CAMILLE GUATY IS WRITING HER OWN LEGACY
BY EBBY MAGAZINE
Actress Camille Guaty stars in HBO’s Duster and shares her journey through fertility advocacy, motherhood, and building a legacy with heart. From the screen to Capitol Hill, she is turning lived experience into impact as she leads with purpose, heart, and the kind of power that doesn’t need to raise its voice.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW SIMMONS
STYLED BY @SHOPHUNTED
“IT WAS PRAYER AND MY FAITH IN GOD THAT KEPT ME GROUNDED. I GIVE MYSELF PERMISSION TO SIT WITH THE PAIN. I LET MYSELF BREAK, CRY, GRIEVE. AND THEN, I’D RISE, MAYBE NOT STRONGER RIGHT AWAY, BUT MORE READY TO FACE IT ALL AGAIN.”
CAMILLE GUATY, ACTRESS
There’s a quiet force in Camille Guaty not the kind that demands attention, but the kind you feel the moment she enters a room. Whether she’s stepping into a gritty on-screen role or standing before lawmakers to advocate for fertility rights, Camille moves with purpose, heart, and hard-won conviction. She doesn’t perform strength; she radiates it with a grace that’s been earned, not inherited.
This May, she returns to television in Duster, HBO Max’s retro-charged crime thriller from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan. Set in 1972, the series follows the first Black female FBI agent as she joins forces with a getaway driver to dismantle a crime syndicate. Camille stars as Izzy Reina, a fearless truck driver inspired by real-life feminist trailblazer Adriesue “Bitsy” Gomez — a woman who challenged the system from behind the wheel of an eighteen-wheeler. For Camille, the role runs deeper than fiction. It’s a mirror of her own work advocating for women’s health, particularly in the realm of reproductive justice. This journey has taken her from fertility clinics to the halls of Congress.
But Camille’s story doesn’t begin or end in struggle. Her narrative is one of reclamation of voice, joy, and legacy. From early breakout roles in Prison Break and Las Vegas to her emotionally rich turns in The Rookie and Scorpion, she’s always chosen characters with complexity and soul. And off-screen, she’s built a life anchored in service and sincerity.
After facing five failed rounds of IVF and 21 unsuccessful embryo transfers, Camille chose to speak out — turning heartbreak into healing by championing national access to fertility care through organizations like RESOLVE and FACT. She’s since testified before lawmakers, launched nonprofit initiatives like Foster a Dream for LA’s foster youth, and remained a vocal supporter of women, children, and the power of second chances.
Now living in Tennessee with her husband and young son, Camille balances motherhood with movement-building. She shares openly with her online community, from home renovation inspiration to soulful reflections on identity and resilience. To follow Camille is to witness a woman evolving in real time, choosing truth over image and depth over perfection.
Camille Guaty isn’t just returning to our screens. She’s returning to herself and inviting the rest of us to do the same.
“THERE’S SO MUCH PRESSURE TO CONSTANTLY ACHIEVE, BUT REAL TRANSFORMATION OFTEN HAPPENS IN THE WAITING, IN THE REBUILDING, THE QUIET REDEFINING OF WHO YOU ARE.”
You play Izzy Reyna in Duster a character who’s fierce, fearless, and fighting for something bigger than herself. What drew you to her, and what did she awaken in you?
When you’re auditioning for a J.J. Abrams show, there are NDAs and what feels like a paper trail of clues about your character. I knew Izzy was a single mom, that she drove a truck, and had a complicated history with Jim. The rest was mine to build, to create a world and essence that would eventually culminate into a fearless advocate. Playing her woke something up in me. There’s a fire in Izzy that made me reflect on my own advocacy—especially around fertility and women’s rights. She made me bolder and louder and reminded me that no voice is too small.
Duster is set in 1972, but its themes feel strikingly present. How did it feel to step into a world that mirrors so much of what women are still fighting for today?
Crazy, right? We’re still fighting for equal pay, equity in the workforce, and access to healthcare. It wasn’t that long ago that women needed a man to co-sign just to open a credit card or bank account. As frustrating as it is to see how little the needle has moved, it also fuels me. It makes me louder. Today, more than ever, women are speaking out, and that momentum feels powerful.
Parts of Izzy’s story were inspired by Bitsy Gomez, a real-life trailblazer. How did it inform your transformation on set?
Bitsy Gomez was a single mother in survival mode. She founded the Coalition of Women Truck Drivers and challenged a system that kept women out and unsafe—and she did it all without a blueprint. It felt surreal to imagine one woman actually achieved this, all while raising three children on her own. If that’s not an inspiration to transform you, then I don’t know what is.
You’ve spoken so openly and courageously about your infertility journey. What gave you the strength to turn private pain into public purpose?
It didn’t feel courageous at the time—it felt necessary. I spoke out because I didn’t want other women to go through what I had gone through. I wanted them to have the information I so badly needed and never got. If sharing my story could spare even one person the shame and isolation I felt, then it was worth it. And honestly, I wouldn’t change my path for anything. The struggle is what led me to my son, and becoming his mother through donor conception is the greatest gift of my life.
You’ve taken that story all the way to Congress. What has surprised you the most about stepping into this kind of advocacy?
What’s surprised me most is how essential our personal stories are in shaping policy—and how often lawmakers don’t fully understand what they’re voting on. Some are still using outdated terms like “test tube babies.” That’s when you realize this work isn’t just about advocacy—it’s about education. They’re handed stacks of documents before voting on legislation that will impact families for generations, but nothing cuts through like a real story. When we share our experiences and back them with facts, we help turn abstract issues into human ones. That’s when real change starts to happen.
In moments when hope felt far away, what grounded you? What gave you light?
In the hardest moments, it was prayer and my faith in God that kept me grounded. I give myself permission to sit with the pain. I let myself break, cry, grieve. And then, I’d rise, maybe not stronger right away, but more ready to face it all again. That rhythm of surrender and resilience became my light.
You’ve been in this industry for two decades, yet it feels like you’re entering a whole new chapter. What does reinvention look like for you now?
For so long, I thought I had to stay in one lane: actress. But stepping into advocacy, storytelling behind the camera, and even sharing parts of my personal life publicly is all part of a larger purpose now. I’m not trying to chase what worked before. I’m building something new that reflects who I am now: as a mother, an advocate, and a creator. Reinvention, to me, means expanding rather than starting over. And honestly, it feels like the most authentic chapter yet.
Camille Guaty as Izzy Reina in Duster where grit, heart, and history collide.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES VAN EVERS
Legacy is a big word, but it’s something you’re building on screen, through your nonprofits, in your family. What do you hope people say about the life you’re creating?
Oh gosh, it is a big word. But honestly, when I think about legacy, I don’t think about what people will say—I think about what my son will say. Everything I do is for his future. I speak out about donor conception to change the narrative, to break the stigmas, so that one day he can walk down the halls of the school and feel proud of where he comes from, not different. If my legacy is anything, I hope it’s that I used my voice to make his path, and others like his, a little easier, a little brighter, and a lot more accepted.
What advice would you give to women who are in a season of waiting, rebuilding, or redefining what “success” means for them?
Give yourself permission to dream differently. There’s so much pressure to constantly achieve, but real transformation often happens in the waiting, in the rebuilding, the quiet redefining of who you are. I’ve learned that success isn’t a single moment; it evolves with you. So trust that this season has a purpose, even if it’s uncomfortable.
Your Instagram is such a beautiful mix of home projects, motherhood, advocacy, and honesty. What’s bringing you joy right now, in the quiet moments?
Quiet moments?! Haha—there are no quiet moments with a 5-year-old. But honestly, that’s what makes me appreciate them even more. So, what’s bringing me joy right now? Just that…quiet. In those little pauses, I can come back to myself, and that’s important.
At Ebby, we believe “inner wealth” is the new luxury. What does living richly on your terms look like to you today?
Time. Time is a luxury. To have time to spend with your family. Connection. Keep it simple.
Fill in the blank: At this point in your life, I am most proud of______
Being a working mom. That job alone deserves an Oscar!
