Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Haygood
Hi Sydney, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My start was my mother taking me to see plays as a child. I loved watching performers on stage come to life and tell captivating stories with their bodies and voice. I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I had my first opportunity to act in elementary school with a musical play called Treasure Island. I was so nervous but I was determined to be on stage. I got cast as one of the leads and this became the first play I ever did. After that I was hooked! I joined theatre in middle school and high school. I auditioned for everything from musicals to one act plays. I even joined my schools film media class just so I could act on screen as well lol!! I was a very ambitious child when it came to acting. I never wanted to stop and go stale. I gave every performance 110% and was very serious about it. Of course once I graduated high school I went on to major in acting in college. I graduated from Lamar University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Acting. During my time at Lamar, I was in about 10 different productions. I did Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio), The Importance of Being Earnest (Gwendolyn), Eleemosynary (Echo), A Year with Frog and Toad (Mouse, Bird etc.) and The Glass Menagerie (Laura) just to name a few. After college, I auditioned for a major theatre company called The Alley Theatre and I had gotten cast! I was so shocked because this was a major theatre company and I was brand new. It was for their show Twelfth Night where I played one of Olivia’s assistants. I learned a lot being a part of a professional company. I would keep auditioning for local companies around Houston. And then Covid happened (dun dun dun!!), and all of theatre had pretty much shut down and there was no work to be found. I was very depressed during that time because everything I ever wanted and worked for was gone and it made me reflect on life. I had come to the conclusion that no matter what life was going to throw at me and even if acting wasn’t an “important job,” in the grand scheme of things I was going to act anyway. I decided to get an agent because even though I loved theatre I also wanted to be on the big screen someday too. I revamped my resume, had my husband take some headshots of me (I couldn’t afford professional ones at the time) and submitted them to talent agencies. I ended up signing with Boysen Talent and have been getting booked for commercials since. My first commercial ended up being a SAG commercial (if you’re an actor you know this is a big deal) and would later book more commercials. And now, I have a movie that’s coming out soon too! I’ve been very fortunate in my career so far. I’ve done a lot of shows over the years and I still feel the same way about acting. It is my first love.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My struggles were my low confidence in myself. I had really low self esteem as a child and into my early adult life. I had major imposter syndrome and no matter how many people tell me I did great I just never felt good enough. I was really hard on myself because I felt that if I ever got a big head my acting would suffer. I honestly have now recently found the courage to let my art be just my art.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an actor! I guess I would specialize more in theatre acting than the other types, but I want to do all kinds of acting. I’m most proud of this movie I did recently. I really got out of my comfort zone and I had so much fun. I think my work ethic and determination. If you put me on a project I will give it my all and I think I’m a good scene partner.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite memory is going to Disney World with my mom and sister. We got to stay at this western maybe Toy Story themed hotel room and got to go to all the parks. Disney World rules as a kid.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: sydhay19
Image Credits
Abigail Enright
Lynn Lane Photography
Natasha Nivan Photography
