“I’m just a little bit extra,”
Emily McCurry says with a laugh while
flashing her undeniably contagious
smile. The 30-year-old financial advisor
with Edward Jones is a Haywood County
native, born and raised, although you may
not be able to tell from her accent. “I lost
my accent on purpose,” Emily says jocularly.
“I’m not doing what I ever thought I would
be doing. I thought I was going to be a Tony
Award-winning, Broadway star.”
The precocious daughter of a preacher
first discovered her love of acting while at
church. Emily’s mother assisted with the
coordination of various church plays and
productions. “I begged and begged from
the time I could walk and talk to be a part
of it. Finally at 4 or 5 I got to play the role
of a church mouse in the Christmas musical.
From then on I was sold; I got laughter,
I got applause…I was like, “Oh, this is it son!
This is it forever.”” Her talent has flourished
over the years, and her passion lives
on today as she performs at Hart Theater
in Waynesville. “I got addicted to being able
to make people laugh. Those are still my favorite
parts to play – the funny sidekick, the
person that’s always going to have the gag,”
Emily says. “I don’t really love film, because
you don’t get that instant reaction. It’s not a
living, breathing thing. Where as in theater,
you have a night and then an audience. You
will never have that night with that audience
ever again. So, it’s a thing that you enter into
together, and you get real time gratification
from what you’re doing. It’s never the same,
and that’s what I really like about it.”
Upon completion of college, Emily fearlessly
took off for the bright lights in the big
city of Boston. She was in search of a new
experience, a true change of pace. And who
could blame her? Emily had grown to become
a solid and assured young woman who
almost over romanticized independence,
and she had the steadfast support of her
parents in all of her endeavors. Cont. page 10
“–at 4 or 5 I got to play the role
of a church mouse in the
Christmas musical. From then on
I was sold; I got laughter,
I got applause…I was like,
“Oh, this is it son!
Written by AMANDA MANN his is it forever.”
Interviewed by NIKKI WHITE
Make-up by LEAH MILAN