Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Hales.
Hi Elizabeth, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After my 6th grade play of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ I knew that I wanted to tell stories. Professionally. All the feelings of nervousness, joy, pride, the thrill of being on stage, and a lot of hard work never left me. Since that experience, those same childhood feelings continued to find me in different ways in different careers. But it wasn’t until I recognized the shadows of those feelings never stopped chasing me that I turned around and started chasing them.
I had always been involved in acting somehow. Whether in middle or high school, community theater, or college, I was determined to have acting be a part of my life, even though it never seemed reasonable. I come from a long line of teachers and other traditional career fields that I never thought being an artist was a noble career. After college, I chose a teaching career and taught elementary school for five years. Even while teaching, I incorporated my own acting, singing, and dancing programs. But the gnawing at my heart and soul to be an actor was always there.
One of the hardest yet most rewarding events of my teaching career was walking away from it. A week before school started, I let my principal know I was leaving. I didn’t have a backup job, but I knew I had to resign. If I didn’t, my soul would die. Dramatic, I know. But I couldn’t go on living another day not following what I inherently knew I needed to do.
After that, I never looked back. I pursued acting as much as I could while jumping from job to job. Traditional or survival jobs, I guess you would call them. After attending San Diego Comic Con with my husband who had a film showing in one of their Film Festivals, my eyes were opened to voice acting. It was a natural fit. I could work as a voice talent on my own schedule while pursuing and auditioning for on-camera work. I searched out a VO coach, trained, and put together my first demos. Since then, I’ve been working professionally as a VO talent.
Moving to LA was a huge step that opened doors to training, workshops, auditions, and eventually bookings both commercially and theatrically. I found my “tribe” of like-minded professional actors at Stuart Rogers Studios and continue to train weekly. My initial feelings from 6th grade have never subdued and I continue to follow them today. Relentless in pursuing what sets my soul on fire.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The artist’s path, like any career field, hasn’t been a smooth one. I’m grateful for the difficulties that come my way. Each setback, insecurity, or trial, after being willing to face them and work through them, makes me stronger and more vulnerable, providing me with a deeper sense of self and ability to dive deeper into the human experience. My guiding light, my North Star, has been the deep-seated feelings of my 6th grade self. Knowing I have a calling and a need to tell stories keeps me going when doubt and comparison creep in.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I recently booked a role on FOX’s new show ‘The Cleaning Lady’ opposite of Elodie Yung! What was serendipitous was my husband, Brady, booked a different show in the same city! It was truly magical knowing all the hard work in scene study and self-tapes had paid off for both of us! Previously, I had worked on Yellowstone, opposite of Luke Grimes. Currently, I’m working on a one-woman show. It scares me and that’s why I must do it! But, I’m most proud of my the relationship I have with my husband. He, too, is an actor and understands what it takes to be all-in this career. We both have been working professionally as VO talent for over ten years and have built two state-of-the-art recording studios. Being my own boss has its ups and downs, but it allows me to be the artist that I’m striving to be.
Any big plans?
Ultimately, I’d love to run my own show! Historical fiction is my passion, as I love learning about unknown stories and bringing them to life through film. Specifically women driven stories. I’m in post-production for a film called ‘Unwavering’, which is about a Korean American student in 1968, who starts an uphill battle of creating an ethnic studies program on her campus. I’d love to shop it around to a major streaming platform as I feel it has merit in today’s stories and culture.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.elizabethhales.com
- Instagram: @elizabethhales
Image Credits
Theo & Juliet
