Daily Inspiration: Meet Victoria Gekas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Gekas.

Hi Victoria, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I was born in Newport Beach, an only child, and grew up splitting weeks at my mom’s and my dad’s. I went to the Orange County High School of the Arts, where I had a lot of performance success, and was then unjustifiably heartbroken when I didn’t get into any of the top-tier theater colleges to which I’d applied. It was a valuable albeit painful lesson: talent and ego will never beat out hard work. Still, I was determined to get to New York as quickly as possible, so I dug deep and graduated only 3 years later as the Outstanding Graduate of the School of Theatre, Television and Film at San Diego State University. I had the good fortune of being cast in some of my bucket list roles, like Laura in The Glass Menagerie and Rose of Sharon in The Grapes of Wrath. 

My final summer of college I was accepted as an acting apprentice at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires. Not only did I work intimately with influential and successful people (I was Bradley Cooper’s wardrobe dresser), but I met some of my best friends who played a critical role in giving me the confidence to move to New York the day after I graduated. I was 20. 

My first two weeks in New York I spent in an intensive hosted by the American Theater Wing, the organization that puts on the Tony Awards. In one workshop, a notable casting director gave me direction to perform the Three Sisters monologue that won me first place at the California Thespian Festival as if I’d “just smoked a joint.” I did my best, though I’d never been high. Luckily, my now-partner Daniel was also in the program and cites this as the day he knew I was “on the level.” 

An alumna of SDSU was working on a new show in NYC and helped me get an internship. Shortly after starting, I became the full-time wardrobe assistant on the first season of The Wendy Williams Show. Deborah, Wendy’s stylist at the time, became the first of a handful of strong career women who led by example. Deborah continues to be a mentor and cherished friend in my life. Sadly, about 18 months after moving to NYC, my dad suffered a severe heart attack and stroke that left him permanently disabled. As his only kin, I knew I needed to be there for him, so I moved out of my East Village 5th-floor walk-up and said goodbye to my time in New York. I’d wanted to live and work in New York my whole life, but somewhere on the plane ride back to California, I convinced myself that I wasn’t making enough money. I worked too much to audition, and I when I was able to audition, I was competing in cattle calls with women who were more connected and somehow better than I was. I’d focused on almost nothing else besides performing since I was three, but the ubiquitous advice from every masterclass loomed over me: “This business is hard. If you can see yourself doing anything else, go do that.” 

And that was the hardest part because I could see myself doing so many things – everything! That’s what I love so much about acting and storytelling because there are no limits to the worlds, roles, and choices I inhabit. But I was hungry for stability, and I knew that there were no guarantees as an actor. I took the LSAT thinking I might want to be a lawyer, but I soon realized that was not going to be the exciting career as personified in TV and movies. I worked as a server, bartender, and, eventually, a restaurant manager. I didn’t love the hours, but they paid well, I made great friends, and I was now accustomed to a lifestyle that allowed me to go on vacations and pay the rent. In a cursory search of entry-level positions that might suit these parameters, I was hired as an account executive at a tech startup, where I advanced roles over the next eight years. I helped build big teams and traveled for work, ultimately moving to Nashville to oversee the office before 2020 changed everything. With the flexibility of being completely remote and the unknown future state of the world, I moved back to Orange County with my mom and stepdad. 

In May of 2023, I was laid off from my job of eight years leading customer support and sales teams. I directly led six layoffs before my time came, and I was fortunate enough to be with a company that offered a severance which allowed me to make the bold, courageous, impulsive, radical, risky decision to call myself a full-time filmmaker/actor/producer in the midst of two industry strikes. In an incredible send-off, my coworkers made me a 10-minute mockumentary about my prodigious film career in five years. Their confidence in me was and continues to be, overwhelming and will motivate me for the foreseeable future. A few months later, we were in production on the first short I wrote with a friend, QUEEN OF HEARTS, a dark comedy about a corporate woman on the verge. (What’s that again about art imitating life?) All extras in the film are my former coworkers, many of whom I actually fired. Filming those scenes was a pivotal intersection of all of my past experiences and jobs. The short is in post-production, and we plan to submit it to festivals this year. 

Today, I live in the Beverly Fairfax district with my talented screenwriter/actor partner, Daniel (formerly just a friend in NYC), and Gus, the cat we found on our doorstep two years ago. I love our house, we have a great landlord (these things make a difference, do they not?), and many of our friends live within walking distance. For the first time, I am designing my own schedule, and I am grateful to spend my days doing background work, auditioning, writing, and spending time with people I choose. Money is finite but I’ve learned that there is always a way to earn more, it’s just a matter of what you’re willing to do for it. I am incredibly lucky in many respects, but my dad’s voice reminds me that “luck is where preparation meets opportunity.” I only have myself to blame if I don’t capitalize on those innate advantages by putting them to work in the places that really matter. 

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?
My dad passed away when I was in my mid-20s, and we were not on great terms. I wish I’d been more mature and courageous to have risen above during that time. Shortly after, I married in Paris. My now-ex and I built a townhouse in a new track in Orange County, but once we moved in, I realized that this was not the life I wanted to live. I tried so hard to find fulfillment in the things my peers were doing, but I knew I would have more regret over staying, especially if the next step was having children. I desperately wanted to want all of that “normalcy,” but I just began to feel like I was denying myself. I’m not proud to be divorced or have hurt someone I cared about, but I am certain I made the right decision. Suddenly, there was still more to experience, more to discover, and it’s a way of life that I know I cannot live without. 

I wish I hadn’t given up on myself and my dreams when I was younger, but I didn’t have any idea where I wanted to end up. I didn’t have a strategy, I didn’t even know what that meant. Occasionally, I still drift to berating my younger self for taking so many “wrong turns,” but through the help of innumerable books and podcasts and very good friends, I’ve reflected to understand that each of these “turns” provided their own lessons that have become my edge. Once I began to see the parallels, I also began to see a clear path toward my goal. All that sales training and cold calling prepared me for the thankless process of submitting self-tapes and sending agent emails. Customer support experience has made me patient. Managing and motivating others through tough times has given me confidence that I, too, can “do hard things.” Restaurant experience has given me a reliable employment strategy if ever I need it. Personal failures have repeatedly reminded me of the fragility of circumstance, as well as given my acting range a boost. In 2024, it feels like anything can happen, equally as likely being extraordinary or horrific. I’ve decided to enjoy the ride, and I’m having a pretty great time. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’d describe my acting style as Soarise Ronan meets Laura Linney with the coloring of Lily Collins. I was once given the compliment that my greatest strength was my ability to make people “feel something.” My dream job would be a Paul Thomas Anderson film with Allison Janney, Viola Davis & Jesse Plemons as my costars. I’d also love to go back to New York as a part-time resident while performing in a new Broadway play. I’m writing my first feature and look forward to producing that someday, too. I’m still dreaming pretty big. Ultimately, I just want to work with people that are smarter than me, that inspire me, that are doing their individual best. 

I am a capable person and have extremely high expectations for myself. Given a task, I will give my whole self to seeing it through. Definitely, this is a narcissistic belief that if it came to me, then I can surely handle it, but hey, I guess whatever it takes to get it done? I love being a part of a solution, a project, a goal. I am a great hype girl, but I think I am also pragmatic and logical about what’s possible. I admit I often take on a lot at once, but this forces me to get organized and set a plan for success. If I can visualize the end result, I can often prove myself right. I try not to get hung up on timelines that aren’t real (i.e., milestones based on age) and believe instead that consistency will get me there. I am also the product of two intelligent parents who gave me a brain that allows me to process information quickly, which I can’t take credit for but am extremely grateful to possess. 

What matters most to you? Why?
A curiosity for life. Taking the moment to consider what you don’t understand. Admitting when you’re wrong. Apologizing and meaning it. Personal style. Knowing when it’s okay to be selfish. Letting someone know you’re thinking of them when they pop into your head. Taking the time to define what you want and designing a plan to get there. Looking strangers in the eye and smiling when you say hello. Being brave enough to learn what you don’t know. Laughter as medicine. 

I believe that most things are possible, but you have to face realities. If you don’t know something, ask the internet. Typing a question into Google is how I begin anything. The resources at our disposal today are infinite. It’s unrealistic to think that you’ll become an expert at anything quickly, but you can start at the beginning. Although I hate failure at the moment, I am always grateful for the lessons they teach me for the future. 

The relationship with myself is the one I have realized makes the most impact on everything else. Part of this is being an only child, but I think blocking out the noise of life takes discipline and reaps dividends in every aspect. I become a better partner, friend, auntie, and individual when I practice patience and relaxation. I love to be busy and scheduled, but I also relish lazy days with no agenda. Like a tangled necklace, the knot is much easier to untie when resting. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @cptn_torrance

Image Credits
Dylan Lujano