Life & Work with Ellie Suh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Suh.

Hi Ellie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in good ol’ New Jersey and went to Boston College for undergrad. After graduating, I spent a couple of years in NYC working in marketing and advertising agencies. Living in New York City was very familiar to me – I was surrounded by a great community and even better family. Most importantly, it was so much fun!! One random day, I woke up and realized I needed a change in my life. What I call a mid-20s crisis. So, I told all of my friends and family that I was packing my bags and moving to the west coast. My mom didn’t believe me until literally the day before my flight. That was quite the experience, seeing her face as she screams, “wait, you were serious?!”. Yes, mom. Six years later, I still live in LA (well, Pasadena but close enough).

In 2018, a year after I moved to LA, my friend invited me to go to the premiere of Pacific Rim Uprising. I had no other plans, and I was feeling spontaneous. So, I went. When I got there, I got the chance to see the actors in the film walk the red carpet. A good chunk of the movie is based in China, so I got the opportunity to see a lot more Asian representation than what I’m used to seeing on TV/Film. As I watched the Asian actors walk the red carpet, I thought to myself, “I could see myself doing this.” I then told myself, “I will do this.” And that launched my journey of being an actor.

That experience helped me realize that there was more to life than just doing what I thought was expected of me. Life is too great to just go through the motion of things. I knew that it would be a risk going into this career, but I am enjoying every step of the ride.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh boy, the first year was a struggle for sure. I was naïve and thought, “I’m a natural.” I self-submitted to auditions without having any training or business materials. Yea, that didn’t get me very far.

I got a callback for a series regular roles on an Amazon Prime show. I got great feedback from the casting directors, and I thought the role was perfect for me. It was about a Korean American girl figuring out her identity as she navigates life. I was hopeful that I would finally be able to make the switch to go into this career full-time. When I got the news that the part was given to someone else, I was devastated. I felt defeated and really attached to that role. Thankfully with my strong support system and mentors, I was able to take this as a lesson learned – give it your best shot and then throw it away. Just continue to put in the work, and the right part will come to you.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m also a stunt performer in the TV and film industry – my recent credits include working on the Apple TV+ show For All Mankind and feature film Cop Shop (starring Gerard Butler). On the show For All Mankind, I had the opportunity to do some wire works to emulate being an astronaut in space. That was pretty cool.

Alongside my acting and stunt career, I am also a Senior Advanced Analytics Manager for one of the biggest telecommunications company in America. I assess how well our advertising budgets are doing in terms of driving sales. I’m proud of being able to handle the demands of this job while also making sure I stay consistent with my passion in the entertainment industry. If you want something badly enough, you’ll find a way to make it work (although I’d be lying if I said it was easy all the time).

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I’m a huge foodie, so I love how LA has so much to offer. If you’re craving good Chinese food, you can hit up San Gabriel Valley. If you want to walk down the beach with a good acai bowl and a latte in hand, you can hit up Venice or Santa Monica. If you want a dank Korean BBQ spot..you hit up Koreatown 😉 Don’t even get me started about the endless Korean food options we have here in LA. Koreatown in New York City is literally on a single street, and most of the Korean food options are either pricey or mediocre.

Parking sucks in LA. It’s the bane to my existence at times. You have to valet everywhere or worry about someone breaking into your car while you eat brunch near Fairfax (this has happened to my friend visiting – all of his stuff got stolen and he went to the airport completely empty-handed..).

Contact Info:

• Website: elliesuh.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/fillmybellie
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fillmybellie
• Other: https://imdb.me/elliesuh

Image Credits
Nathan Gold Sela Shiloni