With flashing eyes and a head full of curls, it was only a matter of time until she found her place in the acting world. From modeling to theatre and finally to a near decade long run on All My Children, she has grown into an actress with the skills to take on any role. Meet Alicia Minshew.

I&S: Can you tell us about your early experiences with acting? What event specifically fostered your desire to become an actress?

AM: I have wanted to act ever since I can remember, maybe since the age of four. I was always putting on shows and comedy acts for my family. I started when I was 16 doing commercials and theatre. The first event that sparked my interest was the first musical I did in high school called “Working”. I got one of the lead roles as a singing waitress. That experience of being on the stage and getting to perform was such a thrill. I knew I wanted more!

I&S: A college scholarship! There must have been a competition or a hoard of entrants. How did you qualify? Can you remember how your audition went?

AM: I actually never finished college because I was working. That is one of my regrets – never finishing school. Indian River Community College was holding auditions for a musical theatre scholarship, and since I planned on going there while I auditioned in Miami, I figured why not try. My acting teacher in high school actually encouraged me to try out for it. I had to sing a song and do a monologue. It was just fun for me! I was pretty fearless at the time. Then, a few weeks later, I found out I got the 2 year scholarship for the drama program there! Of course I never finished college and moved up to New York City, but that proved to be a great move for me as well!

I&S: Post-college seems to be a period in a performance-based career where you are trying to find your niche. Is modeling a way to keep your face in front of producer’s eyes while you cover the bills? Is it a natural step on the road to becoming a performer?

AM: The modeling I did was commercial and catalog modeling. I did a lot in Miami when I was a teenager and it was a great way to get my foot in the door for commercials. It was also good money! When I moved to New York City, I began doing commercials. So, it was a fun way for me to get my feet wet in acting for the camera instead of the stage. I ended up making a living from commercials for a few years in New York City. We called that “Mailbox Money!” Residuals were always exciting! Modeling and commercials are not for everyone, but I enjoyed it and it paid my bills. I really wanted to do film and TV, so commercials were a great intro to that for me.

I&S: Who asked you to audition your first time for All My Children? What do you think the producer/director saw in you that would make you a good fit for this particular series?

AM: I auditioned for All My Children several times before I got the role of Kendall. Judy Blye Wilson was the casting director who kept calling me in over the years and believed in me. She is such an angel! Finally when I auditioned for Kendall she just said “This role is so you! Just be your spunky self and have fun with it!” The one time I was really relaxed and had such fun is, of course, when I booked it. I also screen tested with Josh Duhamel so that didn’t hurt either. It was easy for my character to flirt with him!

I&S: Live stage productions and your TV/Film work provided some foundation for your later work on All My Children. How did the experience you gained transfer over?

AM: Theatre is my first love and is the first form of acting I ever did. I learned so much from all the plays I did. I did local community theatre and then worked my way up to some professional theatre down in Florida. When I moved up to New York City I did several shows as well. All were off-off-off Broadway, if you know what I mean. I did it for free because I loved it and just wanted to act! It was a really special time. Doing theatre taught me about the craft of acting, how to hit my marks, memorize the lines and so much more. It was a great training ground. I hope to do more theatre in the future.

I&S: One of our past interviewees said that working on a daytime series was the best acting training she could have hoped for. How did you develop and what did you gain in your nearly decade long run?

AM: Soaps are indeed a great training ground! You are forced to make quick choices, be very emotional, learn 30-40 pages of dialogue a day, and perform it all in one take…if possible…all with very little rehearsal time. So, you just kind of have to hit the ground running and trust your instincts. It makes doing a film look like a piece of cake! I learned how to connect very quickly with other actors and be very on my toes all the time! You also have to be very disciplined if you are going to do well on a Soap. I gained a great work ethic when I was there – which I still have – and I am still very disciplined. I can memorize lines very easily because I used that part of my brain for 10 years, so it is second nature for me. When I did the films and web-series I worked on I knew exactly how to break down my script, learn my lines and tap into my emotions pretty effortlessly. That kind of stuff sticks with you when you leave the soap. I am so grateful for my time on All My Children.

I&S: Now in your time between long term projects you are working on web series. How were you asked to participate? As these are relatively new, could you tell us how an actor sees this type of production as fitting into their overall career?

AM: The two web-series I have worked on are called Tainted Dreams and Beacon Hill. Both are from producers who work in the soap world. So I am grateful that being on All My Children opened those doors for me. Tainted Dreams was created by Sonia Blangiardo, she was a producer and director at many soaps. Right after All My Children went off the air, I got a call from her asking if I was interested. I read the script and that was it – I knew I wanted to do it! It has a lot of other fellow daytime faces so that was fun for me. I am also very proud because we just got a Daytime Emmy nomination for the show. Yes, web series can now get Emmy nominations! So, that was very cool. The website is tainteddreamstheseries.com. I loved working on it! Right when I finished Tainted Dreams, I got an email from Crystal Chappell, who I have always admired for her acting and producing. She told me about Beacon Hill, and once again I read the script and that was it! I saw all the other actors that were attached so that really got me excited. We just aired the final episode of Season 1 and we are getting ready to shoot Season 2 later this year. The website for this one is beaconhilltheseries.com. The first season is streaming now. I am really lucky that I had such a fun experience doing the shows. They are very different but both great!

I think as far as actors go, work is work. Shooting a web-series is really no different than any other show. They felt like a cross between a soap and film. There was a lot of material to do at a very fast pace, like a soap, yet we were on location and outside like a film. It was a great combination!

I&S: Can you tell us about your philanthropic work?

AM: Sure! The organizations I am involved with are the Trisomy 18 Foundation and City Year. You can learn more about them at: http://www.trisomy18.org/site/PageServer and http://www.cityyear.org.

I&S: What can we look forward to in the remainder of 2014?

AM: For the rest of 2104, only time will tell. My sweet daughter Willow will turn 5 and start kindergarten, so that is kind of exciting and crazy! As for me, like I said earlier, I will be shooting the second season of Beacon Hill in Boston later this year. I am looking forward to that. My films Desires of the Heart (which recently screened at Cannes Film Festival) and Lies I Told My Little Sister should hopefully have a home so we will be able to see them. My most recent film, The Funeral Guest, should be done by then as well. We are in pre-production right now for a comedy series called Surviving Sam where I play opposite comedian Rob Magnotti. It is slated to shoot sometime this summer. So, I feel like by the end of the year all sorts of fun projects will be out and ready to view. That is really exciting to me! I feel blessed that I have been able to work with so many cool, talented people this past year!

I&S:: The rise of web series has given actors the opportunity to explore more roles and expand their range as well as remain in the public’s eye – a perfect hunting ground for casting directors. If you wish to see Ms. Minshew in action, check out http://beaconhilltheseries.com or http://tainteddreamstheseries.com and experience this newly-created performance venue for yourself. We at Image and Style Magazine have enjoyed her work and thank her for taking the time to answer our interview questions.