Life & Work with Josh Ahrens of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Ahrens

Hi Josh, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, my story is weird. Similar to other Actors in some ways. Different in others. My mom took me to my first Broadway tour show when I was 4, “Beauty and the Beast.” When I saw the show, I had this feeling that took over my whole body, that I’m supposed to be up there. Not in the audience, not anywhere else but the stage.

But I’m from the Midwest, which means you grow up, go to college, get married, have kids, corporate job. Theatre and art was frivolous and dumb, not practical or fruitful, financially speaking. You won’t make it and you’ll be homeless of course. So to hide myself and what I wanted to be, I repressed it, but art has a way of getting out of you one or the other. It can’t stay dormant for long. So I started journaling. Almost everyday, my thoughts, ideas, adventures I wanted to go on. Made up worlds and characters, became different people and did voices in the mirror. Spent a lot of time alone even though I have a twin brother. Just actually being myself and no one would know.

Insert montage of people asking me throughout my life to, “be in a theatre show, help me make something for Youtube, be a character, do a voice, role play a thing with.” I would always say no. Because I was scared, I’d chalk it up to stage fright but I just really didn’t want to disappoint my parents’ plan that they had laid out for me. Go to college, get married, have kids, corporate job. So I said no. I even said no to starring in a movie filmed in my hometown.

Until college, college happened and low and behold I needed an elective to graduate, a frivolous activity/class. So I picked writing. I’ll take a basics class and just do it for fun. Can’t hurt anyone, right? I was already writing anyway, so who cares? Feedback I got consisted of, “you write like an author but you aren’t one so…., your writing is really good but you can’t write about this topic because it’s ‘not allowed,’ your writing is engaging but I feel like you’re writing a script not a novel” and my personal favorite, “I really think you shouldn’t be a writer, but do you mind if I show your writing to my other classes? You know, give them something to aspire to.” Yes that really happened. That teacher later used my writing for a novel they would write.

So that was fun haha but one teacher said, “hey your writing is actually good. Have you ever thought about writing for film?…well you should take an acting class to see how actors will perform your dialogue.” So I did. Much to my parents chagrin.

I didn’t need to take the class, it was one elective too many in their eyes. But I was working 3 jobs and paying for my own school and some of my brother’s college also, so as a 20 year old i figured at that point they could shove it.

I took the class. I loved it. And when I finished my first scene I sat down for a recall to talk about how it went. The teacher, Debbie Phillips, was a no nonsense, funny, quirky, and energetic red head who would tell you exactly what you needed to know. I was intimidated by her. So since I had never done acting before I didn’t know how to talk about it. So I sat there silently. When the silence grew too loud, and she realized I didn’t know what to say.

She said, “do you know what you just did?” I obviously said no. She then asked, “have you ever done this before?” I said no again. She said, “You’re lying.” I said no I’m not. She said, “You should do this as your job. Whatever you were going to do, don’t. Do this instead. You’re a natural. You need a little bit more practice and foundation but keep going.” I wish I could say after this conversation I believed her. I didn’t. Too many years of following what my parents wanted, pushed down what I wanted.

It didn’t stop me from auditioning though. I started submitting myself to everything. But I quit it all to get that corporate job. Working 9-5, great pay, great benefits, great apartment. But once I helped launch the Spectrum TV app, I realized that this wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to be on TV and in film. I wanted be the hero that I’d seen in so many movies.

So I quit that too and moved to LA a year to the day before the pandemic. Spent the pandemic here. Stayed inside like everyone else. And waited it out. Once it ended I started auditioning and submitting myself. I now have a list of credits under my belt and am repped by Innovision Talent Agency. They are awesome and I couldn’t ask for a better team!

Coming up this year, I have a few short films and an animated series being released. I’m currently going through the casting process of a pilot right now. Crossing my fingers I land it! I’m grateful that I went through all of that to get where I am today.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road at all. Lots of ups and downs. Pot holes for sure. Lol enough with the road analogy.

I stuck it out during the pandemic here. The business of acting itself is super difficult. No one tells you that the business does not work like other businesses and there is no one way in. You have to know yourself really well. And I know this gets said a lot but you need so much resilience.

To top it off there are so many scammers out there, praying on actors and others trying to make it in entertainment. Even people pretending to be acting teachers, just looking to make easy money off of new naive actors to LA. No one told me to be on the look out if you get an email from a casting director to double check with their office if they are really contacting you. Because when you get an email from a casting director, you’re thinking, “wow I just booked a job!!! Awesome! I’m so excited!!” You’re not thinking, I should be on high alert right now because someone might be impersonating a casting director. This happened to me. It was elaborate. I even received a real script with a REAL WGA submission number from a real named casting director with real credits. It turned out that someone who used to work for them was impersonating them. Had I not contacted the office to ask for my call time for the table read, I would have had no idea. Be safe and be smart. If it sounds too good to be true. Double check. If it still sounds too good to be true, check again.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a writer/actor/VO actor who specializes in stunts, mocap, and being the misunderstood charmer. The guy who you definitely wouldn’t take home to your family because he has too many secrets or just because he doesn’t like being “tied down.” Like Damon, or Rhysand. Or I’ve been told Lex Luthor, probably just because I’m bald haha. Speaking of, I get Nicholas Hoult a lot. I don’t see it, but in case his team does, do you all need a stand in for Nick or a stunt double for the fight scenes? HMU

What sets me apart is I don’t get stressed while I’m working. I quit my regular 9-5 and the comfy life to do this work and create this art. So I’m dedicated to it 24/7. I love what I do and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I have an animated series called “Trouble in Paradise” releasing later this year.

I voiced a character named Eliot, who’s a, you guessed it, a misunderstood charmer haha.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Mark Rolston shared with me that the only person standing in my way is me. Which has been a blessing. Once I got out of my own way doors started opening. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you Mark.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dot.cards/officialjoshahrens
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialjoshahrens
• Other: https://innovisiontalentagency.com/contact

Image Credits
Adam Fontana
@fontanafotography

adamfontana.com/fontanafotography