Wynn Everett - Living the Simple Life in a Fast City
Where are you originally from, how long have you lived in LA and what brought you out here?
Originally, I am from Atlanta. But, in high school, my parents moved to North Georgia to a city called Cumming where we lived in a truly wonderful community. After I graduated from Auburn University, I moved to New York City to work for “Good Morning America” and pursue theatre.
In 2008, my husband and I moved to Los Angeles for our work… a natural transition for me as an actor. We loved our time in New York but often say we wish we had moved to Los Angeles sooner. We have been so happy here and have been very fortunate to consistently work. Los Angeles has been very good to us.
What is your latest project and what were some of the most fun parts of the job?
My current project is playing Whitney Frost (aka Madame Masque) on the second season of “Marvel’s Agent Carter” on ABC. I absolutely loved this opportunity. From the people to the costumes, my makeup (I had to go through facial prosthetics every day), the time period (1946), and of course, the challenges of such a complex, villainous role. Every part of this job was fun and interesting. It mostly shot at Universal Studios which was a huge draw for me, getting work as an actor locally right now is a luxury so I am always very grateful when it happens.
What are some practical ways you keep the slow life alive in your day to day?
My husband and I have two little girls and we try to live a slow life, which is not always easy being in Los Angeles. Since we are greatly influenced by our Southern roots, we hunger for a smaller, simpler (slow) lifestyle. We moved to Larchmont four years ago from West Hollywood and it has proved to be the best thing for our family
We are creatures of habit and have our favorite routines and local spots we love; from coffee shops and restaurants to toy stores and banks, we feel like it is a true community.
We keep our life to the essentials. For us, right now, that is family and creativity (our work). I’m a bit of a recluse and love to be home. Our friends come over and we sit on blankets in the backyard and play with our girls, my husband and I don’t go out much but when we do as a family we find it pretty inspiring. I think Los Angeles gets a bad reputation for families. We have found it to be wonderfully creative, with museums, parks, learning centers and activities, not to mention the pure beauty of taking walks through neighboring Hancock Park.
What are a few of your favorite places in LA and why?
This list will feel heavy on Larchmont but it is sort of the center of our universe these days. We love Chevaliers Bookstore – for me and the whole family, they have story time there every Saturday which is a weekly staple. Coffee and Food on Melrose is a great place to sit and just be, have coffee, write and study. Go Get Em Tiger has the best baked eggs and Groundworks has incredible coffee and food. There is a little play place for kids on Larchmont called Snook Nuk which is like a second home for us. The people that work there are amazing and so invested in the creative life of kids. Finally, the farmers market every Sunday is one of our favorite experiences because of the fresh food available within walking distance.
What are some practical words of wisdom for anyone moving to LA?
I would say a couple of things have helped us. One: give yourself time.
It was really after our third year here that we said, “this place is sort of amazing.” Even though we both started working immediately it still did not entirely feel right. Being in New York for so long we had a lot of misconceptions about life in Los Angeles and it took time, patience and intentional exploration to open our eyes to all the incredible things this city has to offer.
Secondly, find your community. This is a tough one in such an insular city as Los Angeles where you spend much of your time in your car. So it takes work, more patience and dedication to find your tribe.
However that may look for you, be it art classes, a church, yoga, writing or acting classes, book clubs, cooking classes, concerts, the music scene… however you think you may meet people that are cut from the same cloth. That will help you begin to feel grounded, more rooted. All these things take time. So, do not be hard on yourself but open to what Los Angeles could have for you. It may even be something entirely different than the reason you moved here. Life is funny and magical that way.