Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast) Episode 582 - Tricia Wood Thomas

Well, welcome back to Voices in My Head, everyone. I am your host as always, Rick Lee James, and I'm so glad that you are here with us tonight. And it's going to be a great conversation because today I am joined by a very special guest. She's an actress, she's a pageant winner, she's a storyteller, and she's a person of deep faith. Her name is Tricia Wood Thomas. And she is a devoted follower of Christ who brings her calling as an actress into alignment with her desire to uplift, inspire, and glorify God through every performance. So we're going to get to know her a little bit more tonight and about her career in acting, and hopefully if we have a chance, some of the other great projects that she has going on. She's a great advocate, uh, for people with Alzheimer's, um, and she's a pageant winner. As I said before, there's lots of interesting things to find out more about, but let me start tonight by just saying, Tricia Wood Katie Thomas, welcome to Voices in My Head.

Well, thank you. I appreciate that. I'm so excited to be with you on this podcast. Thank you for having me.

Well, it is a real pleasure, and I want to thank you for, for being on and telling us more really about your craft tonight. I am not an actor myself. I'm a musician. I'm a hospital chaplain. I do that as my day job, and I love the work so much. And I've always— I enjoy movies and TV shows, and I, I could probably talk about movies and, and things that I watch all day long, but I am not an actor myself. So I'm hoping you can help us have a little more insight into that. And so as we begin this tonight, tell us just a little bit about what, what I believe you described as a calling. You felt really kind of a pull to acting lately, and just tell us a little bit more about this, because most people, I think they would say, um, they would find it interesting, but not everybody feels a pull like it's a call on their life. And I'd love to hear more about that vocationally, how you feel being called.

Well, thank you. Yes, um, I didn't realize, um, that I would even step into the acting world. And then after I won Miss Woman United States, I was talking to the girl that preceded me about all the things that we had to do, and she was just trying to get me ready and fill me in. And, and, uh, we were just talking. She started talking about acting and, and that she was doing acting, and I was like, well, really, that's really interesting. I think that's neat. I wouldn't mind doing that someday, maybe. And, um, but I'm sure I'll never do that. Well, anyway, through that, I mean, led to a phone call, to a phone call. I met Andrea and my manager, and it was just amazing how she is a Christian. Andrea Natoli, she's a Christian. And through her being a Christian, she took me on, not as a— not as a, um, manager. She wasn't my manager at first. She just kind of took me on just as— just to show me, to see if I even wanted to do it. So I flew down to— I flew up to California and did some podcasts and did some things, uh, to just headshots and things, just to see if that was something that I wanted to do. And, um, we, we had a whole thing of that. And, and I met with people. I did, I did acting, um, little skits and things with Relentless Studios. And had never had any acting, uh, lessons, proper acting lessons. Maybe one or two through Zoom online, but never any proper acting coaching lessons. So I didn't really know, and I just knew that with my faith in God and, and how I grew up, I knew that whatever I did, I wanted to do it for the Lord. I mean, I don't want to do anything that he doesn't want me to do. And I, I— if, if he wants me to be in a movie or do acting, then, then he'll show me that and it'll happen. So I thought, well, this is, you know, I just kept giving it back to God. I just kept saying, God, you know, just show me a sign, show me a sign. Well, I got on a plane coming home from California, had done all this, and then on that plane in the sky, I wanted to watch a movie on the— you know, I was on the Delta flights, I was— had all the things, I was going to watch my movie, and it was a Christian movie. And, um, anyway, and during that movie I started watching it and I couldn't. God was just pulling at me and he— God is always with me. I feel like he's touching me right now, like I can feel him holding me. And I've been like that since I was 7 years old. I have been— I have always— when you are truly saved, you feel the Holy Spirit in you. And, and, and if you know, you know, you know. And, and so, and I, I was on that plane and, and I could feel him nudging me and I I kept pausing the movie and I would say, Lord— I was praying, I was like, Lord, I don't know what you— I just want to watch this movie on Delta Flight. I'm tired, I might take a nap, and then— and I just want to watch this movie. And then, and then I try to start watching it. No, I had to pause it again. Finally I just gave it up and I prayed, and I just stayed silent and I prayed. And I guess for the next hour I sat there and prayed and cried and He showed me that he wanted me to do acting, and, and I've never had anything different from him with that. Like, I felt called to do acting, but in the Christian movie sector and maybe Hallmark sector, wherever there's Christian-led movies. I don't want to do anything that's not for God. And, and so, um, but I, but I've that's when I really realized that God had a calling for me, because I knew— I could just feel it. I felt the Holy Spirit move inside me on that plane. And I— and when I finally got through talking to God, and I was like, okay God, if this is what you want me to do, then I'm going to do it for you. And, and I did watch the rest of that movie, and I cried. And it was a good Christian movie. It was amazing movie. And I, I feel like, you know, to me, movies and acting people. It brings Christianity into our homes, and people can sit down, and maybe there's someone that's not saved and they're in a family, and they can watch a Christian movie that I'm on that God is speaking to me through, and they could be led to Christ. And you just don't ever know. And that's, that's what I feel like God's created technology. Just, we're on a Christian podcast right now. I mean, there's so many things that if you have the ability to be in front of people and have the ability to act and talk, and that you should do that. If you have the ability to sing, you should do that, but only if God leads you to do it and calls you to do it, right? Not everyone can be a pastor, but if you can stand up and preach, then I think you should preach.

Yeah, yeah, everybody's got different giftings for sure. So that's— thank you for sharing that. And do you remember what the name of the movie was? It sounded like it was really the one you enjoyed.

Oh my God. You know, I thought about it. Was it The City of Angels or something? It was like, um, I think that it's a newer Christian movie. Um, Hilary Swank is in it.

Oh, okay.

I have to look at it. City of— maybe it's City of Angels. I'm embarrassed because that's okay. No, we can remember the movie, but it was amazing. It was amazing. I cried. She was an alcoholic, a recovering alcoholic, and—

oh, okay.

And she helped a family with their daughter that, um, I— it, it was, it was an amazing touching story and she helped them.

Well, I, I think that's wonderful and I, I do, all of us, well, I don't know about all of us, but most of us, uh, enjoy the stories that we watch on our screens, whether it be in a theater or on TV or these days on our phones. Honestly, the things that are in our hands., and there's something about the, the audio, the visual, the, the whole self that it puts into it that we're able to tell these stories that are transformative in our lives, and I'm grateful for that. And, um, and it doesn't even have to be, um, necessarily like a quote-unquote Christian production. I like— I find that so many times God will move and speak in the ways that God wants to do it, and, and I think our willingness is what God will so often use, and I'm grateful for that. So I want to ask you just quickly if you agree with this statement, because again, I'm not an actor, but you've had a little acting training and I have not, other than whatever the person who was producing my church plays as a child, which was usually my mom, you know, when we would do like musicals and stuff as a kid. And I don't really consider that the same caliber of acting exactly. Oh, but I heard there was— there's a comedian named Dana Gould, and he was talking about when he started doing some acting, and his main gig before that was writing and doing comedy and things. And he said he got an acting coach and realized his coach said, you're going to be super easy to teach because you're doing absolutely everything wrong. I just have to teach you how to flip what you're doing the opposite way. And he said the thing that was interesting for him, and I kind of find this interesting as a chaplain because so much of my job is listening. He said he had to learn as an actor. It was not so much about the speaking you do. It's about the way you listen. And he said he, he found that acting was very much a listening craft. And I thought, oh, that's fascinating. Cuz I don't know that I would've thought of it in that way. So my question to you is, in your experience, have you found that to be true in your acting, that it's very much about listening, kind of being there for what the others around you are doing and being attentive and paying attention, maybe even more than how you deliver it?

Yeah, I 100%. It, it is. And my acting coach is Edward Gilhouse and he is from Los Angeles., and, um, he's wonderful and he has taught me so much. And it— he told me that, he said, you've got to listen. So it's not about just memorizing the lines, you've got to listen to what the other person said so that you can follow up. Like when they say that, you know, they're gonna, you know, do something, you have to think about, well, what are they going to do? So then if they're going to do that, then what's my next line? Like you really have to listen. It's, it's, um It's definitely a lot of work. Yeah. And, um, and you have to be attentive and listen. And it's, um, it's not all like fun and games and people. I mean, it's— it can be fun and, and it is enjoyable. And I think you just have to love acting. And I do love acting. I do love it. It— but it is definitely 100% all about listening.

Well, I, I'm, I'm glad to hear that. It helped me to, to look at things in a new way. And the profession I do is so much about listening. And I think it's true as a songwriter too, that we become better the more that we become better listeners. And we're often about putting things out into the world. I even think it's true in the way that some of the best ways to share the gospel with people is by just listening, like hearing their story, giving them a chance to express what they're feeling, because so often people are not heard and not seen. Almost everybody has a voice, but not everybody's there to hear it. So I think putting that into your acting is brilliant. So that's a great thing. So, so tell us a little bit, those of us who are listening today and, and people who are listening, uh, some of the projects you've already been able to be a part of so they can, uh, go check out some of your work.

Yes. Um, so, uh, through my, I've, through pageants, I've done books. I've, I've written two books. I've gotten, um, really, well, one's a recipe book for my dad. Mm-hmm. And that was my first thing I did. And then I did a, um, I did a healing journal for caregivers with Alzheimer's disease. So that's— those are near and dear to my heart. I lost my dad 3 years ago, Christmas Eve, and it's, it's, um, I was Daddy's little girl, okay? And so it was tough. And so I pushed through the pain and continued on in my pageants, and, um, I did the, the, um Cooking with Love in Louisiana. You can find it on Amazon. And, uh, then I did— thank you— and then I did another healing journal. It's a prayer journal, and, um, and it's, it's designed to help the caregiver because it— care— my mom and I and my brothers were my dad's constant caregivers. And it— caregivers, it takes a toll. Alzheimer's does on the caregiver. So I did a prayer journal where they could journal how they're feeling about the progress of their loved one. And it, it was really neat. So, and I dedicated both of those books to my dad. So I really love that, getting to do that. And then all the travels, going to Washington, DC for Alzheimer's was huge for me, uh, my advocacy, which helped me to win Miss Woman United States because they're big platform pageant. Like, they, they love, um, to see women get into their platforms and use it good. And that's what I did. And I did that for many, many years. And I flew to Washington, DC and advocated for early detection for Alzheimer's disease. And that was a blessing. And I did— I have taken a break from that just in the past year, but I've shifted Everything to acting and, um, you know, and just ask God about that first, but, but he, you know, pushed me toward acting, but it's been amazing.

Well, and, and I, I wonder if two, one is gonna help the other, you know, because I, and I, I love, by the way, the idea of helping people have a journal to walk through, especially when their relatives are going through Alzheimer's. And I could see such great benefit to that. Um, it doesn't even have to be Alzheimer's, I don't think. I really feel like there are people that— I work with hospice patients, I work with people who, uh, family members are actively dying, you know, from day to day. And that's one thing that I often encourage them to do, you know, do you have a piece of paper and a pen, you know, maybe to write those things out. So thank you for contributing to the, the well-being of people and helping them through those situations. So I, I really hope that all of these projects combined that you'll see it not so much as like, I need to set one of these things aside, but maybe this is a new way to augment the good work that you're already doing. And I'm so grateful for that. So thank you. And, and by the way, I'm very sorry about your father, um, 3 years ago. And he will always matter, and he, he, he, that just never stops, and, and that love goes on forever. But I'm very sorry about, your loss for your family.

Thank you. I know I'll see them again someday, so yeah, it's okay.

I apologize, I keep muting myself because I keep coughing. I'm getting over a cold, so I apologize. Thank you. Well, thank you for, for sharing about some of your other projects too, because I, I know it's— you're sort of a jack of all trades type person when it comes to all this that you have going on. Um, what are some things that I, I'd love to, if you don't mind, go back to the acting profession again. And you had talked about some things that had really moved you. What is your, um, if you could say today, like, this would be my dream as an actress, that I would love to, like, you know, work with this person or on that project. I think probably everybody in their field has somebody that, like, you know, why not dream big, think about this project. So I'm just curious, like, who do you really admire and look up to and, and be like, well, if, if my dream got fulfilled, I, I'd love to work with this person or director or other actor or whatever. I'd love to hear that.

Oh my goodness. I'm embarrassed. Uh, but yeah, I don't know. There's so many people that I would love to work with, but, but I've always wanted to be in a Hallmark movie. Always, always, always. And since I was, you know, young and growing up and seeing it really started, Hallmark movies. And I've always loved the Christian aspect of that and the goodness of that. And, um, the— I would love to work with Lacey Chabert. She's not— didn't grow up that far from where I live currently, and, um, in Purvis, Mississippi, and I live in Franklinton, Louisiana. And so where I could probably be in her family's place in 45 minutes. So I'm not saying I know exactly where they live, and I've never met her, but I would love to work with her. And I would love to work with Candace Cameron Bure. Like, she's a wonderful Christian, and I've, um, always looked up to her and admired her for her Christianity. And, um, yeah, just do that and just be in any of the, um, Hallmark movies or the There's Angel Studio, Pureflix. All of those are just— there's so many good ways to be a Christian and tell a story about God and be— because everyone can't be a Christian actor. And that's, um, I do feel a calling in that. And, and, um, I've always wanted to work with Kevin Costner.

Yeah.

And I'm not— I don't know how Christian he is or anything, but I've always like been like, oh my gosh, He's been amazing. So, and my manager is probably laughing right now because I said that. He's, he's one, I would love to meet him someday.

Yeah, he's one of my favorites. That's great. So, well, I love all the old movies, the, the hit, the Western movies.

I would love to be on a Western movie sometime.

Yeah. And that, those are very popular right now too. So that's a, that'd be a great choice. Well, and you know, I, I think too, it's, it's neat because Um, again, I— it's— every actor is portraying someone. It's not necessarily the person they are. And I remember, uh, Denzel Washington talking years ago about some of his films and his choices that he makes. And he's a very devoted Christian, and it's interesting to hear his story because he plays some pretty dark characters sometimes. And he tells— I think it was the movie Training Day where he tells the story he prayerfully was reading the script, and, and it's a pretty, pretty dark, pretty rough script. And he said he wrote on it when he was done. He said he felt like a very clear moving of the Spirit. He wrote, 'The wages of sin is death' at the end. He said to tell this story, it's, it's not that it's a purely Christian film, but he said it was important for him to show the way that this kind of living leads, that it always leads to death, it never leads to life and everything. And so it was interesting too, just that sort of perspective. I think everybody has a different take on why they do it, how they do it, um, and there are so many of us, as you know, as colors of the rainbow. There are so many people with so many different personalities that God has made. And so I'm excited to see what good things you bring forth in the future with your acting and also your writing and, and the different skills that you have. And the way that I think even lifting up caregivers, that's a very special gift. So thank you for sharing about that. Well, we're just about at the end of our half hour tonight, and I want to make sure that I didn't miss anything that we want to talk about. Could you, uh, first of all, if, if there is something that was like really burning on your heart tonight that you wanted to make sure we talked about and we didn't, I want to give you a chance to talk about that. But also just to tell people more about where they can find you, whether it be online or ways that they can reach out through social media. I know that our listeners would love to keep in touch.

Oh, well, thank you. Yes, absolutely, I would love that. My, um, I have a website now, it's trishawoodthomas.com, so you can look on there. My email information's on there to email me, and you can look at my pictures and my, uh, all my screenings that I've done and, uh, scenes and, and modeling pictures. And so that's, that's really— and they can contact me through there and talk to me, and I would love that. And then I'm on Facebook and TikTok and So, um, as I think just says Trisha Thomas. So, and Instagram as well, all that's on there, it's all on my website. But, um, yeah, I'm really just— and, and the last thing I guess I would just want everyone to know about me is that, you know, um, I'm just trying to get my name out there as an actress and a Christian actress. And I'm, I'm led by God and, and I am saved and I've been saved since I was 7 years old and And I try to, um, you know, uh, my journey through life is, is to lead God. My purpose in life is to lead people to Christ, and I consider myself a minister of Christ. So, so when I live my life, my daily life, I just try to live it for God. And, and, um, and if anyone ever wants to ask me about any of that, or how do they find Christ, or how do they get to know him, I can help with that as well. They can always email me. I'm always happy to talk to people about Jesus. And but, but just know that about me, that I'm— whatever I do, I'm— everything I do, I do it for, for Jesus Christ. And if it doesn't glorify his name, I don't want to do it. And I don't want it to be about me. I don't want it to glorify me. I don't want my acting to glorify me. I want it to glorify God because I know when I give my life to him, he gives me life abundantly. And I want everyone to know that as well for their own self, whether they're a, an actress, a, a school teacher, a nurse, a policeman, anything. Whatever you do for God, he gives it back to you.

Well, thank you for sharing that tonight, and thank you for being here and, and taking the time just to share a little bit about your story and upcoming things that you have going on and past projects. And it's been a pleasure to get to meet you, and I hope we can do it again one of these days. And as I say to my guests every week, I'll say it to you here this week. Thank you, Tricia Wood Thomas, for being one of the Voices in My Head this week.

You're welcome. Thank you for having me.

My God bless. My pleasure. Well, and for everybody listening out there, thank you so much for listening to another episode of Voices in My Head. Um, doing a little bit better about getting these out weekly because I now have graduated from graduate school, so I have a little bit more time on my hands. So thank you all for listening to Voices in My Head, and I expect we will have some other great, great guests. Oops, sorry, I don't know, listeners, why my music got really loud. But thank you for listening to Voices in My Head again this week. As always, feel free to drop me a line. We're gonna have Tricia's information in the notes of the podcast. So you should be— from wherever you're listening to your podcast today, you should be able to go to the show notes, click on the links, and go right to her website. So thank you all for listening to Voices in My Head, and we'll see you back here next time. God bless.