Connie Shi - Actor of the Month for August 2026

1. Has there been a Casting Director who has really championed or supported you in your career journey?

So many. Every casting director who has continued to bring me into the room and offer me opportunities. I don’t know how they do what they do and keep track of all of us, but I’m grateful. 

2. What is the project you’re most proud of, and why?

Different projects for different reasons. I’m particularly proud of my proof-of-concept film The Rebirth that premiered at Tribeca 2025.  I wrote, directed, edited, and starred in the film. It was challenging but really showed me what’s possible with the right collaborators.

I’m also proud of my recent work on Paradise. It’s one of my favorite shows and it was so cool to be on it, to witness the talent filling every inch of that set, and to dive into that post-apocalyptic world.

3. What or who inspired you to pursue acting as a career?

I always wanted to act but never imagined I could actually do it. After college, I moved to Spain in the midst of an existential crisis, and it was actually there, in a new country surrounded by strangers, where I felt brave enough to try. I joined an English-speaking theater company. We did original plays in the basements of bars and old wine cellars. We put up a bilingual version of The Vagina Monologues in an abandoned tobacco factory. It was really special. After 2 years in Madrid, I knew I had to pursue it professionally. That’s when I moved to New York.

4. What was your first IMDbPro credit and how did you feel when you saw it? 

My first TV credit was “Skanky Mistress” in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which makes me laugh every time I think about it. They later brought my character back and named her “Melanie Bizne$$” (also an incredible name), but I will always be proud of my first title as Skanky Mistress.

5. How has IMDbPro helped you either to market yourself or connect with other industry professionals?

IMDbPro is an amazing tool in getting to know other artists and their work. I’ve used it numerous times to research projects and their teams and to connect with artists and producers for my own projects.

6. Any funny or memorable casting room stories you can share?

To bring it back to my first booking on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, for the audition they had lyrics to a song but no tune yet. So I just had to make up a tune and shout the lyrics “FAMOUS I’M SO FAMOUS” while dancing around a chair like I was in a music video. It was really fun. But afterwards you’re always like - this is what I do for a living?

7. If you could play any character in any movie, past or present, who would it be and why?

This is hard. The first character that comes to mind is Bella in Poor Things. I mean, nobody could have done what Emma Stone did, she’s incredible. But I just imagine it must have been so freeing to play a character where you’re experiencing everything for the first time, without the shame and weight and expectations that the rest of us have accumulated. It reminds me of clowning. What a wild, exciting thing to explore.

8. What show or movie that you’re currently watching or have watched countless times could you nerd out about forever? What do you love about it?

I just rewatched all of Fleabag for the 4th time. I’ve also watched Pen15 countless times. And I’m obsessed with Hacks. Can I only pick one? I think the connecting fiber is hilarious, smart, weird, troubled women and girls trying to figure out who they are and what they want, and how they evolve through deep friendship.

9. Tell us a fun fact about you outside of acting.

I write songs and play music! I released an album last year called Ode to Self, you can listen anywhere. :)