Kelly Jenrette, ’02 says that coming out of high school she thought about pursuing a career in forensic psychology but after two years in college in New Orleans decided she might be more interested in playing the role on TV instead. So, she decided to transfer back home to Atlanta and Georgia State University and set about on a new career path beginning with her involvement on campus with the Black Student Theater Ensemble. Setting out, she followed with appearances in A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theater as well as Soweto! Soweto! with the Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta. As with many actors and actresses climbing the ladder to bigger and better productions she made the decision to relocate to California. Nine years and many productions later that decision along with her drive and desire have paid off as Jenrette recently landed her highest profile role to date as she is now starring alongside John Stamos in the Fox TV show, Grandfathered. The Alumni Association’s Dave Cohen recently caught up with the busy actress before she headed off for the studio.

DC: Tell me how you came to attend Georgia State and were you involved in the theater program on campus? Was that experience what set you on the path to where you are now?

KJ: Well, I was actually a transfer to Georgia State. I was at Xavier University in New Orleans. When I graduated from high school I thought I wanted to be a forensic psychologist and so I went to Xavier and after my second year there I was kind of like, “I would much rather play a forensic psychologist on TV then be one in real life.” Xavier was really expensive so I decided to come back home and apply to Georgia State and I was accepted. I did participate in the theater program at Georgia State. There was an African American theater group, the Black Student Theater Ensemble, that I participated in and the first play that I did was Shakin the Mess out of Misery that was directed by classmate Sharrell Luckett, who is also out here and doing some really amazing things. Through the theater program we kind of had to do everything like direct, some behind the scenes stage managing, lighting, and building sets, so it was really a great program to be a part of.

DC: Were you involved in the Atlanta theater scene while you were still at Georgia State or did that come once you had graduated?

KJ: That came after I had graduated. Actually doing A Christmas Carol gave me my equity membership. I also did a play with a theater group called Synchronicity and worked with Kenny Leon on Rejoice over at the Alliance Theater. Growing up I was a part of the Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and did a lot of theater and musicals that really kind of helped to shape and mold the actor that I am today.

DC: What brought about your decision to leave Atlanta and head out to California? Did you feel that in order to take that next step, whatever that would be, you needed to be there in Los Angeles?

KJ: Yes, I’ve been out here in California for nine years now and the way Atlanta is now is not the way Atlanta was back in 2006. It was a huge decision that I made after much prayer and talking with family but I knew I wanted to take my career to the next level. I really loved the theater in Atlanta but wanted to venture more into TV and film and I knew that L.A. was the place that I needed to be in order for that to happen.

DC: After appearing in shows on ABC, Fox, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, I can only imagine how exciting this was for you to land this high profile role in Grandfathered working with John Stamos.

KJ: It was crazy! I got a call from my agent that I had an audition. I went in and they said they wanted to test me and then I found out that John Stamos was going to be at the test to do a chemistry read with us. I went to the audition and had a great time. We did the scene three times and then found out about three days later that I had booked the role. I was extremely excited because it’s one of those things where, being out here for nine years, there are moments where you feel like, “Is this ever going to happen?” For me it has never been about the fame and people really knowing my name. It’s really been about being able to pay my bills doing what I love to do. Going through everything that I’ve gone through, hearing hundreds and hundreds of “No’s” and then you finally hear that one “Yes” it truly is a dream come true. And to be able to work with some of the most amazing and talented people I have ever met in John Stamos, Paget Brewster, Christina Milian, Josh Peck, Ravi Patel is definitely a dream come true.

DC: It says something about your drive and desire to make it in that you’ve been in California for nine years and now your hard work is paying off.

KJ: Yes, somebody once told me that Harrison Ford was asked what was the difference between him and some of his friends as far as making it in the industry and he said, “I stayed and they didn’t.” In those moments where I thought maybe it was never going to happen for me I had to find solace in the fact that I stayed and I was going to stay. I felt like this was definitely something that, a talent that God had blessed me with and that I would be successful in it one way or another so staying is definitely something that should be celebrated. You know, it’s not a small feat because I have had friends that have come and gone and for me, nine years is a long time to be out here pursuing things. I try to celebrate the small victories. Someone told me that baby steps forward are still steps forward.

DC: Now that you’ve been out there for nine years working at it, is the climb up the ladder in the industry, what we know of as “Hollywood,” is it what you thought it would be?

KJ: I would say that now it is. Of course, coming from Atlanta to this big city of lights and glitz and glam, you think that it is going to be exactly like what we see on TV and when I first moved out here I was in a small studio apartment in which all the rooms are together and then you kind of look around like “Wait a minute. This isn’t what I thought it was going to be.” You’re looking at the Oscars on TV in your little studio apartment and it’s a wakeup call. You come out here and you don’t land that big role right away and you have to find that survival job.  The director, Chris Koch, jokingly said that we needed to come up with a story on how I booked the Grandfathered role. He jokingly said, “Well, let’s say I met you in a Starbucks and after talking and getting your name wrong, asked, “What else do you want to do?” And I said “act.” And he was like, “Great! I have a show I want you to be a part of and we sort of laughed at it but, for me, the reality was people do feel like things happen like that when you come out to L.A. but what I want people to know and understand is that it takes a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of prayer and support from your friends and family and a belief in yourself, that this is what you are going to do no matter how many “no’s” you hear. Also, it just takes time. Those stories of overnight success that people tend to latch onto and have that expectation when the expectation should be doing the work and having fun at it.

DC: Was there anyone during your time here at Georgia State that had a lasting influence on you and the career path you’ve taken?

KJ: Yes, I had some really amazing professors. Dr. Shirlene Holmes kind of opened up my mind to acting in a different way and challenged me and pushed me to stretch myself and not just be a lazy actor. Dr. Frank Miller was an amazing professor as well. Being a part of that Black Student Theater Ensemble was really great. Just being amongst my peers in creating shows, we did one show called Luminosity, which some people still talk about to this day. It was written, directed and produced by that group. It was a great time to be an artist and I did have a lot of fun collaborating with so many talented people that I still keep in contact with today.