After years of building her career across theatre, television, and self-created projects, Melissa Alce is entering a new chapter with Babies, which marked her TIFF debut, and a recent appearance on Matlock alongside Kathy Bates. But for the actress and producer, those moments do not represent a finish line. They are simply some of the flowers that have bloomed after years of tending what she calls the “garden” of her career.
In the interview with Luca Moreira, Melissa reflects on learning to see rejection as seeds being planted, creating opportunities for herself and other artists through Shotz, working in female-led creative spaces, and redefining success beyond titles, salaries, or the size of a role. At the center of it all is one simple reason: “Acting brings me true and unbridled joy.”
Babies marks your TIFF debut after years of building your career across New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. When you think about this moment, does it feel like an arrival, a confirmation that the journey was worth it, or simply another chapter in a career that is still unfolding?
Wow, that’s an interesting question. It feels kind of like another chapter in a completely different universe. I’ve been in Theatre for most of my career, so being a part of something this big feels incredible. The journey has always been worth it because, whenever I get to do what I love, I consider it a major win.
The film explores parenthood with both honesty and humor, and you play one of the mothers within the central characters’ wider circle of friends. What stood out to you about the way Babies captures the contradictions, insecurities, and humor that can exist within motherhood?
My favorite thing about the film is that it’s exploring a happy, healthy relationship that could or could not have kids. The characters both know they’d be good parents and that they’d enjoy the experience, but they’re still not sure if having a baby is what they actually want. I think a lot of couples are in that position, and it’s a truly difficult and personal decision to make, so I love that it’s being represented in film.
You recently played Sister Bennie on Matlock, working alongside Kathy Bates in what has been described as a strongly female-led environment. What did that experience teach you about collaboration and the kind of creative spaces you hope to keep working in?
Everyone on that set was so kind and at the top of their game. It was really inspiring to be around all these powerful women who I looked up to, from the Director, to the first AD, to Kathy Bates and Skye P. Marshall. They all lifted each other up, sang each other’s praises, and moved through the world with gratitude and strength. I just thought, “That’s it! That’s how I want to be!” I strive to do that through my theatre company and community, reminding my female friends that there is no limit to what we can do. To celebrate wins and encourage big dreams.
Your journey seems to challenge the idea that an acting career has to follow a straight line or hinge on one big breakthrough. What have the years of work before reaching milestones like Matlock and TIFF taught you about patience, rejection, and staying in this profession?
I’m not sure who originally said it, but my husband always reminds me, “An acting career is something you look back on, not something you look forward to.” As actors, we don’t get to decide which part we get, or even which parts we get to audition for. There’s not a lot that we can control. Through the years, I’ve had to change my relationship to the business so that my perspective is no longer, “Oh, I didn’t get that part because they didn’t like me” to “It wasn’t for me, but now they know who I am, and if they like my work, they’ll bring me in again.” I think of it as planting seeds and the surprise is which ones germinate. Through that lens, Matlock and TIFF are just lucky little flowers that bloomed in my little career garden. I’ve been tending to this garden for YEARS and I’ve loved every second of it.
You and your husband, Christian Haines, have created theatre companies and more recently ShotzLA to generate opportunities for other artists. When did you realize that waiting for opportunities was not enough and that you also wanted to help build them?
In a landscape where you don’t get much control over who hires you, producing your own work is the only way to get some power back. Waiting around for someone to hand you an opportunity, in any business, is not a realistic expectation. And for actors, if we don’t use our skills, we lose them. So, after grad school, we moved to New York and started Shotz because we had nothing else to do. It’s an evening of 6 original short plays, where we get writers, directors, and actors to put a show together over the course of a month. When we moved to San Francisco we started ShotzSF, and when we moved to LA we started ShotzLA and incorporated short films into the evening. Now, actors from our community have started Shotz in Louisville, KY and Chicago, IL. Even more exciting: Alison Whistmore, a ShotzSF alum, started a Shotz in LONDON! It’s great to see people have ownership over their craft and create community in all these different cities.
There is something powerful about sustaining your own career while creating space for other people to work as well. Do you see community-building as separate from your life as an actress, or has it become an essential part of the artist you are?
I view it as an essential part of the artist I am. Acting is a collaborative artform (you can’t act in a vacuum) and almost every opportunity I’ve ever been given can be directly tied back to Shotz. Which is not what I thought would happen when we started. I thought we were just doing something fun, but it’s turned into much more than that. It boosts my mental health, keeps me creative and inspired, nurtures collaboration, and inspires others to produce their own work. And people in our community give each other jobs, sing each other’s praises and we all end up rising together. Because no one is an island, and no one can “make it” on their own.
After years of acting, producing, and creating your own spaces, what does “success” mean to you now? Is it still connected to the size of a role, or has it come to include the people, projects, and communities you are able to help build along the way?
I’ve had to redefine success a few times in my career. I used to think that it was hitting a certain bench mark or making a certain salary from acting. But, I didn’t get into acting to hit benchmarks and earn money. I got into this because acting brings me true and unbridled joy. So, now, success lies in being proud of my work (especially auditions), doing my best, creating with people who inspire me, celebrating my wins, and celebrating the wins of others within my community. When I do that, I’m the best version of myself, and the happiest artist I can be. If I can look back on a day and check those boxes, I consider that a success.
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