Meet Simone Marie | Actor

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

Hi Simone, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
My entire career as an actress has originated from my risk taking desire. I view every type of opportunity that comes my way as a lily pad i need to hop on to get to where i want to be. I mean could you really call yourself an artist if you don’t base every single move off a risk?

There is a misconception around the so called ‘Hollywood dream lifestyle’. On surface level you see the red carpets, award shows, getting the perfect hair and makeup done while eating room service in your five star hotel room. When in reality you’re staying up till early hours of the morning learning lines for an audition, paying your actors access membership rather than using that money for dinner and most likely crying in your movement class every Wednesday. Like every other job It’s hard work, in fact a lot of the time maintaining your mental health is your biggest priority as an artist.

I moved from Australia to Los Angeles when i was nineteen years old, i didn’t know a soul out here. A young aussie girl from Melbourne trying to navigate LAs fast past lifestyle, i was terrified. I knew that if i wanted to pursue an artistic career that i would have to face each risk that comes along with it every single day. The uncertainty of when my next pay check will be, the expectation of failure to have stable work and feeling like you have to be reliant of how people view you and your talent.
If you start this profession with fearfulness, you’ll get nowhere. You need to bring your pride of being an actor to everything you do. This needs to come within you, great actors are lit within and don’t worry about outcome. What i’ve leant so far within my four years of training is finding ways to shift the dynamic of the so called ‘risks’ you’re taking. Now of course some challenges will be stubborn and you need to address them but don’t let fearfulness of the unknown get to you, it will only slow you down in the process of becoming the greatest artist you capable of becoming.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My most recent role that i worked on was Molly Aster in Rick Elice’s Peter and the Starcatcher – a prequel of Peter Pan. Molly is an outspoken, determined thirteen year old on a mission and allows nothing to stand in her way of achieving her goal. Truthfully, when i landed this role i was going through one of the roughest months of my life. My mental health was at its all time low and it took every inch of strength in my body to stand up, get on a plane, fly back to la and continuing working. Which i did and along with that came healing, i healed my pain through my craft. It’s funny how sometimes the most difficult and ugly times can turn into the most beautiful and rewarding moments. I had a teacher once tell me, “Playing the victim is never interesting, never play the victim”. Even though he was talking about character work this stuck with me in a way that related back to my personal life. It’s easy to fall into bad habits and follow the comfort of what feels easy but i promise you, once you get out of your comfort zone you’ll only grow into the strongest version of yourself. Im proud to say that along that uncomfortable journey i discovered something about myself that i’m truly proud of – i’m not the type to give up.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents believed in me before i believed in myself. I truly wouldn’t be pursing this crazy profession if it wasn’t for their constant love and support to get me out of my comfort zone. After my first ever school production i remember going up to my mum and saying “what am i supposed to do with my life now that i don’t have rehearsals?” Very dramatic of me i know. So what did my mum do? she signed me up to audition for one of Australia’s most leading theatrical schools. I had always dreamed of attending but never thought i was talented enough. Her constantly pushing the “fake it till you make it’ mentality was probably what got me through those schools doors. I just needed confidence and to trust myself, the rest followed.

Cut to 2022 i’ve recently graduated and received my MFA from the Art of Acting studio’s Professional Conservatory program in the heart of Hollywood. This is where i went through two and a half years of rigorous training with the most influential teachers. H. Richard Greene, Miguel Perez, Nike Doukas the list goes on. Ive found myself shaping into the artist i never thought was possible for myself, an outspoken actress who isn’t afraid to take up space. I have always had a vision of what type of artist i wanted to be, an unapologetic, hard working woman who will call out the bs that comes along with working in a male dominated industry. I wouldn’t be growing into this version of myself if it wasn’t for the people i surrounded myself with.

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

Other: Business email: simonemarieactor@gmail.com Short film GoFundMe donations: https://gofund.me/0e071dbd