Meet Anna Rocker | Actor, Director, and Writer

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

Hi Anna, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I chose an artistic career because I have always had a need to create. Ever since I was a kid I have loved being creative, whether that being through drawing and painting or simply watching tv shows and movies. I’ve always been intrigued by the perspectives of others and how they view the world and I too want to share my perspective through my art. Stories have the ability to change the world and bring people together and I think it’s important to emphasize that as a society.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My artistic journey has always been within me. I love stories and what they offer to whoever is willing to listen. I have three major interests: acting, writing, and directing; but my acting career specifically I’ve been working at for the past decade tirelessly. I was ten years old when I was in my first play and haven’t really looked back since then. I was in several plays throughout my early teen years and was apart of my high school theatre. I continued my theatre work both inside and outside of school by collaborating with local theatre groups and learning the basics of acting and theatre. Growing up in a theatre definitely taught me many things about myself. Learning to take criticism, understanding my strengths and weaknesses, navigating a script, and working with people of many age groups and skills. For awhile things were very challenging because as a young teen immersed in so many things at once (shows at school, shows outside of school, drama within those productions, and balancing school work) I had to learn what processes and techniques were best suited for me in high stress/pressure environments. Once I had my path figured out and knew for a fact that acting was the thing I wanted to pursue, it became easier to navigate what I wanted to strengthen my knowledge on. Towards the end of my high school career and into my first year of college I began seizing opportunities to experiment with my writing and directing skills. I wrote and directed my own one act play when I was a senior in high school (“The Ask Murderer”), wrote and directed myself in a one person show in my one year at community college (“The Role You Never Gave Me”), and recently directed a play at my current school this past summer (“No Exit” by Jean Paul Sartre) at New York Film Academy in LA. Writing and directing are two skills that I will absolutely continue to apply in my career because they have also helped me when it comes to studying acting. My experiences have been both challenging and very rewarding. The biggest lesson I’ve learned this far in my career is that if you truly love something you will do whatever it takes to be successful. I’ve even been shocked with my own persistence at times, but it’s all because I truly love acting and what it is capable of doing to an audience. I hope to also inspire others to share their stories and perspectives to better understand the vastness of possibilities the world holds.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I really like beverages so I would absolutely take them to my favorite coffee and tea places like: Olive and James, Stagger, Community Goods, Alfred, ect. I also love being in nature and taking walks throughout the city so I may take them on a hike near the Hollywood sign or Griffith observatory. For more of an artistic experience, I recently went to LACMA and really liked it so I’d share that with them. For film and TV history I’d also take them to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is located directly across the way from LACMA. I really like Asian food so I would take them to various restaurants around the city such as: Sugarfish, Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles, Formosa Cafe, Koreatown Plaza (the food court has many options), Kopan Sushi and Ramen bar, and Flavor of India. And lastly for shopping opportunities I would take them to: Koreatown, Glendale Galleria, The Grove, and Santa Monica.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shoutout my amazing support system, which consists of my family back at home and my friends and classmates I have had the privilege to meet and work with so far in the past year I’ve been in LA. My parents of course have been supporting me since day one and without them and their loving support I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Instagram: @anna.rocker

Linkedin: Anna Rocker

Facebook: @Anna Rock

Image Credits
Anna Rocker