Meet Sharon Desiree | Actress & Behavioral Therapist

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

Hi Sharon, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I knew I wanted to be on TV when I was 8, like every kid out there right? We have this really funny family home video when we were still in Ecuador, where my dad is filming and I’m directing him to show me the footage, and he’s laughing because I didn’t understand yet how it worked. I grew up with siblings, and cousins, so it was always fun to do dance off’s and sing-alongs, put on shows. In school I doodled through the majority of my education. In High School I started a dance club, and I painted on anything I was allowed to. Eventually, I started singing in school events and symposiums, and it became a game of challenging myself to do the next big thing, that was the fun part. To maintain an artistic career to me is the ultimate life challenge. To get to indulge in learning about a person, a point in time, and perspective I haven’t experienced. It’s exciting. I’ve always thought that building range is about being of service, every character I’ve ever played a whole chapter of my life I spent in understanding them. That empathy built in my creative youth made me want to continue my education in Psychology, which makes me an advocate for other people’s access to their own creative freedom in my work as a therapist. Every artistic gig I’ve ever had the pleasure to participate in was an act of creative teamwork, and that connectivity is what I enjoy encountering at every step of my career. I can feel creative energy bubbling, and with storytelling, you learn from both experimenting as well as observing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Acting was therapeutic for me, I had wanted to pursue it, against my parents’ wishes since I was 8, and in 2013 I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s in tiptoeing the idea of death that we truly jump into living. In my surrender to the inevitable I decided to give myself 5 years to do everything I wanted till I had to go. I took my first acting class, auditioned to every community college play that season. I started a student life club, and won club of the year for bringing people together to learn about cultures. I acted in Washington D.C theatre, and on tv for Investigation Discovery. Friends and I came together to start the Artists Solidarity Foundation which encouraged artists in the Washington DC area to come together for community events. I put out a single with Teddy Beats on the Hey Frase show. It felt like I had done everything but make the leap to LA. So, I road tripped with my high school sweetheart to California. Every person I met, and got to become in character, a healing experience that culminated in my arrival in LA 2 years ago. The five years were almost up when I got my first movie role. I had done it! The five years up, and my first Hollywood film wrapped. I took it all in, and having not died I decided to continue my education in healthcare. Life is hard for everyone, in a multitude of different ways, but we begin to die when we stop pursuing our dreams. I have no idea what the future holds, clearly health is the ruler by which we measure quality of life, so I try to focus on healing and community in all my work. I’m very grateful to have had loving friends and family around me to encourage me to continue to pursue the original dream, I’m very lucky to have overcome. Now, I hope to encourage others, through counseling and therapy, whilst also nurturing my inner dreamer by staying active in the creative process. 

This past year I got to be on a Lucas Film set, in The Mandalorian. Last year Ed French did my makeup on the set of “The Orville.” The man was on the original makeup team for “Nightmare on Elm St”, my original nightmare as a child! It was an honor.   Most recently, I got to Unit Production Manage my first film, alongside my friend Brendan Petrizzo. I’ve started writing a couple screenplays, and have been talking to friends about sustainability in fashion, and on sets. I think the most important thing I’ve learned throughout the whole experience is to celebrate milestones, and celebrate each other. We often take achievements for granted, and comparison truly is the thief of all joy. Obstacles are invisible to those who aren’t looking, so just make sure you feel comfortable with your process and carry on. All I expect out of myself is to keep exploring, and challenging myself to the next big thing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve had friends and family visit a lot recently. So, I’ve been hosting a lot more, everyone has a different palate and dietary restrictions so it’s nice to have a couple go-to places to choose from. One of the things I love the most about LA is the food variety, it’s definitely the diversity for me. Ecuadorian food is always hard to find whenever I travel around the U.S, but not here. So, it’s a must stop when family visits. For some delicious Ecuadorian fast food, there is “El rinconcito Ecuatoriano” right before you hit Long Beach. If we want a little more upscale Ecuadorian? No problem, right in Los Feliz there is “El Caserio Restaurant” they have great wines and Italian cuisine as well. For breakfast “Elyse Bakery” in Westwood is always a go to, or any Urth cafe if you’re a big coffee fan. For the best Mexican ceviche I’ve ever had in my life there is “Frida Mexican Cuisine” in Beverly hills, ask them about their blood orange margarita, I dare you, and hope you find it in season, it’s marvelous. Ooh back to coffee, for the coffee connoisseur go to Koreatown (honestly pick anything is Koreatown, it’s great) right on Wilshire and Vermont you have your pick of some great spots with really good desserts. “The Alchemist coffee project” a great little spot for writing, “Cafe Mak” opens late so it’s great for hanging out after-hours, and “The Last Bookstore” for some antique library aesthetics. Now you want some nightlife fun? Date night stuff. Downtown is great, with awesome rooftop lounges and restaurants like “Perch” and “The Edison.” You want to dance? “La cita bar” “The Mayan” and “The Conga room” have never failed me, well, pre-COVID19. Post covid, you can order a charcuterie board at “Curated Spread” grab a bottle of wine and socially distance with loved ones by the beach, grab some “Moon juice” for the health conscious and last but not least Sundays at “Smorgasborg” in ROW DTLA. Magical! It’s a food market where vendors gather with all kinds of delicious treats there, I recommend Vegan mofongo at “The Ricans”, I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did, but here we are. To new experiences. Cheers!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank my maternal grandmother for my stubbornness and my paternal grandmother for my voice. My father for my attitude, and my mother for my optimism. I’d like to thank Paulo Coelho for my peace of mind, his book “The Alchemist” an inspiration to continue at whatever pace, but to never stop on the road to finding your treasure. Shoutout to the NIH for their great work at keeping me alive when I needed them most, and for sparking my love of healthcare. Shoutout to every director and teacher that has given me a shot to create, to my loving support system, and most especially the team at The Asylum Studios for their encouragement and understanding as I juggled my studies and my acting career, Brendan Petrizzo, Anthony Ferrante, and Maximilian Elfeldt have allowed me to learn on multiple of their sets, and I am so grateful to be able to continue growing in this industry and to eventually be able to create my own works.

Website: https://www.backstage.com/u/sharondesiree/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lasharondesiree/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LASharonDesiree
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SharonDesireeActress
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/sdm21991/about?view_as=subscriber

Image Credits
Katherine Garcia, Brendan Petrizzo, Sharon Desiree, Vincent Guastini, Ed French