The following Career Dispatches essay was written by Mädchen Amick, who directed the Season 4 finale of the CW’s “Riverdale.”
Entertainment is in my blood. Some call it “gypsy blood.” Maybe it was watching my father onstage, town after town, country after country, as he brought smiles to peoples faces performing their favorite songs. He taught me how to play his huge upright bass as soon as my tiny little arms could reach around the instrument. And of course, I couldn’t resist climbing atop the piano bench in our modest little home to pick out the notes on the black and white keys. Soon came the tap shoes so I could perform for the packed auditorium. I could always pick out my mother’s proud smile beaming from the audience. Then, of course, ballet shoes that I wore ’til my toes poked through from hours upon hours perfecting my moves. I mean, how else would I become a prima ballerina?
Finally came the cinema. My teenage escape. Being transported to another world through that beam of projector light; I had finally found it, my passion: storytelling. An in-depth high school theater program and an encouraging drama teacher gave me the confidence to leave my small town of Reno, Nevada for the bright lights of Hollywood at age 16. After a couple years pounding the pavement on auditions, paying the bills with modeling work, commercials, and music videos, I finally met who would soon become my mentor, the legendary David Lynch.
That fateful moment changed the trajectory of what artistic path I would take. Would I choose the easier path of mediocre content for the masses or dig in and do the work to see the inspired vision all the way through—even though most of the time that meant I’d be swimming against the stream. I’m proud to say I chose the latter.
How to Get Cast This Pilot Season, According to CDs Behind ‘Riverdale’ + ‘The Good Doctor’ Sure, on the surface and in hindsight, it seems noble, but it meant my peaks and valleys were going to be extreme. The successes had high stakes and fulfilling rewards but the valleys were sometimes devastating, both emotionally and financially. Turning down stereotypical and gratuitous female characters in box office hits so that I could portray more complex, deeply layered women in independent films rang true to my upbringing. My mom and dad raised me with a strong sense of self-worth, grooming me to become a strong independent woman.
I navigated the next 30 years in front of the camera, blessed to have my husband at my side as we juggled raising our little ones, a son and a daughter. With so many television shows I’ve lost count of and too many films to name, we migrated from town to town following the work but I just couldn’t ignore a desire that was bubbling underneath it all. Yes, I love bringing a character to life in front of the camera, but as I truly settled into my confidence in my 40s, I felt ready to take my storytelling to a broader level behind the camera. I realized I was ready to take the helm. So I started directing music videos, a love I had carried with me from the ’80s when MTV exploded onto the scene. I won a handful of film festival awards and the journey had officially begun.
Then came the tipping point. A life altering diagnosis infiltrated our precious little family. My son was struggling with bipolar disorder. We, as a family, threw all of our time and energy into mental health advocacy, wanting to help others navigate the lonely and treacherous waters. All of a sudden it all became clear to me: I could use my life and legacy’s work for the greater good. I could use my platform to spread awareness and hope. A raging fire started to burn inside me. It fueled me to write and create two new shows that are currently in development, a docu-series (that I also directed) that explores entertainers, athletes, and politicians around the world living successfully with a diagnosis and how they navigate those waters; the next, a scripted family drama based on our lives.
As my television directorial debut aired on May 6 as the finale episode for Season 4 of “Riverdale,” I was able to look back on the life choices that have shaped my long career and vice-versa. I wouldn’t change a thing. If I could, I would remind myself not to be afraid to forge my own unique path. Yes there will be pitfalls along the way but in the end you will do it your way and that will lead you on a journey to help make a difference in other peoples’ lives. And it doesn’t hurt that David Lynch told me on my first day wearing my director’s hat, “Focus on the donut, not the hole.”
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