Favorite Quote or Personal Mantra: "You must immerse yourself in an unfamiliar world in order to truly understand your own."
ODT: Where are you from?
JA:Raleigh, NC
ODT: Describe the moment you decided to make the leap to Los Angeles.
JA: I pretty much knew I was moving to LA since I was a little girl (as I read in a journal entry I wrote at age 6). My parents pushed me to move here because they knew I had been dreaming about it since childhood; they really believe in me and are my biggest supporters. The summer after my sophomore year of college, I lived, took classes, and interned in LA with other Elon students.
It was definitely a transition and very different from North Carolina, where I spent my entire life. I can't even remember if I really even liked LA or not. After graduating Elon, I spent one last summer in NC, then left for good for LA. The hardest part of it all was when my mom dropped me off at the airport and I thought, "this is really real and actually happening." She started crying and it broke my heart because I never see her cry. It was really hard to leave my close-knit family, my best friends, and the home that built me. But I knew that I had to. I got on the plane and never looked back.
ODT: What do you love about Hollywood?
JA: Hollywood feels like a dream land. It is a WORLD of its own. Many people can't handle it and I understand why, but I think that's what I like about it. Everyone and everything here is strange... in the best way possible.
ODT: Describe some of the struggles you've faced being a young woman in the film industry:
JA: There are many factors beating talent that go into making a hiring decision, more so for women because there is so much competition -- social media following, unattainable looks standards, etc. It's challenging because you don't want to have to care about that stuff but you also want to be working!
ODT: Tell us about your life outside of OR DIE TRYING?
JA: I take television hosting classes and finally finished my hosting reel.I've worked for the Academy (Oscars) for a little over two years now. I also adore children and nanny on weekends as much as I can! In my free-time (what's that) I love going to the beach, swimming, hiking, traveling and going to 90s theme parties.
ODT: What other projects are you working on at the moment?
JA: Honestly dedicating my life to ODT right now.
ODT: What do you love about OR DIE TRYING?
JA: There has never been a female version of Entourage, and there has never been an LA version of GIRLS. I like to think of ODT as the lovechild between the two. Also, because we are playing women we know very well and are passionate about what we are creating, our characters that much more raw and real.
ODT: What dream are you most fighting for?
JA: Performing is my outlet. It feeds my imagination and it's a way to give voice to feelings. If I could spend the rest of my life doing this, it'd be the most fun life ever. I ultimately want to do something big that makes my parents proud. I want to pay them back for giving me such an amazing life. If I ever become wealthy, I want to buy them a mansion next-door to me.
Learn more about Jenny Austin and OR DIE TRYING on Seed&Spark here.
