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Monday, April 17, 2017

#FanX17: Amy Gumenick talks about growing up an actress and inspiring youth in the arts


During the Salt Lake Comic Con FanX17 press conference, I got a few minutes to talk to actress Amy Gumenick, who is best known for her roles as Carrie Cutter and Cupid on the superhero drama "Arrow" and Young Mary Winchester on the wildly popular show "Supernatural." During the convention, she appeared alongside Danielle Panabaker of "The Flash" for a special "Arrowverse"-themed panel. Throughout my brief interview, Gumenick shed some light on her decision to start acting and also told me about some other facets of her life. Take a look:

Signs of the Times: Can you just tell me a little bit about your career? Maybe some of your favorite roles and things like that?

Amy Gumenick: “Sure! Favorite roles is such a hard question for me. I feel like…”

SotT: I know, right? It’s like the most horrible question, but I always have to ask it.

AG: “I can pick, like, pieces of every role that would be my favorite. I’m very grateful to have been working consistently for, gosh, going on eight years, which seems impossible. Obviously, the main reason I’m here is because I’m doing ‘Arrow’ and ‘Supernatural.’ I would say that they’re among the favorites. For an interesting reason, I had no idea… ‘Supernatural was one of the first roles I booked; it was right after I graduated college, and I had no idea the incredible fan base I was gaining and joining and, truly, the family that comes along with these shows. That’s something that I cannot possibly put into words – how grateful I am, and they have followed me from project to project and supported me, no matter what, and jumped on board at charity events that I’ve done or planned. It’s really been incredible.”

SotT: Was acting something you always wanted to do since you were young, or was this something that you got into at school?

AG: “Yes! Yeah, you know, I can’t remember a time that I haven’t known that this was what I wanted to do and, perhaps, was meant to be doing, or whatever you believe in. My first kind of tangible memory was when I was 5 and I saw a production of ‘Chicago,’ the musical, and memorized the entire show and informed my parents that I would be Roxie Heart someday, which, as a five-year-old, is probably frightening. Ten years later, when I was 16, I auditioned for a random production of ‘Chicago’ and was cast as Roxie, and so that was sort of my first… the first time I really remember setting an acting goal and accomplishing it. I grew up doing community theater and competitive dance, but my parents were pretty adamant about me having a normal childhood and going to school and all of that. The deal that they made with me as a child was that, if I went to school and completed college and still wanted to act, that they would support me 100 percent – and they absolutely have. So, here I am!”

SotT: Great! Awesome. Do you do a lot of conventions?

AG: “Um, I do some. Not a ton, but a few a year.”

SotT: Ok! Well, we’re glad to have you here. One last question: other than acting, what do you think is your greatest accomplishment?


AG: “Oh man. I work with kids. I teach dance and theater. I feel like I am constantly inspired by them, and to be part of the process of teaching kids… I think their potential and sort of watching them discover who they are and the things that they love and how they can make a difference with their art is really incredible. I think that’s an accomplishment.”


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