Today we’d like to introduce you to Andréa Figliomeni.
Hi Andréa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m originally from a super small town in upstate New York called Voorheesville. I fell in love with theater while performing in several of my High School Musicals and realized that I simply couldn’t do anything else with my life other than pursue my chaotic yet fulfilling dream of professional acting. I moved to New York City a year after high school to study Acting/Musical Theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. The year following graduation was a bit of a hot mess. I didn’t know who I was or how I fit into the industry. I was working as a Server/Bartender by night and attending Musical Theatre auditions every morning at 5 am, without seeing much progress in my career. I could feel myself losing steam and I didn’t know what was next. It scared me.
In school, I had an acting teacher/mentor who really believed in me and told me that he had a feeling I would get tired of musical theatre and switch over to the dark side (film acting) at some point. I didn’t want to believe that, but it wasn’t until I had a mini epiphany and decided “okay, fine, I’ll DABBLE in film”, that things really started to pick up for me. I booked my first big film job as a lead in Crypt TV’s mini-series, ‘Mordeo’. I fell in love with film on that set. My teacher was right. I went on to work on some incredible MFA Thesis films and Independent shorts/features, where I not only built up my reel and resume but made amazing friends and contacts who I still work with today. I signed with my first manager in Los Angeles last July and have since booked and filmed three feature films, two shorts and have two more on the horizon. Today, I fly back and forth between NYC and LA multiple times a year and audition every chance I get. I’m writing, creating, and filming stories and roles that I want to tell and be seen in while learning the production side of the industry. I’ve even fallen on the TikTok bandwagon and have been releasing silly (but thoroughly written, acted and edited) skits to build up my audience! I’m excited and confident in what’s to come.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Moving to NYC was always a pipe dream. Financially there was little to no possibility of making it happen. To this day, looking back, I still think of it as a fluke. I’m so grateful I was able to save my pennies and make it through college and that first year after college.
One of my biggest struggles was finding a good balance. Between rent, voice lessons, acting classes, musical theatre performance classes, agent/manager sessions, headshots, and just the expense of living in New York City/LA, not only was my free time-limited, but it certainly added up financially. I had to make choices and commit to them regarding what I wanted to focus on. Once it became clear what direction my career was heading in, those decisions became easier and easier.
Finding representation was also a struggle. I knew what I had to offer and I knew if someone took a chance on me, they wouldn’t regret it, but there are so many people trying to “make it” as an actor, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. I was also waiting around to be cast in roles that could showcase my chops, but a GOOD script that you are “right for” in the casting director’s eyes is not easy to come by. So when I realized I could just cut all those middlemen out and write roles for myself, it changed the trajectory of my career. NOW I could prove to agents and managers, “Hey, look! I can do this and this AND this!”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Drama, Horror, Comedy… I truly love it all. I studied Meisner Technique and passionately believe that all good acting comes from a deep understanding of truth and listening/responding. I believe that every single character you ever play should have a little bit (or a lot) of you at the core. And I think both of those things sound a lot easier than they actually are, which is what sets me apart from a lot of other actors.
I’m most proud of the feature film I shot last October. It’s called “The Mystery of Her”. I play the title character, Ali Spencer, a high school senior who gets into a car accident and loses her memory. She has to relearn who she really was versus who everyone wanted her to be and essentially gets a second chance at a more meaningful life. It was a role that I was really able to sink my teeth into throughout the course of filming which lasted a little over a month. It will be coming to a major streaming platform by the end of 2021, so keep your eyes peeled 😉
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Los Angeles is a dream. Coming from the east coast, I sometimes feel like I’m in a foreign country, which is something that I sometimes love and sometimes hate. I feel like I can take on the world when I look out at the skyline of Los Angeles. I filmed a feature film in Beverly Hills last November, called “Obsessions”, and I genuinely felt emotional every morning showing up to set. The people here are creative, passionate and driven, and I wouldn’t want to be surrounded by anything else.
DRIVING in LA is a nightmare!! I specifically moved to NYC so I would never have to drive again and here I am in Los Angeles, just trying to make it from one job to the other in one piece.
Contact Info:
- Email: andreaSfigliomeni@gmail.com
- Website: www.andreafigliomeni.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreafigliomeni
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYaGu7Pk77STcjNhhF4LJsA
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@drefiggysmalls
