Or Die Trying executive producers Sarah Hawkins and Myah Hollis caught up with co-producer and actor, Jenny Austin, to talk about her experience playing Amelia Tinsley and bringing ODT Season 1 to life.
ODT: Where are you from?
Jenny Austin: Raleigh, NC.
ODT: What character do you play in Or Die Trying?
JA: Amelia Tinsley.
ODT: What made you want to pursue acting?
JA: When I was six years old, I dreamed of becoming a writer and competed in many writing competitions. My parents still have an entire closet of "books" that I wrote in my childhood home. Growing up, I forced my younger siblings to perform in “plays” for our family and made my parents videotape our performances- I even recorded our family voicemail as "the British nanny." My best friend and I recorded videos of us as "twins" and we called it "Cara & Tara's Sing Along." My sister and I would record ourselves as TV hosts and would critique movies that we loved, such as "Snow Day" on Nickelodeon.
Because of all of these antics, we now have a hilarious collection of home videos that really map my love for performance and need for a creative outlet throughout my childhood. I realized that, like writing, performing in front of an audience is a form of storytelling. I loved that I could use acting to explore living as someone other than myself. Now in my mid-20s, I am still drawn toward playing many different roles and studying different characters. Performing feeds my imagination and is a way to give voice to my feelings. If I could spend the rest of my life doing this, it'd be the most fun life ever!
ODT: What first drew you to this series?
JA: Following your heart and dreams has always been my mantra. Moving away from my friends and family without knowing many people in Los Angeles was not easy, as glam as I may make it look on Instagram. When Sarah (EP) and I first met up with the goal of creating something together, we wanted our project to be something about the rawness of making it in LA. Since then, we have seen the series develop as a real reflection of the trying hardships, genuine friendships, difficult decisions, and incredible triumphs that have made our experiences in LA so memorable.
ODT: Without giving too much away, what do you relate to most with your character?
JA: I am pretty low-maintenance (Amelia is not), but very passionate and definitely a "go-getter." I think Amelia and I have the passionate part in common, where we can be "too much" sometimes. She becomes wrapped up in having the "perfect life," when really, that life hasn't made her truly happy. I have experienced a similar internal struggle to Amelia–the hustle in Los Angeles can be exhausting and sometimes living a more "normal" life seems really enticing for me. However, like Amelia, I find that happiness is only going to come when I am honest with myself about my goals and motivations.
ODT: What was it like to work on a set with a predominately female crew?
JA: It was actually amazing. I can't get over how efficient and talented these women are! There were quick shoot days and everyone handled them gracefully.
ODT: What do you think is the best way for the industry to go about closing the gender gap?
JA: CREATE THINGS! Instead of waiting for someone to give you an opportunity, CREATE one. We are lucky to live in a time where we have access to crowd-funding, social media sites for brand promoting, online DIY and how-to tutorials, communities of creative people from all over the world, and so many forms of technology. Use your resources! Connect with people who have like interests and start something that makes you feel proud.
ODT: What other projects are you working on?
JA: I am already producing my next film! :) Projects are addicting. I actually wrote the story when I was 19 and have always wanted to film it. My best friend's boyfriend is starring in it, and he's perfect for the part. I cannot wait.
ODT: Where can people find you?
JA: I'm all about that insta game: @jenny_austin and Twitter: @jennyyaustinn andimdb.me/jennyaustin.
