Meet Olivia Treece: Actor

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

Hi Olivia, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
As an actor, I knew the path to success wasn’t going to be quick and easy. From the beginning, I have been hustling with day jobs, submitting myself to every project available, shooting multiple audition tapes a day, and constantly taking acting classes. My days are always packed with things that are going to improve and polish my craft. I do all of this and there are still weeks and months where I am working tirelessly at my day job and coming up with zero bookings. It can be so discouraging at times but then I book something, whether it be a commercial, show, web series, film, or play, and my entire view shifts. There is nothing that can compare to the feeling of acting. I always joke and say that I am going to get a desk job and climb the corporate ladder instead, but there is no way that I could ever let go of this dream of acting for a living. Every time I get the opportunity to act, I am reminded that giving up isn’t an option. That I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else. If you can find that one thing that makes working a day job worth it, never give up on it.

Please tell us more about your career. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I have been acting for 15 years and over time have studied acting at a University in LA, at studios in LA, and overseas in Germany and Russia. I am very proud of all the techniques that I have learned and gotten quite good at, but have recently hit a block with them. I used to cling to technique because I was afraid to let my emotions fly and my true self show. I started letting go of those techniques when I came out as gay because I no longer had anything to hide. It is crazy how a profession like acting is all dependent on being truthful with yourself because if you aren’t, the audience isn’t going to believe a single word that comes out of your mouth. I look at acting more fluidly now than I used to. It used to be all equations and what would “look good” for each particular line. Now, I focus on just simply listening and breathing into the scene and acting quickly becomes a type of therapy. A therapy that I crave. I now use the “acting is therapy” as part of my brand, that way I am always truthful with myself and the scene. I never want to be an actor that “phones it in”. I want to be able to just feel how I am on a certain day and not be sorry about it later. I want to bring my full self to every audition and set and not hold back. This has taken me a long time to be comfortable with because vulnerability has never been my strong suit, but when I am acting, all of my cares go away and I am able to just live in the moment with my acting partner. I love using acting as my therapy because then I am certain that I not neglecting a part of myself for the sake of the role. Instead, I become the role and the role becomes me.

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?
If my best friend visited LA I would have the days packed with things to do and places to eat! One of the days would look like: An early start out to Malibu where we would do a hike in the Malibu hills and then pick up coffee at Blue Bottle. We would then drive along the PCH until we found a place to park to walk along the beach while we drank our coffee. If the weather permitted, we would spend a couple of hours soaking in the sun and swimming in the ocean. On the way back into Hollywood, we would stop at Sushi Stop and have a late lunch and then head to the Rooftop at Mama Shelter to drink sangria while we watched the sun go down. Once the sun was set, we would make our way to the Hollywood Improv to watch a stand up comedy show. After the late show, I would take them to Salt n’ Straw ice cream to try all of the new flavors of the month! That is the PERFECT day in LA for me.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my girlfriend, Alyssa Silva, and my best friend, Emily Bader. From the second we started dating, my girlfriend has been my biggest supporter. She helps me with every single audition tape that I have and always makes sure that I get a take that I am confident with. She will come home from a long day of work and immediately help me with my tape. She has also been so eager to learn on how she can improve on her reading so that my takes are better, and then will help me decide which ones to submit. Having a second set of eyes look at everything I submit has definitely led to me scoring more callbacks. She has also been very kind and quiet around the apartment when I have had online acting classes and has made our home a safe place for me to do so. I love you so much Alyssa. Thank you for always believing in me and never letting me give up. I want to also shoutout Emily Bader for always inspiring me to do more and reach higher. She is the reason I am at an acting studio that I love and she always reminds me that I can make it. We have never seen each other as competition in the acting world, just pure love and support, which can be very hard to find. I want to thank her for pushing me, making me work harder, and expecting a lot out of me. You have been there since the beginning bud and I can’t thank you enough!

Instagram: @olivia.treece

Image Credits
Josh La Cour Martin Taube