I Am a New York Actor: Liz Zazzi Interviews Geneva Carr

“I’m really not terribly bright,” says self-deprecating actor Geneva Carr, but a look at her fascinating life and career tells us otherwise.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Geneva found herself moving almost every eight months. “My dad couldn’t hold down a job. Constantly moving can be upsetting for kids. It can make them shy. But it made me quite the opposite. It also taught me that home is wherever I make it.”

While she did some acting in high school plays, she found her passion in language, when she saw the Truffaut classic film Jules and Jim. This led her to pursue her degree at Mount Holyoke, where she also studied German and Arabic. “But French was offering a full scholarship to study in Paris and I won it.” For her junior year, she attended Sciences Po in Paris.

This “not terribly bright” scholarship winner then became the first American to graduate with an MBA from prestigious ESCP (École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris), which eventually led to an internship at a French bank. When her work permit ended, she returned to the United States. “I was selling derivatives in New York and I went to see an off-Broadway play at EST [Ensemble Studio Theatre]. I was floored. I realized that this was what I really wanted to do. Make art. Tell stories. So I basically offered myself as an intern, reader, usher, cleaning lady!” She describes EST as “the equalizer — a hidden gem where actors, writers and directors all work together to create plays. They don’t do revivals. It’s all new work. So many great playwrights started there.”

Geneva studied, worked day and night, volunteering at EST, but also holding down various day jobs. “You wouldn’t believe some of the jobs I’ve had. I’ve waited tables, I’ve translated, and done all kinds of trade shows and events as all kinds of characters. I’m short, so I was the go-to Tweety bird! My passion kept me alive.” She will always come back to her work ethic, and advises next generation performers to do the same. “Volunteer. Find a place to work. Theater in New York is so exciting because it is colorblind, age-blind and gender-blind. And it is the best training for everything that follows.”

As Geneva continued to work in theater, both in New York and national tours, she began to do commercials. “I’d done some non-union commercials early in my career, but once I earned my union card, I realized how different everything was. And it wasn’t just the money. It was safety, cleanliness, privacy when you were dressing and breaks!” 

It was on union sets that she also learned to stand up and fight when something wasn’t right. “I’ll never ask for more than I deserve, but I will fight for what I am entitled to.” She cites one example where she refused to sign a contract during a Saturday shoot. Her agent wasn’t available and the producers had done four setups but were trying to pay for one ad. “It was settled and I got paid properly, but eventually I ran into the casting director who’d handled background for the shoot. She said, 

‘You’re an idiot. You’ll never work again.’ And I said, ‘I’ve already shot two more commercials for the same producers.’” Geneva encourages actors to fight for what they are owed under union contracts. 

“We’re peanuts compared to what these corporations spend on these ads,” she said.   

“I talk to young actors who are so eager to work, they don’t realize how bad working off the card is. If you’re willing to do that, casting people will never see you any other way. Don’t undervalue yourself. Union work will help you build your future with protections, pensions and health care.”

Geneva looks at commercials as another way to tell a story. “They’re 30-second movies. When I was the voice of McCormick, I wasn’t selling spices. I was helping people understand how to season food to make the holidays memorable. When I played the mom in a series of spots for AT&T, it wasn’t to sell plans, it was to teach my sons the value of a dollar.”

Her devotion to EST continued, and playwright Rob Askins wrote Hand to God specifically for Geneva and actor Steven Boyer. “We did reading after reading and eventually it was a showcase, which essentially paid me in subway tokens, but we were doing it because we believed in the play and in each other. I would take a bullet for those people. When we moved to MCC [Manhattan Class Company], we were thrilled, but the move to Broadway was unbelievable,” she said. 

Her Tony nomination was “the cherry on top. The night before they were announced, our company manager told me I might want to get a nice outfit because if I was nominated, I’d be doing 50 interviews at 9 a.m., and I thought, why get my hopes up? It will never happen. And then it did. The next morning, hearing my name announced was an out-of-body experience. And I got to meet Helen Mirren! Her first free night, she was in the audience at Hand to God. She was gracious and gorgeous. Losing a Tony to her was a win for me.”

Her Broadway experience was made even more enjoyable by the support she received from her community. She refers to us as “the usual suspects. Everyone I know from commercials and voiceovers came to see the show. It was heaven. It is so important to have love and support for what you do. This is a brutal business and my work ethic and my friends are what sustain me.”

Currently, Geneva plays Marissa Morgan on CBS’ Bull, her first starring role in a network series. Citing Mariska Hargitay as an inspiration, she says, “I’d worked on a few Law & Order SVU episodes as a guest star and she was my learning curve. Seventeen years on the show and Mariska is first on set. She’s at the top of her game, yet she is always growing.”

Glenn Gordon Caron is Bull’s showrunner. Citing Moonlighting and Medium as his signature series, she notes, “Those characters and their relationships are what you remember. He cares about the people that tell these stories.” She also appreciates CBS for valuing diversity and inclusion. 

“They cast people who look like people in the world we live in. It’s great to be a woman over 40 and have such a wonderful character to play,” she said.

Geneva has just wrapped season two of Bull, and she’s on a much-needed vacation in Paris, where she is staying with friends she’s had since her ESCP days.

“Doing a TV show is hard work. The money is good, but you earn it. Michael Weatherly [Bull] worked with rarely a day off in nine months. Our crew put in 68 hours in the final week. People ask me where I get my work ethic, and I say ‘theater!’ I was offered a play where I needed to learn sign language. I agreed to do it only if I could train intensively for three months. I wasn’t interested in learning only what I’d need for the play. I always want to grow. It’s a beautiful language. Look at Marlee Matlin. It isn’t just what she does with her hands. Her face is so expressive. 

“When I did Hand to God, we were getting rewrites every day before every preview. It’s grueling. In TV, that training helps. It’s like theater but it happens much faster. Season one of Bull was like previews. Season two was ‘opening,’ and season three? It’s exciting. I’m cresting for what comes next for my character. 

“I love working. I have friends who love and support me. It’s intoxicating!”

Lucky for us, generous, warm, talented and “bright” Geneva Carr has many more stories to tell.

Photo by Dave Thomas Brown