Inspirational Women in the Entertainment Industry: Krista Allen
by Danielle Turchiano

Ever since her late nineties days on the then-hit NBC daytime drama Days of our Lives, Krista Allen’s message has always been an inspirational one: “Go with your gut; listen to your instincts; but always try to look a little bit into the future—at least enough to figure out what you want.” Allen has worked steadily since her arrival in Los Angeles in 1995, an accomplishment she attributes to a lot of hard work, the support of some great friends, and that little thing that is so important in the entertainment industry: timing. But that’s the thing about Allen: she is as humble as she is talented and would probably never admit that she has been rewarded not only because she is good at what she does but also because she is a good person.

Allen has paid her dues. Throughout the years, she’s been tapped for the “sexy fill-in-the-blank” type of roles in both feature films (Totally Blonde, Meet Market) and countless guest appearances and recurring arcs on popular television programs (Friends, CSI, The Starter Wife). But just because she has worked on high profile projects with big name people doesn’t mean the success and the comfort happened overnight.

“I was just exploring,” she explains, adding that often times she would get sent a script in which she really connected with a role only to be offered a smaller, supporting role instead. “It’s always been a struggle,” she admits, “but I’m at a great place right now—and a great age range. Producers and studios and networks are coming to me with scripts and ideas, and that never would have happened early on in my career.” Acting is not a guaranteed profession, but throughout the rocky times, Allen never gave up and never stopped working towards what she loves to do, and that drive and determination is the key element to being a success in any industry.

Allen’s ambition also made it possible for her to start a tee shirt company called SuperExcellent on a whim a few years ago. The idea came to her after declaring “You Were Never My Boyfriend” after a break-up; she thought it would be funny to pass tee shirts with that slogan printed on them to her friends. They were such a big hit, and similar taglines just kept coming to her, so she decided to expand and make her designs available to the public.

A self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, –which  is not an uncommon trait for creative types – Allen  admits it has to be about more than just the thrills of the entertainment industry that keeps you working in it: “Do you want to be an actor—or writer or artist—or do you just want to be famous?” There is a big difference between focusing on the work or just validation, and it is very easy and all too common for young girls to get swept up in the “cloud of LA.”

The industry has changed so much in the past decade, but for Allen it is much more about growing with the industry and always being open to learning instead of trying to adapt to a current trend. Not everything will always be well received, and “people will always talk about you and judge you, especially in this business, but you have to be honest and always stand up for yourself.” And that, in a nutshell, is not only why Allen has been so successful, but also so worthy of that success: she has always been herself, and that kind of realism is exceptionally refreshing.

photo courtesy of oxfam america

csi, days of our lives, entertainment, friends, krista allen, meet market, starter wife, superexcellent, totally blonde