Meet Ashlee Juergens | Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashlee Juergens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashlee, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
‘Risk’ used to be an extremely scary word for me. I had a negative connotation with the word always questioning “What if I take a risk and fail?” Being someone who was so afraid to make a mistake and get things wrong, I wasn’t seeking risk in my creative work because it was too scary and uncomfortable. It sounds stupid to me now, because it’s even more risky to stay in the same place for the rest of my life.

Leading up to my last year of High School brought on the time to apply for courses at University. I was focused on my future goals as an actor, but this seemed to be difficult for some of my teachers and peers to understand. They tried to persuade me to apply for courses that had nothing to do with being creative. But for me, a backup plan was not an option.

Over the past year I have truly come to understand that risk is a pivotal quality of being an artist. It provokes growth and allows you to achieve things you never thought you could.

Risk is what made me an actor.
Risk is what made me book work in roles that required tapping into intense emotional circumstances.
Risk is what made me move to Los Angeles for 6 months at the age of 19.
Risk is what makes me choose discomfort over comfort every day.

It is risky being an artist so we may as well lean into the risk and achieve the things we want to achieve and MORE!

Taking risks has brought me incredible opportunities and experiences as an actor…So let’s just say, I’ll be taking many more risks from here on out.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My journey as an actor has not been easy but I think anything that is worth fighting for is never easy. The support of my family, mentors and friends has really helped in overcoming challenges within the industry.

I have a very strong work ethic and am constantly finding ways to grow and stay inspired like reading plays and books, learning about people’s stories, watching film and TV, and analysing new scripts. I value my training as an actor so I have trained in a range of techniques, in both Australia and the US.

I learnt that as an actor our body, emotions, memories, thoughts, everything that makes us human, IS our instrument and is our art. I want to create real truthful performances, and understanding myself enables me to better understand the characters I play.

I am proud of my work on the psychological thriller “The Secrets She Keeps”. There were some very confronting elements to this role that required me to step into a side of myself that I had never accessed before. It was challenging, and it taught me the importance of vulnerability as an actor.

Additionally, I played Carly in the Stephen King US feature film “Children of The Corn” produced by Lucas Foster and directed and written by Kurt Wimmer, which was one of the only projects shooting when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. It was released in US cinemas in March 2023 and is now available to stream on AMC network’s horror streaming service Shudder.

During my time in Los Angeles in 2022, I performed a significant role in the international premiere of the Australian play “Dead Skin”, performed in the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June, which won Hollywood Fringe ENCORE PRODUCERS AWARD and was nominated for Best International Play and Best Drama. The role of Maggie was an interesting character to play. She was a young girl grappling with identity and used comedy as a defence mechanism to avoid her deeper emotions.

I was also one of the main supporting characters in the film “Starry Eyed” where I won ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at the American Arts Film and Television Academy Festival in 2022.

One of the things I have learnt recently is that ‘living’ and experiencing life is part of my job as an actor. Human behaviour fascinates me. As a child I would ‘stare’ at people, which I have come to realise was actually my curiosity in human behaviour.

I have been told I have wisdom beyond my years, I guess that comes from my love for communicating with all types of people.

As a 20 year old, my journey has only just begun. I look forward to see what the future holds.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My friends and family are very into fitness so I would have to take them on the beautiful LA hikes, like Runyon Canyon and of course, the Hollywood Sign.

It would be remiss of me if I didn’t take them on a studio tour (I love Universal Studios so I would definitely take them there), to the theatre or a live comedy show to immerse them into LA’s entertainment industry.

As a girl growing up on the Northern Beaches in Sydney Australia, it would be a must to show them some of LA’s beaches too – including visiting Santa Monica Pier.

A Dodgers Game. The crowd roars and the atmosphere is incredible. You can’t watch the game without having the famous ‘dodgers dog’ – it is big and a tradition of the game.

Trader Joes supermarkets have the best snacks. My favourite are the chocolate covered pretzels.

Mexican restaurants are a must because the Mexican food is A LOT better in LA than it is in Australia!

Finally, not having a car can be quite difficult, however I do recommend daytime exploring on foot to find hidden gems.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be where I am today without the support of some very important people in my life.

My incredible Mum and Dad for helping me survive in this industry in a myriad of ways. They never stop supporting me. Even when I said I wanted to move to the other side of the world for 6 months, they still supported me. They always have my best interest at heart and their love is unconditional. Danielle and Melissa, my two older sisters, for being women I could look up to and always showing an interest in what I do. I could not have achieved anything in this career without my family by my side!

Erana Clark was my very first mentor. She is a powerhouse of a woman. When I was 12 years old she wrote a role for me in her Pilot, despite me not having any acting experience. The undoubtable belief she had in me was a testament to her as a human being. She was the person who urged me to start acting class at The Actors Pulse in Sydney when I was 13, where my passion for acting was ignited. If it wasn’t for her I don’t think I would be an actor today.

I would also like to give a massive shoutout to my current mentor Emma Fleming. This woman came into my life at a time where I was completely lost and didn’t know what my purpose was. She is one of the most hard working and passionate individuals that I have met in this industry and the way she nurtures me through it, is very comforting. She understands me and what I do as an actor and has so much knowledge, of not only the craft of acting, but also the entire industry. She makes me feel re-energised, focused, and ready to take on anything and everything so I can achieve my dreams. Thank you Emma for believing in me and being there for me always.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleejuergens/

Other: IMDB: imdb.me/ashleejuergens

Image Credits
Headshots – Paul Smith Photography Still ‘The Secrets She Keeps’ (Individual close up image with tear) – John Platt Photography Still ‘Children of The Corn’ (Image with group of 3; left to right Ashlee Juergens, Elena Kampouris & Sisi Stringer) – Mark Rogers Photography Still ‘Children of The Corn’ (Image with group of 4; left to right Elena Kampouris, Sisi Stringer, Ashlee Juergens & Joe Klocek) – Mark Rogers Photography Red carpet for Opening night of ‘Dead Skin’ – Getty Images Gregg DeGuire