Born and raised in Arizona to a family of medical professionals, Deanna Lee Douglas chose to break from tradition and pursued her passion for the arts. It is this decision that brought her to the world of on-screen entertainment as an emerging star. Her journey started when she left Tucson and moved to Los Angeles where opportunities abound for talents to develop and eventually find their way to the spotlight.
Aside from her beauty and exceptional acting, Deanna is also a true stage darling. She is gifted with remarkable skills in dancing, singing, stunts, and improvisation. She is also passionate in sports activities which include; Softball, Aerobics, Snowboarding, Equestrian, and Baseball. Her musical charms center around the piano which she loves.
Deanna will be playing the role of April Adamson in this Summer’s highly anticipated theatrical release “The A-List”.
Some of her notable TV appearance include; “Vegas” (2012 episode Cindy) playing the role of Cindy ; “Awake” (2012 episode, Ricky’s Tacos) ; the TV movie, “Truth Be Told (2011)”, where she took the role of Eliza ; chapter 7 of “Heroes” as a cheerleader ; “Dollhouse” (2009 episode, Bell Chose) as Little Sister and; the short film,” Someone Is Watching (2008) as Adriana.
Conscious of her desire to promote goodwill, she lends her time and talent to a number of worthy causes including animal rescue, and after-school programs for boys and girls whenever she is not on set.
Her rich talent, simplicity, love for the arts, and inspiring concern for the welfare of others, are her greatest charms and there is no doubt that she is indeed a force to be reckoned with in the field of entertainment. It will be truly interesting to follow her career as it continues upward.
The beautiful and talented young starlet spent a little time with The Levity Ball.
I understand that you live in Los Angeles, how does that compare to where you were raised in Arizona?
“Los Angeles is a completely different vibe from Tucson. The driving time is the same, only in AZ the time is covered in distance and LA is spent in traffic. I appreciate the diversity and culture in LA and enjoy living here. Even though I now get the ocean, one thing I miss is the Arizona sky; the most beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and every night you can clearly see stars in the sky. I do miss regularly seeing shooting stars.”
You have three siblings in the medical field, when you talk with them, are they more intrigued by your career or are you more intrigued about their careers? Can you tell us what that’s like?
“My sister, Darlene, is the only one who has been on a set with me and she was extremely curious, asked a lot of questions and liked observing. They are all older and I very much admire them for what they do and the dedication they put into their schooling and work, so naturally I’m intrigued by their careers. My career is less structured and that can be hard for my family to understand at times, but we are all so supportive of each other. I enjoy hearing my brother’s surgery stories, and my sister has to understand every chemicals reaction, but I’m very happy where I am (as are they).”
Why did you choose acting over medicine?
“The medical field never really called to me. Actually, I was the only one who pursued engineering, following my dad’s footsteps, but I found out just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you should do it. I fell into acting, and after setting foot on my first movie set I was hooked. It’s just a feeling, and I am elated every time I am on a set or working on a script. There was never really a conscious choice.”
In your bio, it says that when you dance you feel at home. What kinds of music do prefer and why?
“There is no specific genre of music I prefer. For listening purposes, I enjoy music that I think tells a story or makes me feel something (which doesn’t always involve lyrics). But in general, I know I like a song when I start moving to it.”
Can you tell us about your inspirations and the moment you realized you wanted to be an actress?
“I always loved performing on stage, dancing, at an early age. But never really thought about film and television until Lynn Venturella, of Best New Talent, told me I was an actor. She gave me audition sides, and I immediately took to it. Telling my character’s story, how they might have, was fun. I am inspired by many performances of actors before me, and also a great deal of ‘people watching’.”
What was the most valuable lesson you learned from acting?
“That everyone has their own set of struggles and truth, it’s okay to embrace them and be yourself.”
I see that you are starring in the upcoming big film, The A-list, what was it like working on this movie?
“Working on The A-List was an incredible experience. Will Bigham was an absolute pleasure to work with. He was open to ideas and really talked about character motivation not necessarily what he wanted to see; which I think got him the result he wanted. The cast and crew referred to filming as “summer camp” because we worked so well together it was just fun. It was also my first time visiting Portland, OR, which is an awesome town. The best summer I’ve had.”
You support animal rescues and after school programs for kids, how did this come about?
“All of my family pets have been rescues and they are the sweetest companions. In high school, I was part of an Animal Rights Club that my friend founded. With how many animals need homes, rescuing just makes sense to me. Just through people I know, I have been able to help out The Boys and Girls club for five years now.”
What has been your favorite acting role so far?
“My favorite and most challenging role was on Young and the Restless; lots of complex emotions in about three takes, that’s all you get. Your wide shots are also your close ups so there is no warm up time. But the character I most connected with would be April from The A-List.”
If you could have been cast in any classic film from the 20th century what film and why would you have chosen that one?
“This is a tough one. Maybe, Grace Kelley’s character in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Nosey neighbor turns murder mystery crime solver while dealing with their own romantic challenges, yes.
Or the role of Rose in the James Cameron’s Titanic, which may not be considered a classic yet but I feel it is iconic. Rose is such a beautiful character and really finds her strength throughout the movie, Kate Winslet was wonderful and I always enjoy this movie.”
What’s next for Deanna Lee Douglas?
“The A-List will be coming out later this summer, and am working towards the next project, we will keep you updated.”
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