Please introduce yourself, what you do, why you do it, and what you want people to know about you.
When asked for his input with this question, my boyfriend said “tell them you’re an actress, eco-justice warrior, horse riding princess, food thief, and outdoors extraordinaire” – but I think he’s exaggerating.
I am a creative, first and foremost. I love engaging with the creative arts and have a great passion for it. From film to literature, television, art, and music – I enjoy engaging with it all. Specifically, as an actor, I love all the pieces that go into bringing a character to life on screen.
I think that’s what I want people to know about me; that I ‘do’ acting because I cannot imagine doing anything else.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
I’m not trying to fit a box. I’ll admit that in the past I did try to fit this idea of what an ‘actress’ was, but it never allowed me to bring ‘me’ to the table. Anyone can say that they are different and unique; because everyone is.
We can share the same skills, but can never be the same person. I am an actor, but I am Alex first.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do now. Who did you tell first? What has it been like since that moment?
There was no one moment. I never had a ‘lightbulb’ go off, or a life-changing realization. I always knew I was drawn to the creative arts and I have a genuine love for fiction; fantasy and sci-fi especially. I think it’s because those genres explore characters from a different perspective, with a different lens.
They say “what if this happened – but there were dragons” or “what if you felt this – but in space”? I was drawn to that as a child and explored it as an adult. I wanted to be part of it and that was something I never had any doubts about.
But, if we want to pinpoint a moment; I walked into a casting call off the street because a sign was out and it said “open casting call”. It was literally ‘a sign’ and my feet took me up some stairs and right into an open audition where an agent found me – and thus my official journey into film and tv began.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
Moving overseas and being overseas when COVID hit. The world has changed and we’ve all changed a bit with it. Being away from family, from opportunities, and having experiences miles and miles away from those I love has been a challenge.
Calling someone and saying “I got that commercial” or “I had an awful audition” is not the same as celebrating or commiserating in person.
Learning has been hard too, with classes shut down. But – we adapt. We keep learning, we find new ways to study and, at least for me, I’ve let the experience shape how I approach my craft and my industry. It showed me what I valued and what I wanted. I overcame it by needing to.
I needed to find a way to keep being passionate about the things I am passionate about; so I did.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
Helen Mirren, Denis Villeneuve, Nicole Kidman.