Photographer: Dean Foreman Makeup: Ashley Donovan Hair: Jaycee Mnirjd — Photographer: Dean Foreman
Makeup: Ashley Donovan
Hair: Jaycee Mnirjd

Outfitted with an exemplary work ethic and astute outlook on the industry, actress Dominique Druckman is destined to dazzle the acting world. Her repertoire is multi-faceted, including improv experience at The Groundlings; a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance; and the incredibly unique opportunity to become an influencer in the compelling HBO documentary Fake Famous. The riveting program chronicles the behind-the-scenes components of social media, and what happens when three Los Angeles-based individuals receive fake followers to catapult them to influencer fame, or, in the case of Dominique Druckman, real fame. Her Instagram page is now flooded with comments, likes, and follows from real fans who are drawn to Druckman’s incredible talent and passion for performance.

“I had grown up as a dancer and always loved the performing side of it,” Druckman recalls. “When I got to high school I went balls-to-the-wall with drama club and then followed suit at Florida State University and knew that making people laugh and feel things from film and TV was what I wanted to do.” Druckman reflects fondly on her time in college. “I loved going to school at Florida State,” she shares. “It was such a great university to get the ‘true college experience’ with football but also the discipline of my Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance.” Furthermore, in addition to getting a well-rounded undergraduate experience from Florida State, Druckman also graduated with profound perspectives on the world around her. “I’d say my biggest takeaway is that art is everywhere and if you’re not finding yourself in it, create it,” she says.

It was then time for Dominique to leave The Sunshine State behind in order to pursue her dreams in The Golden State. To many, such a cross-country move would seem daunting and difficult, but for Druckman, it was delightful. “I actually drove out here from Florida with my dad,” Druckman recalls. “It was such a special trip and I’d do it again in a heartbeat with him.”

Once settled in her new home, Druckman was off to work in making her dreams a reality and preparing for opportunity to call — or, in her case — for opportunity to DM. Fake Famous had a casting process that “was a little unconventional,” Druckman notes. “Someone actually DM’d me asking if I’d be interested in sending in a self-tape for a project with ‘a major cable network,’” Druckman says. “I had no idea it was HBO or what the project was. Then came the callback and the rest was kind of history.”

Indeed, learning that she had booked a role in HBO’s Fake Famous is the kind of history that Druckman will never forget. “I actually just finished a group boxing class at Rumble with some of my coworkers when I went into the locker room to wash up and looked at my phone to see a text from our producer Annabelle Dunne telling me I got the part,” Druckman shares. “I was so excited, I called my mom immediately and was just so so so happy and relieved. I was shaking walking across the street to my car, but it was good excitement.”

From there, Druckman was off to the world of social media stardom, portraying herself in Fake Famous and getting an inside look at the other side of social media, complete with wonderful memories and new perspectives. “It was such a rewarding and surprising experience that I’m so grateful to have been a part of,” Dominique says of her time working on Fake Famous. “The day we had the makeover was probably one of my favorite memories,” Druckman says. “Not only did I discover a new hairstyle that I love, but also we had a big lunch as a cast/crew for the first time and it just felt like the start of something special.”

In addition to discovering a new hairstyle, Druckman also discovered a new talent of hers through filming Fake Famous, namely portraying herself in a documentary. “While working on a documentary I’m as much myself as possible,” Druckman explains; a large contrast to improvising or acting as a character. “It was a great experience but also a little nerve-racking,” Druckman shares. “I feel like I was trying to be myself as much as possible, but that was scary because if people who watched it didn’t like me, it was me they didn’t like, not a version of the character I created. So it was fun and really liberating to just be present and myself on camera, but also just slightly nerve-racking.”

Viewers of course absolutely loved Druckman, as is evident by her Instagram page teeming with comments from real users commending her performance and perspectives in Fake Famous. One such perspective pertains to the unexpected challenges of being an influencer. “Keeping up with posting regularly was actually a lot harder than it sounds,” Druckman explains. “Having content to post all the time, making sure it works with your feed, is on brand, figuring out what your brand is, all of that took some time to figure out.”

Another perspective Druckman gained through Fake Famous involves the mirage of social media. “I’d say my biggest takeaway from the project is that everything is not as it seems on social media,” Druckman says. “Look at everything with a grain of salt and try to fill your feed with things, people, and posts that make you happy. Becoming a fake influencer took some time, but once we got the hang of it I had a lot of family and friends who would message me saying ‘Oh my gosh I can’t believe you have 150k followers!’ ‘OMG girl you’re famous!’ And that was all pretty funny to me because I’m like uhhhh no not really but glad you think so.”

Similarly, as social media continues to ingrain itself in culture and society more and more every day, Druckman reflects on social platforms in general. “I think social media can have a positive impact on society, if and when used properly,” she notes. “What I learned about social media through Fake Famous, and what I don’t love, is how people have started using social media as a platform to brag and show off how their lives are better than those around them.” Druckman, however, uses her platform to spread positive messages and uplifting posts, creating a happy space on Instagram for her over 350,000 followers.

Furthermore, Dominique has seen firsthand how social media can incite new opportunities. “Having a larger social media following has definitely opened doors in my professional world,” Druckman says. “But also socially people treat you different. It’s interesting and you’d think it wouldn’t have an impact because as you grow up you think life isn’t a popularity contest anymore, but when coworkers saw I had a big Instagram following they’d treat me differently.”

When it comes to imparting her social media wisdom on aspiring influencers, Dominique advises “be prepared to hustle your butt off! Make connections with brands, photographers, makeup artists and don’t be afraid to collaborate and use those connections. Reach out to anyone you want to work with, what’s the worst thing they can say? No. And then, just onto the next.”

Speaking of next, the sky seems to be the limit for Dominique and what she will accomplish next in her career. As far as future collaborations, “working with Meryl Streep would be a big bucket list moment,” Druckman shares. She continues to list Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Greta Gerwig, and Steven Spielberg as people she hopes to work with one day. Tina Fey rounds out her list, “I think she’s an incredible writer and I love so much of her work,” Dominique says.

While Dominique Druckman herself has inspired viewers everywhere with her performance in Fake Famous, she cites Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Emma Stone, and Kristen Wiig as her own personal inspirations. “I love a strong female lead,” Druckman continues. “Currently I’m obsessing over Elizabeth Olsen and Kathryn Hahn’s performances in WandaVision.”

Druckman’s wisdom on the world of social media, the world of entertainment, and the world in general is insightful, profound, and heartfelt. When reflecting back on her own career, Dominique shares that she would tell her younger self that “everyone has a different journey to where they’re supposed to end up. Some people’s journeys happen overnight, others take a little bit longer. At the end of the day, hard work and talent pays off and the rest is up to the universe.”

As Dominique Druckman accumulates real fame from Fake Famous, it is clear that she is destined to dominate the acting world and continue to tell powerful stories with her projects. Druckman fundamentally sees the power of acting to be about evoking emotions from people. “I always say ‘I love acting because I like making people feel things they didn’t expect,’” she says. “The greatest joy in the world for me is making people laugh, so the power of acting is just creating feelings and bringing an audience to a special place. For a minute or hour, it’s all special to me.”

ashley v.jpg — Meet the Author

Ashley Vitarelli is an aspiring writer currently majoring in Film & Television at Boston University. She is the Head Writer of *Bay State*, the longest-running college soap opera in the country, and is also a writer for BUTV10’s sitcom *The News*. In addition, she is a writer for two satirical newspapers at Boston University. Ashley is the co-creator and co-host of Alligator Pitch, an interview series focused on sharing advice from business professionals to help women get their start in the entertainment industry.

Actress Dominique Druckman Talks HBO’s “Fake Famous,” Social Media, and Life as an Influencer