Life & Work with Evelyn Lorena

Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelyn Lorena.

Hi Evelyn, 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’ve been putting on plays since before I can remember and so I feel like I’ve known I wanted to do this since I was a child. It wasn’t until high-school that it truly became a reality for me though. I have always been interested in other people and growing up I felt hyper vigilant to people’s behaviors and mannerisms, especially in jumping around social groups, or moving schools. I felt connected to people’s stories and motivations and I enjoyed understanding others. I did grapple with other personal interests, like environmental law, or art history, or even Russian language and Eastern European studies – I have no idea why, but I’ve had a weird kinship to Russian culture, and Chekhov is easily one of my favorite playwrights —and I still have those interests in my reading, but somehow there was this sort of … monastic, narrow-focus involved in this acting thing … a craft behind it, and I just fell in love with that. I suppose I both fell into it and was intentional about it. And you can literally do anything in this profession; you can be anyone, and explore life itself. Films never stop feeling surreal to me and I felt such a need to express myself in this way – and so I applied to conservatory (last minute) in my senior year.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Smooth feels so relative. I’m aware of certain privileges I’ve had and I don’t turn a blind eye to that, and I feel incredibly grateful, but I’m also aware there have been things I’ve had to work at far more than others, but of course every journey is different. I really don’t believe you can compare — we all get handed our personalized share of challenges that will only make sense for each of our journeys. I’ve certainly found myself trying on a lot of different things and you finally settle on one thing that feels right. But struggles? Hmm. Maybe in breaking the mold of what someone who looks like me can play? On screen. Because sometimes people have had an idea of what that means. I try not to give it too much attention, but I can certainly see a positive difference in people’s perceptions in me. But again, I haven’t let that limit me — that would feel awful — and I feel grateful for the chance at what roles I’ve had in my short time. I really just care about depth. I do tend to get the girlfriend quite a bit, but you can do a lot with that too. It’s all perspective and mindset for me. The industry thankfully keeps evolving, in thanks to the hard-work of so so many people. I have seen that “minorities” (I don’t like that word because it implies other-ism, but for the sake of understanding) have gotten caught in niche roles in the past, especially when you see older films, or because the story is being told from a colonial lens, so anytime I see something that just portrays brown women in their humanity, I relish in it. But to answer your question? Has it been smooth? I have no concept of it all yet! I do love it though.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an actress with an interest in filmmaking and writing. I feel everyone now is an entrepreneur/multi-hyphenate because of the internet so I don’t feel very original in that, and I certainly don’t claim too many titles because then my focus feels everywhere! I feel as an actor I have a tendency to look at the world in a certain kind of way, and I feel really grateful for that and for the training that has sort of helped enhance whatever I do in this life. Sometimes I don’t feel like a “filmmaker” since I come at it from a different world, but I truly believe an artist is an artist, and like John Lennon said give me a tuba and I’ll figure out something to do with it. (Or something like that.) For me, art is about connection, and empathy, so I hope in anything I do I’m creating more connection and empathy and excitement in the world. I do feel proud of the fact that I’ve been able to translate my acting into something more tangible like films, and have them resonate with the people who have watched them. It truly feels surreal. One of the things I’ve considered in my life, and I’m not sure if this sets me apart or not, is this idea that we’re limitless, and because of that I’ve also tried not to limit my creativity, and so if I feel called to do something, like write a short film or direct this latest film, Gabriela, a LALIFF/Netflix Inclusion short, I try to follow it — even if I am jumping off the deep end. Sometimes I feel like stories are placed within us, and for me, as an actor, if the role doesn’t come along, and I still have this story within me, there has to be an outlet for that somewhere, because somewhere in the cosmos and stratosphere of consciousness that story is yearning to be expressed. I suppose I feel pretty proud of that: having the willingness to express myself.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I remember I was asked this same question back at high school graduation and everyone was putting things down as, “I will own X fancy car, and have this much money, and have this kind of house,” and I felt really strange because I couldn’t answer the question. So, I put “feeling happy doing what I love.” I remember feeling really upset because they changed my answer to something more … “tangible” or “practical” for when I walked up for my diploma. Gosh, that’s why I remember the whole experience … because of the disappointment I felt. But, I honestly feel the same way now as I did then about happiness. I don’t want that to sound pretentious or altruistic, because having nice things can be nice, and I have ambitions for myself … but I truly feel, and life has taught me that since I was super little, that the greatest success can be your own validation, and from that, if there’s any kind of happiness, it’s from the love that resides in feeling like you’ve done something worthwhile, and creative, and as a plus, connected with other beautiful souls. Then … what more success is there? Feeling it all is so important to me. It’s not ever going to come from anything “out there.” That’s only a reflection of what’s *in here.* If anything, the stuff out there can make you miserable!

Contact Info:

• Website: imdb.me/evelynlorena
• Instagram: instagram.com/evelynlorenaofficial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFRSl0sd7NM

Image Credits
Chase Anderson, Sommer Daniel, Whitney Shumaker, Pat Maus