Get to know TAS Coach: Maurie Speed

All of our acting coaches are highly qualified working actors who participate in the Film/TV industry in a variety of ways, in addition to coaching acting classes. But we want to give you a more in-depth look at who they are as people.

This month we are sharing some insights that will help answer the question,

“Who Is Maurie Speed?” Read on to find out!

What Makes You Feel Confident?

My family and friends make me feel confident! I also find confidence from knowing that I did my very best, even if it wasn’t perfect. Showing up for yourself is so important in this life! Even if it isn’t perfect (a myth by the way), show up anyway. Keep the promises you make to yourself, always.

How did you first get into acting?

I got into acting the way that a lot of kids raised in the South do: through church! We were pentecostals and I was in the choir, then I started doing plays and never really stopped…my first official “role” was in the Easter play as the girl that Jesus raises back from the dead!

Maurie at the Ovation Awards

What has been your biggest struggle in the industry?

My biggest struggle has always been putting myself out there. It’s so vulnerable! I am okay with rejection from projects or parts, but being rejected as a person? That stings!

Rejection is such a sore topic for many actors.. how do you mentally get through the fear of rejection so you can put yourself out there?

I try to think of it as more “what are some skills out there that I do not have and how can I work alongside people who can teach me what I want to learn?”. Then I come at it from a place of curiosity, and often I have found that people like to work with you and teach you what they know!

Keep the promises you make to yourself, always.

-Maurie Speed

Besides acting, do you pursue any other interests in the entertainment industry?

I have been REALLY focused on writing lately. I wrote a web series years ago and had a blast, so I would love to get back into that! I am also working on a pilot and feature script. Directing is fun but HARD! I am curious to try it again but also intimidated, haha.

Why did you get into coaching?

Coaching has always been a way to explore the art form in a new way for me. When you have to explain something you know about to someone who is trying to learn it, you really have to get back to basics. I think it is important as actors and performers to remember why we love this so much in the first place and pass that on!

What is one important bit of advice you always give the students in your class?

The most important thing you can do as an actor is tell the truth. The willingness to be vulnerable is the key to unlocking things in yourself you didn’t even know you had inside of you! When you can access that, there’s nothing you can’t do (that’s in acting and also in life!).

What is your proudest coaching moment?

As a coach, when a student “gets it”, and that light comes on in their eyes and then they know exactly what to do and they nail it! That is the most exciting thing and the proudest moment a coach can have. As an actor, it’s when someone comes up to me after they’ve seen me perform and tell me that my performance touched them in some way. There’s no better feeling.

Maurie in the web series: Soccer Moms!

Who inspires you?

Someone who really inspires me as a performer is Carol Burnett. I adore her and have read all of her biographies and my main takeaway was that as talented as she is, what people love most about her is how she makes them FEEL. That’s the power of humor and good will for your fellow humans! As a person who is getting older and experiencing transformation myself, I have found several teachers that I often look to for guidance, and one of them is Mary Oliver, the poet/writer. (I even got a tattoo inspired by her!) I often return to her work when I feel lost…

What do you hope that your coaching legacy will be?

I hope that the students I work with will come away with a renewed sense of self and less fear! I hope to leave a legacy of truth and love, both in my acting work and in my personal life. I really believe in the power of transformation, that nothing is wasted and all things can be made new if that is the desire.

Maurie Speed Bio:

Hi! My name is Maurie Speed (she/her) and I have been an actor and performer ever since I was a kid and wanted to be as glamorous as our pastor’s wife up onstage singing in the choir!

I have been fortunate enough to go from my small town to train at the North Carolina School of the Arts, and from there to Los Angeles, where I received my BFA in Theater and Film from Azusa Pacific University. I spent the next few years training in comedy writing and performing at the Groundlings School and at UCB, where I honed my comedic voice. I then started a production company with some of my fellow APU grads and produced a web series, a play and a short film. I also became a company member of the LA-based professional theater company, the Actor’s Co-op, where I was in numerous Ovation award-winning productions.

I moved back to the east coast to be closer to family and continue my career here in Atlanta, where I have booked several projects ranging from commercials for companies like Hoover and Wells Fargo, to my first feature film, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”.

I am thrilled to be a part of the community of artists here in the amazing and creative city of Atlanta!

Would you like to work with Coach Maurie?

Coach Maurie works with both new and working actors and is excited to be coaching at TAS this fall!

To sign up for a private lesson with Coach Maurie, give our Front Desk a call at 770-904-6646.

Would you like to check out the web series that Coach Maurie wrote and produced with her friends?

Click HERE to see Split Check on Youtube.

Get to know TAS Coach: Maurie Speed