Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Bowden.
Hi Alice , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started pursuing acting when I participated in church drama plays. I got bit by the acting bug and started participating in community theatre. I kept falling in love with acting, so I decided to take it up a notch and registered with several background acting companies and began a life in TV and film. I enjoyed doing background work for a while, but it didn’t quite satisfy me. So, I started taking acting classes, and I had some professional headshots made. I knew it was time to move from being in the background to the foreground. Soon after that, I began pursuing agents and managers and continued with training and submitting myself for films and television. I began to build a resumé with short films and student films. The “on the job” training I received on the professional sets as a background actor, gave me the experience that I would have never had if it weren’t for those background gigs. I started learning the lingo and paying attention. I am an observer, and I learn best by doing. I continue to pursue my love for acting by training, submitting, working hard and auditioning. I don’t take any of it lightly but I try to not take myself so seriously at the same time. If I’m not loving it, then it’s not for me. I believe it’s true what they say that if you love what you’re doing, you’ll never work a day in your life!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the challenges I faced is that I started this journey late in life. I have been in the business professionally for about twenty-five years. Since I didn’t start as a young person, I have the disadvantage of the industry not knowing me as well as they could have had I started earlier.
When I first began pursuing acting, I had the challenge of balancing home life and my acting career as I was a stay-at-home Mom raising my children. I pushed harder for my career as my kids got older and didn’t need me as much. Now that my kids are grown, I am super pleased that I started pursuing my career when I did because now I have all of that experience and knowledge behind me. Although I have all of that experience and training, it is still a tough business. But, oh so satisfying when I do land a fantastic role! Those moments make up for all of the rejections I’ve faced along the way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an actor residing outside of L.A. in beautiful Orange County. I have been professionally acting for about twenty-five years. I enjoy all aspects of acting, but my favorite is when I have a fun role to play in a feature film. I love having the opportunity to bring a dramatic scene to life that speaks to the heart of the audience. In 2020, when everything was shut down, I started pursuing screenwriting. I took an online class and had the homework assignment of combining two genres into one single story in a short film. I took on that challenge. After I completed the class, I re-wrote my short a few more times and then started submitting it to film festivals. Much to my surprise, I started winning awards! I currently hold ten wins for my short film script. I also co-wrote a feature film that is now in pre-production and has won two awards. One of the awards that we won is the Kairos Prize for Movie Guide. I am most proud of the award that I received from Movie Guide. We were one of over two hundred scripts submitted. We can’t wait to launch this project and bring it to life on the big screen!
In 2020, I was a co-lead on a short film called Skitoz in which I won two awards, including Best Actress, and secured another nomination. In 2023, I landed a national commercial for Consumer Cellular that ran for about six months.
Something that sets me apart from others is that I’m very directable. I often get this comment from teachers, casting directors and directors. I have seen other actors get frustrated when they’re given a direction that they don’t agree with. For me, I actually like being directed. I understand and embrace that it’s a team effort. I want to fully understand my character and what the creative team is envisioning. Also, I am a versatile performer, but I tend to get called in for antagonist roles, mostly. The bad guys are way more fun to play anyway!
What makes you happy?
I feel so fulfilled when I have a great moment on screen or on stage. It makes me so happy to get an audience’s attention. I love the feeling that I can make someone cry or laugh. I want people to feel something from my acting. I want to make them think, feel and experience the performance. That makes me really happy.
Contact Info:
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alicebowden4572
- Instagram: @actingupalicebowden
Image Credits
Michael Roud Photography
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