Part two: Q&A with accomplished actor and creator Jenna Kanell
As an action actor, Jenna Kanell (she / they) has performed while riding motorcycles, stunt driving cars, airborne in harnesses, underwater, hanging from a helicopter, with weapons, and in countless fight scenes. Some of these credits include Will Smith’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024), Nicolas Cage’s Renfield (2023), and the starring role in the original cult classic Terrifier (2016).
After stepping behind the camera for the first time, Jenna delivered a TEDx Talk on the experience of doing so alongside her neurodivergent brother. She has since written, assistant directed, and produced features, directed and edited fundraising videos, and written and directed numerous award-winning short films with worldwide festival runs.
Jenna also taught her cat how to high five.
interview
The website Looper referred to you as a “Jack of all trades” for your talents in WandaVision. While complimentary, this phrase has outdated connotations, often linked to men in trade jobs and implying that one can’t truly master a skill. Rather than reinforcing these clichés, we should value the diverse range of skills that individuals bring. It’s clear that you’ve mastered your many talents, leading to success. Fear is often a significant roadblock, especially for women considering male-dominated career paths, particularly with the looming threat of AI reducing traditionally female roles. In addition to your creative work, you’re a stunt performer, you’ve observed autopsies, delivered a TEDx talk, hiked glaciers, and survived a plane evacuation. Although you may experience fear, you’ve clearly learned to move past it to accomplish what needs to be done. How do you manage fear and take the risks necessary to move forward when it starts to get in the way?
JK: First off, thank you for the work you’re doing to highlight the need for gender equity across all industries. I’m quite passionate about it, and about the importance of intersectionality when it comes to race, age, and sexuality as well. Many of these imbalances are enforced on a systemic level, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to change what we can within our own communities. As they say, “a rising tide lifts all ships!”
I appreciate your mentioning the Looper article. I was honored to be highlighted there, and to now to be interviewed by Perspectives on Living.
While I am so grateful for the compliment, I wouldn’t describe myself as having mastered anything; one of the tenets most valuable to me is that of a growth mindset. There’s always more I don’t know yet. And I do my best to surround myself with those who adopt that same attitude. To tie that in with your question: curiosity is an excellent balm for fear. Approaching any situation with “what can I learn from this?” Or even “what could go right?” leaves less room for “what could go wrong?”
I’m also a huge advocate for mindfulness, therapy, meditation, journaling, yoga, immersion in nature, and the like and use them to ground myself as best I can to rely on that foundation when fear arises. Even just checking in with my senses takes me out of my head and into my body: taking stock of what I hear, see, feel, smell, and taste in the present moment.
The last tidbit I’ll offer in this regard is the value of patterns. Once you’ve moved through something scary, and survived, it serves as evidence to your central nervous system that you are able to do so again. For example, sometimes when I’m about to enter a situation that has me feeling unnerved, I’ll do a sense memory exercise of the moment before I jumped out of a plane the first time I went skydiving. When I recall the fear bound up in the wind, the height, the racing of my heartbeat, my toes hanging off the edge, and then remember how much fun I had and how empowered I felt once back on the ground, other threats pale in comparison.
How do you build the strength to take bigger risks? Do you jump in immediately, or do you proceed with caution?
JK: I love your phrasing of “building strength,” because that’s exactly what it is. Approaching fear with courage, taking risks into the unknown…it’s all a muscle. And like any other muscle, it grows stronger with time and practice.
I’d perhaps replace the idea of “caution” with that of “preparation.” I love to take calculated risks, but only after preparing for them adequately, when I’m able to. That can take the shape of research, physical training, mental health care, and experience. Depending on the risk, I like to establish a base of all those tactics. But sometimes an opportunity comes along that I don’t feel totally ready for, and sometimes I know I should take the leap anyway and, as they say, build my wings on the way down.
Does confidence help or hinder when working toward a goal? Some people prefer to start sooner and learn from their mistakes—what’s your approach?
JK: Por que no los dos?
Confidence, balanced with humility, is vital. But that’s a lifelong journey that happens non-linearly, like a lot of growth. Sometimes I find the best way to develop confidence is the experience I gain by learning from my mistakes. Everyone makes them, so it’s not about being perfect; it’s about our ability to take accountability when we slip up, and to get back up and improve and keep going.
What criteria do you use to assess whether an opportunity is right for you?
JK: Generally when faced with an opportunity, I ask myself: will this benefit my skill set, portfolio, connections, financial stability, or personal fulfillment? I want to make sure it checks as many of those boxes as possible, or at least two of them, in an ideal world.
Your short film and TEDx talk center around the challenges your neurodivergent brother has faced. His journey to achieve what many take for granted—talking, walking, and societal interaction—has clearly made a profound impact on you, and he has succeeded, even securing employment. What insights from his journey could resonate with women considering unconventional career paths?
JK: As I discuss in the TEDx Talk, one of the most important elements of my brother’s journey is that he began completely unaware of the limitations placed on him. Very often the limits we perceive have been left there by others: our family, our peers, society at large…just because someone says we “can’t” do something, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
There are countless examples in history of marginalized people being excluded and gatekept from spaces, and sometimes it just takes one person to break through. Someone has to be the first. Then we have the responsibility to keep that door open for others behind us.
Are there any red flags you notice when a career decision might not be the right fit?
JK: Absolutely. The biggest red flags for me center around communication or the lack thereof, especially when it comes to conversations around compensation, and precise expectations surrounding job requirements and time commitments.
Whenever possible, I try to avoid spaces where I am not respected and valued for my time and what I offer. I find it helpful to keep in mind that every job should be a two way street: I’m gaining something from it, but they’re also gaining something from having me involved.
What is your perspective on gender roles in employment? Should certain jobs be restricted by gender, or should those boundaries be challenged?
JK: I’m against the concept of gender roles not just professionally, but personally; I refuse to subscribe to conventional heteronormativity in any of my relationships.
As it pertains to employment, every job imaginable would benefit from equity across gender, race, ability, age, and sexuality (since oppression doesn’t exist in a vacuum). So many advances have been made by women and global majority individuals who approached their interests and passions with lenses previously unexamined by their respective fields. All of us bring unique perspectives and specialties from our individual lives. Sometimes what seems like a hindrance in one space turns out to be a superpower in another.
Do you know any women currently working in male-dominated fields? If so, what were some of their greatest challenges?
JK: I am proud to know many women working in male-dominated spaces. Just some of those include areas of the film industry, such as women in the camera, grip, electric, and post production (editing, visual effects, etc) departments. I’m also lucky enough to know women who are farmers, researchers, tech experts, and various kinds of scientists. They have all, in one way or another, experienced microaggressions, outright harassment, and/or pay gaps. But they plow forward, unwilling to let the nonsense get in their way for longer than necessary. I look up to them.
The entertainment industry has become more diverse in recent years. Do you think other industries could learn from this, and if so, how?
JK: Of course! I mentioned earlier the importance of intersectionality when it comes to the concept of diversity. Otherwise it’s just tokenism.
Entertainment, much like many other fields, has made huge strides when it comes to inclusion, but there’s still a long way to go. Even if broken down to economics, the clear demand for previously untold stories speaks volumes.
One of my favorite examples is the “Grey’s Anatomy Effect:” after that show grew to popularity, there was a spike of applications from women and global majority people into the medical fields. Sometimes we don’t even realize what opportunities lie before us until we see someone like us take them on.
If you were faced with choosing a male-dominated career, is there one you would be interested in? How would it align with who you are?
JK: Directing, as far as we’ve come, is still a largely male-dominated field. It’s just one of the roles I oscillate between, but it informs all the others. It aligns with the part of me that’s a leader, who maintains a strong vision while still remaining open to collaboration. It allows me to bring important stories to life, to hire inclusive teams, to empower those around me and be inspired by them in turn. I’ve been lucky to work on some incredible sets, but have also worked on many where I saw or experienced severe disrespect and even safety concerns. And as the head of a team, I can curate a physically and emotionally safe environment, while still prioritizing a strong work ethic.
Based on your experiences, what advice would you offer women who are hesitant about pursuing unconventional career paths?
JK: Go for it. Whether it’s truck driving or conservation or STEM or anything else, the symphony is fuller with your voice. The world is brighter when your unique light shines.