ABOUT SERENA
Serena Ryen is an actor, singer, and teacher whose work spans prestige television, independent film, theatre, and commercials. A recurring player in Ryan Murphy's TV universe, she is most known for her work as JFK Jr.’s first cousin, Kara Kennedy, in the Emmy-nominated hit LOVE STORY: JFK Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, and for delighting audiences as the “Snide Salesgirl” opposite Oscar-nominees Naomi Watts and Chloë Sevigny in FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans. She has performed in #1 series on NETFLIX, Apple TV+, FX, Hulu, and Disney+, on revered stages like Carnegie Hall, and with global industry leaders like Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, Condé Nast, and Dunkin'.
As at-home on stage as she is on set, Serena has worked with theaters like The Cincinnati Playhouse, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, and St. Ann's Warehouse. She has toured both regionally and internationally, bringing life to complex, powerful roles like Cleopatra and Charlotte Corday, across plays and musicals alike.
Classically trained, Serena studied Musical Theatre at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy before honing her acting skills at the Stella Adler Studio, where she now teaches Character Development to NYU-Tisch's freshman cohort. She trained in Advanced Camera Technique with Bob Krakower and Jess Cummings in NYC.
Serena is a founding member of Schmeh Films, where she produces award-winning stories that entertain, inspire, and ignite change. She won Best Actress Awards at festivals across the country for her raw, vulnerable performance in CASHED (Amazon Prime), which she co-wrote with her life-and-producing partner, Ethan Itzkow. With Itzkow, she co-directed the dark social thriller High Score (Film Shortage - Best Pick) and the award-winning short, JADE, starring Luke Tennie (Shrinking, The Pitt, Abbott Elementary). They are currently developing two feature films.
