Lona Davis
“Don’t ask for permission.”
That was one of the messages filmmaker Leah McKendrick ’08 shared with a room of Chapman University students hoping to find their place in the entertainment industry. Nearly two decades ago, McKendrick was in their shoes. Today, she has built a career around that same philosophy, creating opportunities for herself rather than waiting for them and, most recently, bringing her work to Netflix.
McKendrick returned to Chapman during Homecoming weekend for a reception and screening of her most recent film, “Voicemails for Isabelle.” The romantic comedy, which she wrote and directed, follows a young woman navigating dating and work while leaving voicemails for her late sister. Since its June release, it has become Netflix’s most-watched romantic comedy of 2026 and spent seven weeks in the streamer’s global Top 10. Screening the film on campus returned McKendrick to the place where she developed the make-it-yourself approach that still guides her career today.
Learning to Build Her Own Roles
When McKendrick attended Chapman in the 2000s, the screen acting program was still taking shape. As one of its early students, she moved between the College of Performing Arts and Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, gaining experience on stage and on camera.
That interdisciplinary experience encouraged McKendrick to think beyond acting alone. With support from then-President Jim Doti and John Benitz, professor of theatre, she began exploring writing, producing, and directing. These experiences helped her develop the skills to take greater control over the stories she wanted to tell and the roles she wanted to pursue.
“We were taught, if you don’t see a role you want to play, a show you want to stage — create it yourself,” McKendrick said. “I’ve made a career out of that DIY filmmaking.”
That approach became especially important as McKendrick entered an industry where waiting for the right role could mean waiting indefinitely. Rather than limiting herself to opportunities created by others, she began developing her own projects, gradually expanding her identity from actor to writer, producer, and director.
A Trust Fall Behind the Camera
Years later, that same do-it-yourself mentality shaped “Voicemails for Isabelle.” As the film’s writer, director, and actor, McKendrick was responsible for translating her vision into a finished production while trusting others to help execute it. She described balancing those responsibilities as an ongoing learning process and a “trust fall” between her and the people around her. Having written the story, she saw her role as establishing a clear creative vision and then giving her collaborators the space to contribute their own expertise.
The balance between creative control and collaboration has also shaped the way McKendrick works with actors. Her own experience performing gives her an understanding of the vulnerability required in front of the camera, while directing has taught her to pay closer attention to what actors need from the person behind it.
“So much of what we do as actors is listen, and you never listen better than when you’re directing,” McKendrick told students.
Moving between both roles has strengthened her approach to each. She has learned to create an environment where actors feel prepared and supported while gaining a deeper understanding of how different aspects of production work together to serve a story.
For McKendrick, that story remains at the center regardless of the size of the production or the number of roles she takes on. The biggest lesson she took from making “Voicemails for Isabelle,” she said, was that whether a film is a small independent project or a major studio production, the goal is ultimately the same: “Tell the truth.”
Encouraging the Next Generation
Speaking to Chapman students preparing to enter the entertainment industry, McKendrick emphasized that building a career often requires stepping outside familiar roles and learning along the way. She encouraged students to seek out collaborators, develop skills beyond their immediate interests, and remain open to opportunities they may not have originally considered.
“Don’t ask for permission,” McKendrick advised. “If you don’t write, join forces with a writer you admire. If you don’t know how to produce — learn.”
McKendrick also addressed the pressure students often feel to have their careers figured out before graduation. She encouraged them to approach that uncertainty with curiosity, and to see the early years of their careers as a chance to discover strengths they may not yet recognize.
Returning to Chapman gave McKendrick the chance to share the lessons that have guided her own journey with a new generation of filmmakers. Her career has been shaped by a willingness to explore unfamiliar paths and learn along the way. It’s a perspective she hopes students will carry with them:
“It is not your job to have a clear road map. It is your job to explore, to listen, to try, fail, gather intel and get up again — smarter.”
