Please introduce yourself. What do you do? Why? What do you want people to know about you?
Hello everyone 🙂 My name is Lindsay Arends, and I’m an actress. I also have recently started writing and producing my own projects, so I’m adding writer/producer to the mix 🙂
I have always known what I wanted to do since I was a little girl. The first time I turned on the television and watched a TV show on Nickelodeon, I asked my mother what those people were doing on TV. She told me that they were actors/actresses and I knew immediately that was what I wanted to do when I grew up.
I’m originally from Lake Forest, Illinois. I begged my parents to start letting me take acting classes. While taking acting classes at Lake Forest’s Community Children’s Theater, I starred in my first play, “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.” I played one of the lesser known peanuts, Meg. I was hooked! And from then on, I acted in school plays.
After I finished high school, I moved to New York and started professionally studying at HB Studio. I moved to LA after signing with my first agent, and I continued my studies with Warner Loughlin. I worked steadily in Los Angeles in a number of independent films, including “Drop Anchor”, “The Banksters: Madoff with America”, and “The Option.”
Additionally, I worked in theater, and I was in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion’s Production of “La Traviata” and originated the role of Tracey in Cal State LA’s premiere of “The Houseguest of Xinjiang.”
I have two upcoming films coming out. The first film is a sequel and a part of the “First String” franchise. It’s called “First String 2: The Greenwood 20: Quest for the Great Dante.” I played Sonia Epstein, an Israeli reporter, and she is based on one of the members of the Jerusalem five.
The second film that I have coming out is a short film called “The Champion Tree.” In addition to starring in the short, I also wrote, directed and produced it. It’s about a woman named Hannah who is recuperating from a car accident and has always been secretly in love with her best friend, Blake.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
One unique quality I have is that I’m exceptionally short. I’m 5’1” on a good day, so I could be either the damsel in distress, or the pint sized Superheroine that no one suspects. 😉
To be perfectly honest, I ask myself this question all of the time. I don’t think there is anything particularly extraordinary about me, except that I am a highly sensitive person with a huge heart. I really love my dogs, my family and my friends.
I’m used to getting rejected a lot (not just with acting, but with romantic prospects and in social situations) so I think my desire to persevere is extremely strong because of that. I’m constantly working towards achieving my goals, and I encourage others to have that positive mindset so they don’t let negative influences discourage them from what they want.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you’re doing what you were born to do.
When I was little, I watched a lot of television, and I was addicted to the USA Cartoon Express. There was one 80s cartoon that aired in reruns on USA, and that was Jem!
I loved Jem, and I wanted to be her when she grew up. She embodied all of the qualities the young me wanted to be: tall, confident, talented, successful, and she had a gorgeous boyfriend. There was one episode where Jem went to Hollywood and starred in her first movie, and it was called “Hollywood Jem.” When I saw what she was doing, in front of the cameras and the lights with all of the crew around her on the studio lot sound stage — I KNEW deep down that was my destiny.
I wanted to be on that studio lot, rehearsing my lines, dressed in character and living in that imaginary world on set. I felt a tingle in my spine that was my purpose. And once you have received that feeling, it never goes away and you have to hold on to that feeling because that’s who you are supposed to be.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to go through and how did you grow through it?
During the pandemic, Hollywood was completely shutdown. It was a very scary time for me because I had no idea if I was ever going to work again. I had to pivot to look for work outside of show business, so I became a flight attendant.
While I was working as a flight attendant, I had an accident and I had a very serious head injury.
I could not move parts of my body for several months and I worked with an acupuncturist and a physical therapist for four months. It was a very scary time for me. During my recuperation period, I had the idea for “The Champion Tree” and as soon as I was able to, I started writing the script. I found that my freak accident became the basis for the first short film that I wrote, so I was able to turn a negative event that happened to me into a positive learning experience.
Who are the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could elevate your career or business? Why these specific individuals?
1. Quentin Tarantino. He is my favorite film director and writer of all time. It has always been my dream to work with him.
2. Francine Maisler. It would be a true honor to audition for her casting office. She casts high quality projects that I would to be a part of.
3. Neil LaBute. “The Shape of Things” and “Reasons to be Pretty” are two of my favorite plays. I would love to be in one of his plays, whether it is a brand new play or a revival of one of his most famous works.
Drop your social media links.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Linds_Arends/
TikTok: TravLinds
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CF-47NZJ8gN/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=