Community Highlights: Meet Ash T

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash T.

Hi Ash, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve known I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was six years old after performing my first play, Gonbei the Duck Hunter. After that, I wanted nothing more than to morph into characters and perform in front of an audience.

Alas, the dreams of a child are not taken seriously, and I was strongly encouraged to follow a path with more certainty and financial independence. Since my father was a doctor, I followed in his footsteps. He always said if I wanted to be an actor, I should be a doctor first. Then decide.

So, out of fear, I went down the path of least resistance from my family–graduated with an M.D. and an MPH from UVA followed up with a residency in Clinical Pathology at UT-Houston, and a clinical research fellowship in Transfusion Medicine at NIH. The pinnacle of my career came as an Assistant Professor and Blood Bank Director at M.D. Cancer Center. I was extremely successful, yet very unhappy. I’d come to a crossroads–do I continue on my life as a doctor or become an actor?

I remember having a meeting with one of my students, Komal. She was looking for a new job once her fellowship ended, but she felt upset that she wasn’t able to find anything. I told her, hey, you can achieve any dream you want in life. You just have to really want it, work hard and be persistent. That conversation may have hit me harder than her because I realized I’d been a hypocrite my whole life. Instead of going after my dream of becoming an actor, I’d become a doctor.

And so I sat down that night and talked to myself. It was like Ebenezer Scrooge being visited by all of the Christmas ghosts. I asked the ghost of Christmas past, the 6-year-old boy, was he proud of the man I’d become? And he said, “No way. Why’d I have to spend so many hours locked up in the library to get good grades? I was miserable!” And I asked the ghost of Christmas future–the guy on his deathbed. Any regrets about your life? And he responded, “Hell yes. You didn’t take any risks. You played it really safe. You played by the rules. Most boring life ever”.

And so I set out on a new journey. I decided to take acting classes at night. And boy oh boy, was I excited. The first class I ever took in 2017, I can’t convey to you the ecstasy and joy. True laughter. True happiness. I was doing the thing that I wished I’d been doing my whole life. This was my true calling. This is what made me happy.

I left my successful 9-5 job as a physician in 2018 and haven’t looked back. Coming to LA with a second chance at life, I am finally living my dream life on TV and in the movies.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Taking the path less traveled is rarely smooth. It was scary. Am I even going to be good as an actor? Do I have enough talent and luck to earn money in the entertainment field?

I lost my income, healthcare, social security, and pension. My security blanket was gone, and I’m living off some savings and at times have to take up random types of work to pay bills. I live with roommates again for the first time since college. I have to be as frugal and careful as possible so I can continue on this marathon.

To get representation with a great LA agent and manager has taken many years, hundreds of emails and rejections. There are times when I wonder when my next TV job will land. I can go months and months without work as an actor. Those days test me the most as I often ask the question, Am I progressing in my career? Am I ever going to make it?

The path is uncertain. It’s dark. There’s no guarantee for success as there was in going to medical school. But all of these hardships are worth it. The times I’ve been on set across movie legends have been amazing. I have no regrets in life now, and that is the most priceless feeling any human can enjoy.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an actor and standup comedian.

I’ve worked on several popular TV shows like Euphoria, Better Call Saul, Dead to Me and Welcome To Chippendale’s. Most recently, I starred in a comedy horror film called Slayers which had a theatrical release and is currently streaming on Hulu. It has an all-star cast with Emmy winners and Oscar nominees, including Thomas Jane, Malin Akerman, Abigail Breslin, Ashley Reyes, Jack Donnelly, Kara Hayward, and Lydia Hearst.

I executive produced a feature documentary called ‘Living With Chucky’ on the Child’s Play franchise, which will air on Screambox TV on April 4, 2023.

I co-created and starred in an action-comedy TV pilot called Hitbaby about a suicidal hitman who begrudgingly trains a computer hacker to become an assassin. This was Abigail Breslin’s directorial debut and is currently winning awards in the 2023 film festival circuit.

The older I get, the more fearless I become. I truly realize there is nothing that I can’t achieve with the right mindset. I am constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone to grow. This drive is why I started doing standup comedy. It was one of the last things I feared. And now I am performing all over LA and even have had several of my standup bits go viral.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
L.A. is the best place on Earth. The city is so vibrant and rich in landscape and creatives. I love the people here. We are all dreamers.

Only downside is the cost of living.

Contact Info:

• Website: imdb.me/asht
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/big_ash_t
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067789029539
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEShk8D7ECUIF-yRnw3-BvA
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/60PFo8BUsCGbYZJBusaCAF