Joining Robert De Niro in the comedy About My Father, actress, writer, and singer-songwriter Laura Ault can also be seen in the thriller, Malicious Mind Games on Lifetime Movie Club. Besides her YouTube Comedy Channel TheLauraAult, Ault will also appear in a recurring role on the new Apple TV+ Series Bad Monkey and as Jo Schirra in The Right Stuff currently streaming all episodes on Disney+.
Growing up in Dallas, TX Laura studied vocal technique and acting for television as well as the stage and after graduating, she moved to NYC to train and pursue a career in Musical Theatre. She left the Big Apple for Miami in 2011 to start a family and a new chapter, writing a musical comedy short film and a full-length romantic comedy. An advocate and supporter of mental health and breast cancer awareness, Laura is also very involved with her church.
You seem to have your hands on everything in show business. What steered you into performance art?
Laura Ault: I just didn’t want to do anything else. Every time I tried to veer off the performance or creative path, I just knew it wasn’t for me, and that always drew me back. It’s my calling, my purpose, it’s what I was meant to do.
What do you like about doing those zany YouTube videos?
Laura: Well, it’s a fun creative outlet to express my sense of humor. I started doing them because they were my pandemic project. When everything shut down, I wanted to create something that would make people laugh. So I just came up with crazy ideas just to try them and see what happened. I wanted to keep the creative juices flowing and keep busy during the pandemic.
How do you prepare for your roles? Did you draw a bit from your family dynamic? Fiends?
Laura: Yeah, depending on the role. Usually, I can find some part of a role that I can relate to. That way, it’s completely honest. Because no one can portray you like you can. Now and then when there’s something that’s a bit off, I think about people that I know that behave like that. And I ask myself, how would they do this or approach this? But for the most part, I do try to make every role fit my personality and how I would respond in that situation.
You play Kyra Brown in the Apple TV+ Series Bad Monkey.
What drew you to the role?
Laura: Honestly, at this point in my career, if I get even a request to audition for these shows, I’m happy to be involved. I was excited about this role because it’s a newscaster and the stories she’s reporting on are pretty crazy. It’s hilarious and I was just thrilled to be considered.
Most actors have a love-hate relationship with auditions. Your thoughts?
Laura: I’ve learned that auditions are mostly what acting is about. As much as ninety percent of my work is auditions and ten percent is the work I’m auditioning for. So I like to think of auditions as a performance. I’m an actor and this is my chance to be in and create something. Whether it’s a two-person audience, a ten-person audience, or a million, this is what I do. For me, auditions are the main part of the work.
Do you ever consider doing voice-over work for animated features or series?
Laura: I would love to do that. It’s a whole ‘nother world genre of acting. I’m stretched pretty thin right now—acting, singing, writing.
Same question for Malicious Mind Games?
Laura: It was shot in Boston. The audition for that was like a ten-page page read with three different scenes. One was the major climax scene where you had to confess everything as a person. Another scene was in the beginning.
What do you find most challenging about writing?
Laura: Well, you’re creating something new. It’s my voice, my point of view, my perspective. And my uniqueness coming out of the world. With acting, you just have to show up and say the words. There’s just something special about creating your own words.
You’ve done a wide variety of films and YouTube videos. What have you learned about show business that really surprised you?
Laura: How, when you’re on set, it’s much less glamorous than you think it’s going to be. There’s so much sitting around and waiting for your turn to be filmed, which can be fun if you’re sitting around co-stars and having a great time as friends. But it’s so much more taxing than people realize, especially if you’re sitting around for twelve hours and not filming anything until three in the morning. And you say, “So now it’s time for my close-up with bags under my eyes?” But you still have to bring you’re “A” game.
How do you balance family and show business career? Do you sing in your church?
Laura: No, I wish I did sing in my church. There’s just no extra time in my schedule for that. And I couldn’t do it without my family. My mom helps out a lot. My ex-husband and I do co-parenting. Every day, I’m flying by the seat of my pants (laughs). I try not to let things stress me out. This is the life I’ve chosen and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
What were you like in high school? The girl most likely to….?
Laura: There was something in my yearbook about acting and being famous (laughs). I was in drama since middle school—drama, choir, cross-country track—I tried to get into everything.
