, I am the first in line to see it. I love the The Planet of the Apes series as well. I also went to the premiere of Interstellar (2014) and just couldn’t believe how well that movie was made. It was definitely up there as one of my all-time Sci-Fi favorites.