Chandler Kinney & Her Lethal Weapon to Success

I started dance at a local studio. I danced many times with Showstopper, so I am really happy to be here shooting for the magazine! I love it and was doing all types of dance including ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, modern, contemporary, flamenco, horton, and character. I absolutely loved it! When I was younger, I was 100% certain that I wanted to be a professional dancer and join a company one day. Then I shifted goals and made a natural transition into acting. I did a GAP commercial and it was actually a dance commercial. That was my first on-set experience, and I loved it so much so I began taking acting classes. That is how it all started.

The feeling that you have when you are on stage! While dancing, I always felt like I was free. Even when I was injured, I didn’t feel them when I was on stage. I was just present in the moment and appreciating it all while entertaining. It really helped me to connect with my heart, my mind, and my body.

I remember after doing that GAP commercial, I took my first acting class, and fell in love with it. My heart was already in it because dance gave me a good mentality of producing art and being able to entertain. It was a very natural transition and it just felt right.

Discipline and stamina. You have to be determined and truly love what you do because, at the end of the day, that love and passion for what you are doing is the thing that keeps you going.

I feel like the entertainment industry in general has really opened up a wide array of opportunities for people. Overall, it has become more inclusive, and the stories that are being told now are stories that really need to be heard. I hope we continue to see more roles for people that feel like they don’t have a voice. I hope everyone will be able to turn on the TV and be able to identify or resonate with the story or the character.

I play Rianne Murtaugh, a 16-year-old girl who’s in the middle of her teenage rebellion, but is truly a sweet girl at heart. She is very confident, outspoken, outgoing, and quite witty. She’s trying to find her place in her family as she moves towards womanhood. There is a lot of great growth between the Father/Daughter; they work together to find common ground.

We are similar in the sense that we will both stand up for what we believe in and defend our point with avidity. But she can be more disobedient than I am. She pushes the envelope and walks a fine line whereas I stay on the safe side with my parents.

I’d love for Rianne to get more involved in the action. We have a ton of action dealing with crime and investigation and because I am a black belt in Tae Qwon Do in real life, I’d love to use my skills to kick some butt with my dad!

I have an organization called Chandler’s Friends that I created with my mom about 4 years ago. We made handmade blankets for a family friend that took in foster children. Typically, when foster children are taken from their homes, they don’t get to take any of their personal items which can be very traumatic for a young child. We started out with jut one family and the foster mom sent pictures back. I can still remember the kids’ little beaming faces wrapped in their blankets. It was in that moment when I realized that I could truly make a difference in people’s lives.

Since then, I have worked with several different charities. The biggest thing I’ve done recently is a toy drive and gift wrapping event last December. With the help of my show, Lethal Weapon. and my old dance studio, Los Angeles Ballet Academy, we were able to give a toy to every single student in an elementary school. It was amazing as I personally got to distribute the gifts myself. I remember how grateful they were. It will forever serve as my greatest incentive for giving back and doing everything in my power to contribute to the community. As someone who has been given great opportunities, I feel that it is my responsibility to give back.

Haha I love that! Good question to whoever wrote that! I am very fortunate to have a strong support system that keeps me going when I feel like giving up. It consists of my family and my whole circle of friends. I am fortunate enough to be so supported and loved. It is so important to find a good group of people who love you for who you are and who share in your dreams.

I hope that I’ll have had a part in many projects that make people think and make people feel. That is my goal as an entertainer. I hope to also continue to expand Chandler’s Friends to reach even more people in need.

I hope to inspire people to achieve their goals and never stop chasing their dreams. It can be hard! Setting goals and backing them up with a plan is important because “a goal without a plan is just a wish.” You need a clear path of where you’re going so you can reach your goals.