Philadelphia is a city known for its history, the arts and fighters. Lana Leigh Taylor is both an artist and a fighter. The LA-based actress was born and raised in the city of Brotherly Love, but her resilience helped forge her acting career—doing things her way.
Taylor shares the story of how getting into acting at a young age hooked her for life and how she overcame a health scare during a hiatus, mounting an incredible comeback to theater.
How did you get started as an actor?
I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—born and raised. I started acting when I was six years old. I started training in elementary school. By the time I was in junior high, I had done a musical called Purlie. I was part of the drama group there.
My acting teacher was also a teacher at the Freedom Theatre, which is a prestigious theater in Philadelphia. A lot of well-known actors have come from the Freedom Theatre, like Erica Alexander, Will Smith and Leslie Odom Jr., to name a few. [My acting teacher] put this musical together, where I was singing and acting.
That musical brought me a lot of great success and attention. It led to me getting a scholarship at the Freedom Theatre and an audition at the High School for Creative and Performing Arts, which is a very prestigious high school in Philadelphia. It’s known for a lot of musical artists like Boyz II Men, Questlove, Jazmine Sullivan, and Bilal, who I studied with. We were like, a grade apart, so I do know him.
It was a wonderful experience. I got a lot of professional training that carried me into my adult life. I also was doing some plays around Philadelphia, [and I was also] part of a repertory group called the Rainbow Players.
How did you first discover Casting Networks?
When I moved to LA, I did a little bit of college in Northern California at the College of Notre Dame. Then I went over to Hope International in Fullerton and dropped out. College wasn’t for me. I studied journalism briefly, but still had that love for acting.
There was an actor that I had met at a restaurant [where] I was working at part-time. He said, “You need to just come on out to Hollywood.” He introduced me to Casting Networks and some of the other programs as well. This was back in ’98.
Then I started preparing myself. I put together a great monologue from a play and I auditioned for the Stella Adler Academy. I got in on a scholarship at the Stella Adler Academy and I was doing the summer program.
I moved from Orange County to Hollywood and I started hearing [more] about Casting Networks, but we really couldn’t audition while we were studying at the conservatory. I did that for several months and was invited to study full-time, but I decided not to do the full-time program. I went ahead and joined Casting Networks, and I’ve been with you guys since back in ’98.

You said you booked two jobs on Casting Networks after a long hiatus. How long was that hiatus? What made you take that break and what brought you back?
The hiatus started in 2020 when COVID happened. It was a much-needed break, but I didn’t intend to do it as long as I did. I had said, “OK, I’m going to come back in 2022 when things start getting better,” but then I started getting sick in 2022 [with] bad abdominal pains. I ended up having to have surgery in October 2023.
I told my friend, who’s a very well-known successful actress (I won’t drop her name), that I want to do a play. That’s while I’m going through all of this. After having a major surgery, I had to be down for six weeks. I didn’t realize that I couldn’t do a play. So, I took that time, and before I knew it, January had come.
I said to my friend, “No, no, no, I’m going to do a play,” and I opened up my account with Casting Networks. All of a sudden there was an audition with a company called Above the Curve in North Hollywood. The theatre is 90% women. I auditioned for a play called In Juliet’s Garden, and I got the part.
I returned to acting sooner than I had thought I would. Everyone was saying, “You really need to just rest and take it easy,” but my recovery was incredible because I’m someone who’s very physically fit and active. Before I went into surgery, I was exercising, lifting weights and just doing everything, so I recovered fast.
What was the audition like? How did you book In Juliet’s Garden, and what was it like when you finally got back on stage?
For the audition, they didn’t initially tell us who we would be playing. It was a whole bunch of characters because we were doing two plays. [One] was In Juliet’s Garden, and there was another play written by Erica Bauer, the artistic director. It was about fairy tale characters like Snow White and Cinderella and it was so cute.
I knew that I wanted to play Ophelia [for In Juliet’s Garden]. I saw Ophelia in the lineup and I studied the sides. I’m classically trained. I got all my classical training at my high school and I also got some classical training at Stella Adler.
[At that point,] I’d never really performed Shakespeare, I’d just studied Shakespeare. I kind of put a lot of that on the back burner when I moved to LA because you’re doing film and TV, and you’re just trying to get the roles, but you’re not thinking about your classical training.
I was like, “The only character I want to play is Ophelia.” I was asked if I wanted to play anybody else and I was like, “Nope, I’ve always wanted to play Ophelia.” That’s what I got my heart set on and I got it. It was unbelievable. When we were in rehearsal, the director said to me, “I saw so many people do Ophelia, but when I saw you do it, you were the only one I wanted. I said, ‘This girl has to have it.’” I was so grateful.
Getting back on stage was so magical. I’ve got to tell you, taking that break was necessary because … I don’t even know how to say this … I was always afraid of taking a break. I’ve been doing the grind since ’98. I’ve just been going out and going out and going out. Getting back on stage just felt like this is where I belong. This is my life. I just loved every moment of it.
I’m still friends with my castmates [from In Juliet’s Garden]. Two of my castmates led me to another theater that they’re a part of, called the NEO Ensemble Theatre here in Los Angeles. I’m now a part of that theater company as well.
That’s where it started for me—theater. To get back on the stage and to connect with other actors, it was like, “This is my tribe.” This is where it’s always started for me. Just being under those lights and, you know, having the energy of the audience. It was so invigorating, and I just don’t want it to ever end.
You also booked a supporting role in the TCL film Echoes of Greatness, which was broadcast on National Women’s Day (March 8). What was that experience like?
My audition was imitating Cecil B. DeMille, and here’s the funny thing: I have lived in Hollywood for 26 years in a building that was built and owned by Cecil B. DeMille. I went and I did my homework and was like, “How does Cecil B. DeMille sound?”
I have some voiceover training, but I’ve never really properly had a voiceover job. I imitated [DeMille’s] voice and his character, recorded it and sent it in. To my surprise, I booked and they wanted me to play a modern-day casting director.
It was about a woman trying to get her break into Hollywood, which is something I can relate to. It also coincides with an actress from the ’20s who was Australian, had two children and was striving for her dream.
It was a beautiful experience, but the sad part is that a bunch of my lines got cut. That’s show business, but I did make most of the final cut and it was still fabulous. It was all over the internet for National Women’s Day. I was grateful to be a part of it.
What about Casting Networks keeps you coming back, and what features do you find to be the most helpful?
The feature I find to be most helpful is when they send stuff that’s suggested for me. That helps me, and it takes the searching out of the way for me because I’ll get stuff every day that says, “These roles are suggested for you,” and I’ll submit for it. I’ve gotten a lot of callbacks. I’ve gotten a lot of invites to audition.
I want to [give a] shout-out [to] WeAudition. This is a service that I use because I have to have scene partners on the regular. I’m constantly being called in for different projects and it’s wonderful.
I also know that a big part of show business is that even if you don’t get the part, it doesn’t mean that you’re not good at what you do, but you may not be right for it. That’s something that I have come to understand in my journey as an actress.
What would you say helps someone succeed on Casting Networks?
You have to show up and actively submit. When you get those invites, you’ve got to jump on them because it’s an opportunity. Everything’s an opportunity.

What audition tips or advice do you have that you could share with your peers?
Trust yourself. That’s the number-one thing. I trust myself more than I ever have. I don’t second guess myself. I show authenticity to the role.
I really like to take the character apart and like to ask myself, “How would this character speak? How does this character walk? What’s going on with her life before she does the scene?” I do a whole character analysis and I really just try to breathe life into what they’ve given me. Even if it’s not what they were expecting, it’s me doing the work.
I think trusting yourself is one of the greatest tools as an actor you can have because, you know, we’re out there so much. We’re feeling judged. We’re so vulnerable. I just feel like I’ve got this [and] I’ve been called to this. This is what I’m good at. This is what I love to do. You can’t go wrong when you just believe in yourself.
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