Meet Whitney Agustin

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

Hi Whitney, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I like to take smaller risks and build my confidence to take bigger ones. It’s more sustainable for me because I avoid getting overwhelmed and burnt out. I took my first acting class over Zoom in 2020, and I became comfortable with acting in uncomfortable spaces. I did monologues and scenes with my parents in the next room and my dog trying to barge in. It was weird at first, but it prepared me for when things returned to in-person. I gained the courage to take the next steps and create my own path. I auditioned for my college’s theatre program, I started submitting myself to films, and I put myself out there. I still get nervous when I do things outside my comfort zone, but I know that I’ll be better than I was before. Pushing myself to get to the place I want to be has made me appreciate my own journey more.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I pursued acting to build community, and I’ve had the opportunity to meet people across different creative disciplines. I started performing in my Filipino club’s annual culture nights because I was able to connect storytelling with my experience as a Filipino-American. I’m proud of my work on the Sundance 2023 Short Film Grand Jury Prize Winner, “ When You Left Me On That Boulevard,” directed by Kayla Abuda Galang. Playing the role of Jamie felt like a culmination of my experiences growing up and my journey as an actress. The most special part about Boulevard to me was the community we built and being able to share our love for it on the big screen. Because of my community, I felt empowered to start creating my own work and explore all my creative interests.

This past summer, I wrote, directed, and acted in my own films for the first time. My film, “Seaside,” is currently in post-production, and is about friendship, surfing, and donuts. I wrote it with my friend Sophia Wu, who I met this year at Sundance through CAPE’s (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) Asian-American Creatives House. Our director of photography was my friend, Hayley Garcia, who I also met this year. It all happened very spontaneously, and we filmed the whole thing in one day. It feels amazing to bring people together to create something. I hope to continue growing as an artist, and telling stories for and by my community.

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’m eternally grateful to my parents for supporting me through all my different interests growing up. They showed up to everything and drove me everywhere. My mom would help me get ready by doing my hair, and my dad would wake up early with me to practice. Because of them, I have the courage to do things on my own and believe in myself.

I want to shoutout my friends for encouraging me to be unafraid while pursuing a creative career. My best friend Kim was the first person I told that I wanted to take acting seriously, and she continues to uplift me when things get hard. Thank you to Mylee, Micah, Isabel, Kaitlin, Patrick, and Nicole for showing up for me. Lastly, I want to shoutout the talented people I’ve had the privilege to collaborate with.

Website: https://msha.ke/whitneyagustin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitney.agustin/?hl=en

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@whitney.agustin?si=iLeruAlaS3yzEB7b

Other: Link to Watch, ” When You Left Me On That Boulevard” https://vimeo.com/887931553 

Image Credits
Kili Ku’uwehilani, Golden Guide, Em Chen