Beyond the Lens with Belle Guillory
Originally from Austin, Texas, Belle Guillory is an award-winning actress and filmmaker. She can be seen in the horror feature Bitch Ass as Cricket, which won the Audience Award in 2022 at the SXSw film festival. She earned nominations for both the Broadway World Award for the Best Supporting Performer and the Robby Award for Best Dramatic Actress.
As the founder of Guillory Entertainment, Belle is actively developing original content. He latest creation God Be With Us is streaming on FOX SOUL.
Recently, Belle listened to this clip below from the Death of a Cameraman podcast [the story of a Casting Director, Aaron Cox going homeless during COVID], and shared this feedback with us.
Belle: Vision is everything. If you can see it, you can achieve it. Many people envision a certain life for themselves but brush it off as “just a dream,” without realizing how powerful the mind truly is.
However, seeing the vision is only the beginning. You must believe it is possible, take actionable steps toward it, and continue believing even when the journey becomes difficult. That is what resonated with me most about the clip. Doubt can creep in when progress is slow, obstacles arise, or you share your vision with people whose opinions discourage you.
During my first year in Los Angeles, I attended a taping of The Steve Harvey Show, and Steve said something that has stayed with me ever since: "God gave that vision to you—not to everyone else." Because of that, it is your responsibility to protect it, nurture it, work toward it, and ultimately have faith that it can come to fruition.
Aaron: How would you describe who you are today?
Belle Today, I would describe myself as an actress, writer, filmmaker, and woman of faith who is learning to fully own her voice. I’m ambitious and deeply driven, but I’m also becoming more intentional about enjoying the life I’m building instead of constantly chasing the next accomplishment. At my core, I’m a storyteller who wants people—especially Black girls and families—to feel seen, understood, and hopeful.
Aaron: What first pulled you toward acting and the entertainment industry?
Belle: Growing up as the eldest of eight children in a small Texas town, television was where my family gathered. We laughed together, repeated our favorite lines, and connected through the stories we watched. I didn’t realize it then, but I was studying the power of storytelling. Acting gave me the freedom to step into lives beyond my own, while filmmaking gave me the ability to create the stories I wished I had seen growing up.
Aaron: What are you working on now?
Belle: Right now, I’m continuing to audition while developing several projects through my production company, Guillory Entertainment. My primary series is Belle’s Divine Plan, a faith-centered family comedy about a megachurch pastor’s teenage daughter trying to become popular at an underfunded public high school while navigating her chaotic family—and God’s plans for her life. I’m also writing The Black & Lovely Pageant, a comedy with heart about ambition, identity, sisterhood, and what it really means to feel worthy.
Aaron: Was there ever a time when the person people knew you as no longer fit who you were becoming?
Belle: Absolutely. Growing up, people knew me as the shy girl who would barely speak. But through debate in high school and college, I discovered my voice and grew into a leader and spokesperson. I went on to hold multiple managerial positions and pursue a career that requires me to be seen and heard. I was no longer the shy little girl my hometown remembered—I had blossomed into a beautiful butterfly.
Aaron: What do you think people miss when they only see the image, not the person behind it?
Belle: They don’t always see the work, effort, sacrifice, and mindset it takes to keep going. Throughout every obstacle, you are faced with a choice: give up or keep moving forward. I chose to keep going. People may see the polished photographs, accomplishments, or exciting moments, but behind that image is someone who has worked hard, faced uncertainty and loss, and continued choosing her dreams.
Aaron: What is something you are grateful for now?
Belle: I’m grateful that my light still shines. Through the doubt, failures, disappointments, and loss, my light still shines. Life has given me plenty of reasons to question myself, but I haven’t allowed those experiences to take away my hope, faith, or ability to dream. I’m grateful that I can still see possibility ahead of me.
Aaron: A book, movie, or song that shaped you?
Belle: “Schoolin’ Life” by Beyoncé. You can learn so much in school—and trust me, I was a bookworm—but there is nothing like the lessons life teaches you. And boy, does life teach you some lessons! It brings experiences you may have never imagined would happen, but through it all, it is an amazing ride. That song reminds me that life itself is one of our greatest teachers.
Aaron: What is the next version of you trying to create?
Belle: The next version of me is someone who truly trusts herself and the vision set before her. There are so many naysayers, gatekeepers, and outside opinions telling us what is or isn’t possible. I’m learning to use discernment, trust my path, and move forward without allowing doubt to have as much influence over my decisions. I want to become someone who doesn’t need constant outside validation to believe in what she has been called to create.
Aaron: What are you more confident about now than you used to be?
Belle: I’m more confident in my voice. I have something to say, and I’m proud to say it. I know I have a lot to offer the world—stories, experiences, and perspectives that people can learn from or see themselves reflected in. I’m excited to share those things through my acting, writing, filmmaking, and all the work still ahead of me.
Aaron: If someone discovers your story through Beyond the Lens, what do you hope they take away from it?
Belle: I hope they understand that becoming who you are meant to be is rarely a straight line. There will be rejection, uncertainty, reinvention, and seasons when very little appears to be happening. None of that means your story is over. I want people to leave believing that they can evolve beyond the version of themselves others have accepted, trust the voice God gave them, and create the life and opportunities they have been waiting for.
You can follow Belle Guillory at @bellepeppah
Also visit her website at https://belleguillory0.wixsite.com/home for more.
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