Today we’d like to introduce you to Latia Ebanks.
Hi Latia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I can trace my love for acting back to being a little girl in Jamaica watching Titanic at just three years old. After preschool, I would rush home to watch it religiously. I remember I would recite the words to my favorite part which was at the end when Rose was trying to wake Jack up. I remember thinking “I could do that” and I want to do that someday.
When came up to America at five years old, I got introduced to Dance and fell in love with it. I started dancing before I got into acting but that was because they only offered dance at my elementary school. So my love for dance began to grow before my love for acting could. It wasn’t until junior high school that I began to experience theater for the first time. I was so excited because I thought I would finally begin to act but sadly that’s not how my experience went. When I would audition for roles, I wouldn’t get them. My theater teacher saw that I was a stronger dancer than I was an actress (which was true at the time) so they kept me mainly in the ensemble as a lead dancer. That hurt and it was hard for me to watch the other students get roles I felt I could play. But I had no experience in acting and I also knew that I was a great dancer, so I guess it was okay. I eventually decided to hone in on dance. It came easy to me, I loved it and in my eyes, everyone just saw me as a dancer anyway so it made sense.
But I battled with being seen only as a dancer all the way till college. Even though I chose to stick to dance, acting was always in the back of my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder “what if”… But I was scared. I thought it was too late to start acting. I was already halfway done with school, why would I start over?! All these thoughts ran through my head but I didn’t want to live my life in regret. So in my junior year of college, I decided to switch my major. I auditioned for the theater program at my school and I got in! I took my first acting class EVER in college. And when I took that first class, I knew this was what I wanted to do and I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.
I doubled my classes each semester so I could still graduate on time. I did, which was awesome, but after graduating I still felt like I needed more training. So I did a 1-year conservatory program for Acting for Film. That helped a lot but I now realize that my best teacher was being on real sets. After graduating from the program, I began to do background work on major sets, just to get real-life experiences that school never offered me. While watching the actors on set, I had a full-circle moment thinking I could do that and I was GOING to do that. This time, instead of watching them on TV while saying that, I was actually in the same room as them. WOW.
Currently, it’s been two years since I graduated from the program but 2020 has been a rough year for a lot of us. In that time, I’ve mainly been doing independent films and a couple of commercials. I took this time to take classes that I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to take outside of COVID, really honing in on my craft, building relationships, and learning more about the business side of it. All I know is that I want to be ready for when my time comes because it will. I just have to stay ready, trust the process, and trust God.
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. This career choice is not for the weak. You have to know yourself or else you will find yourself lost in this. I’ve compared myself to so many people. Trying to research their story and path to see if it can work for me too. But it all ended with the same line, “everyone is on their own journey, and their path isn’t going to be yours”. I constantly have to remind myself that. I also had to find peace in not getting a role I really wanted or thought I nailed. You might not book a role for years before you get your first one. That takes real patience and trust. It’s easy to get defeated especially when you also have people around you that just don’t understand. Before you know it, they start projecting their fears onto you. People would say “don’t you think its time to get a regular job” or “how long are you going to keep at this?” I’ve been broke, used my last on things that I thought would benefit my career but ended up being a scam, made tons of mistakes, cried about it but then got back up. When everything around you is trying to tear you down, you must remember your “why”. It’s the one thing that’s been keeping me together.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an actress, dancer, and model. I am best known for my role as Lisa in “A Cops and Robbers Story” which is an independent film directed by Ilinca Calugareanu. I’ve also done a couple of theatre work including an original piece called “Step Show: The Musical”, which I am really proud of. That one was written by the amazing Maxine Lyle and directed by Daryl L. Stewart. I’ve also done a few commercials for cleaning companies, fitness clothing lines, and tech companies.
I’ve toured around New York City with the prestigious Young Dance Makers Company. I’ve performed at the Alvin Ailey Theatre, with choreography by Robert Battle. I’ve trained at the Mark Morris Dance Center and also trained at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City. I’m trained in modern dance and can portray a variety of dance styles such as Hip Hop, Jazz, and African dance.
In my free time, I like to do makeup and I’m also a self-taught FX makeup artist. Other talents include playing the drums and speaking Jamaican Patois.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think life is all about risks. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take and you can’t succeed if you don’t try, so you might as well take the risk. If you miss then you ain’t lose anything, but if you don’t, that just might be your ticket in. I live my life by taking risks. I make bold choices and I commit to them. One of my major risks was quitting my job to pursue acting. That was hard, but so was not living in my purpose…
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.latiaebanks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latiaebanks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LatiaEbanks1
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LatiaEbanks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/latia3344
Image Credits:
Photo Creds by Christian Webb Aaron Agyapong Jordi Foster
