Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Renee Pearson.
Hi Olivia Renee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Started acting in school theatre plays at the age of 8 when I lived in Shanghai, China. I just loved escaping reality and my imagination always ran wild from a young age, always performing as different characters in different stories in front of my parents at home. Evidentially, this inspired my mum to put me into acting classes when we moved to Singapore; thus beginning my journey to becoming a full-time actress.
Centre Stage School of the Arts, Singapore, is where I discovered TV & Film Workshops, and this fueled my passion to transfer over to film. ( I also, honestly, wanted to work alongside Sandra Bullock! ) Ever since that day, I’ve dedicated my time to different workshops with different teachers and casting agents to continue to learn and better my acting skills, whether that be at TAFTA (The Australian Film & TV Academy) in Melbourne, Australia, or with their counterpart AAFTA (American Arts Film & TV Academy) in Los Angeles.
From these classes, I have made so many friends and business partners who gave me the privilege to work in a short comedy film called ‘The Cost of Money,’ where I played Isabella, a grief-stricken recovering drug addict. This role let me dabble in comedy which isn’t a genre I tend to act in but enjoyed, and it has won and been nominated for many awards in film festivals. This amazing opportunity has opened my eyes to the wonders of writing and creating content for myself and others which is what I am expanding myself to do as well now.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Hah! God no. It is not a smooth road at all. Just like any other industry and career, it is competitive as hell. Even when you get something like a small role, or it seems like you’re moving forward in the right direction by getting an agent/manager; so much can change in such a short amount of time, you just kinda fall right back to the starting line.
The acting industry, unfortunately, isn’t just about talent. It’s about your looks if your voice sounds right for the role, your social media followers, if you fit into whatever is trending at that time, and even about politics. It’s one big game of luck, and if you were at the right place, at the right time in front of the right people. I don’t think people really get how difficult it is to get a breakthrough in this industry unless you’re in it.
You just have to have perseverance to get through all the rejection you will get before you get accepted for a role, and I will say I am very grateful that I have such supportive parents, family, and friends who have helped me in every way possible that it makes the constant doubt actors have about this career, decline.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My passion and full-time career is acting. As mentioned above, I have been doing it for a long time and it is where my heart lies. However, I have recently discovered writing scripts, and I really enjoy it. That is the beauty of the acting industry, there are so many different avenues within it, that you can take up doing multiple of them and build yourself up as the creative.
I have written a rom-com short film, soon to be in the making called ‘Escape With Me,’ about a woman who escapes to a remote cabin following a break-up and has to reluctantly share the cabin with the cocky brother of her ex due to a booking mix-up. Romance is the genre I love to watch in movies, and read in books (maybe because my love life sucks haha), so I do tend to lean toward acting in dramatic roles. However, I like to challenge myself so comedic roles might have to be next for me.
I think what sets me apart from others is that I am an artist that wants to create realness and genuinity within my acting by bringing my own idiosyncrasies to inspire people to be uniquely them and unapologetic for it. I’ve always been seen as a little bit weird especially when I was younger and so I want people to embrace the weird kids inside themselves and be totally fine with it showing.
Contact Info:
- Website: imdb.me/oliviareneepearson
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviareneepearson/
Image Credits
Headshots – Kylie Southwood Photography Red Carpet – Troy Linton
