Julia Stier, a grad of San Antonio's Reagan High School, thrives as actor, writer and studio executive

Julia Stier got “very lucky” when she was hired as an assistant for director Liesl Tommy, the first woman of color to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play.
Credit: Huebner Headshots

As a student at Reagan High School, Julia Stier discovered acting was a path she wanted to follow for as long as possible. She described her experience there as “boot camp for performers.”

“It was like varsity theater,” Stier, 29, told the Current during a recent interview. “Performing in [the musical] Thoroughly Modern Millie is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, because I had to tap dance on a desk as they were sliding it around the stage.”

Following her 2014 graduation from Reagan, Stier moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. Four years later, she earned a bachelor’s in theatre and planned to continue acting in “anything I could get my hands on.” Then the pandemic hit, and productions ground to a halt.

“That’s when I knew I needed to get a job behind the scenes,” Stier said.

Stier got “very lucky” when she was hired as an assistant for director Liesl Tommy, the first woman of color to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play.

“They always tell you that a desk job will be the death of your acting career, but I found it very rewarding,” Stier explained.

Today, Stier, along with her work as an actor, playwright and screenwriter, is the head of development at Cold Iron Pictures, a Los Angeles-based studio that’s produced films including Swiss Army Man starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe and I Do…Until I Don’t starring Lake Bell and Ed Helms.

In December 2024, Forbes named Stier to its 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment list. She shared the distinction with the likes of actors Kathryn Newton (Abigail) and Jacob Elordi (Saltburn) along with comedian Marcello Hernandez (Saturday Night Live).

During our interview, Stier talked about some of the I-can’t-believe-this-is-really-happening moments she’s had in the industry and how working in production made her a better actor.

When you got the call from Liesl Tommy, what were you thinking?

I actually got the call when I was visiting my parents in San Antonio. It seemed like a great gig. At the time, I was like, “OK, I’m an actor, but I’m kind of a full-time freelancer now that the world has shut down.”

Were there any pinch-me moments working behind the scenes with her?

Yeah, I was her assistant through the development of a new Disney+ series that unfortunately got axed right as we were going into production. It was truly crazy because I’d be sitting on Zoom calls with [Oscar-winning composer and songwriter] Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid), listening to original music that he was writing. I grew up with his music.

What was the series about?

It was a Beauty and the Beast prequel. It was going to be with Josh Gad who played LeFou in the live-action version. They were doing a prequel with him and Luke Evans as Gaston. It was about how they became LeFou and Gaston. It felt like such a shoo-in, and the music was so good. I remember when we did our first read-through, and they started off with that very classic Beauty and the Beast theme. Everyone burst into tears.

How did you get to Cold Iron Pictures?

I was juggling being an actor and an assistant, and when it got to be too much, I was like, “OK, I think I need a more stable job,” which is how I got introduced to Cold Iron Pictures. I started off as an assistant and within the year, I was bumped up to coordinator and development executive. Then, last October, I got bumped up to head of development.

What is the best part of your job?

Working in production and in development has made me a better writer and a better actor. You learn so much by osmosis, and there’s so much that I didn’t know. My boss, Miranda Bailey, has been a producer for more than 20 years, and she’s made some amazing indie hits. I get to see how a script goes from page to screen. I get to do cool things like jet off to Italy tomorrow, where we’re co-executive producing a documentary that’s premiering at the Venice Film Festival.

Are you still acting?

I am! I’m currently in a play. [Last] November, I shot an entire feature. Thankfully, a lot of the films are really flexible. They understand that I have this position. So, there were a lot of night and weekend shoots. They were very accommodating, which was amazing, because it’s not easy to balance all of it. This is an industry of action, for sure.

Is it worth it?

Hell yeah! [Forbes] shouted out the fact that I’m an actor, writer and producer. I do think that being the head of development is what opened the door for me, but it was very nice to get recognized for how much I’m doing across the industry. It’s worth it, but it’s very exhausting. I drink a lot of coffee.

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Julia Stier, a grad of San Antonio’s Reagan High School, thrives as actor, writer and studio executive

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