Life & Work with Olivia Ross of Studio City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Ross.

Hi Olivia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m Olivia Grey Ross, a 22 year old Los Angeles based actor. I was born and raised in Northern New Jersey. You can hear it the second I open my mouth, as I am a loud and proud Italian American from an even louder and prouder family.

I always knew I wanted to entertain people. From shooting films on my Flip camera, or posting skits to my locally known “finstagram”, I have continuously felt as if it is my purpose to make people laugh and feel seen though my work. I take pride in my ability to connect with others, whether that be on stage or on the screen.

I followed that calling all the way to college; I got accepted into my dream BFA Acting program at the California Institute of the Arts when I was 17. I graduated May of 2024. During my time at CalArts, my love for acting only grew and expanded as I found great mentorship and connection with my peers. One of them being my best friend, Lindsay Tata, whom I credit a majority of my success to. She is the best teammate as she constantly pushes me to do more and be the best version of myself.

I appreciate every single role I receive. I notoriously got cast as one of the “door mice” in my middle school’s production of Cinderella. To this day, my Father reminds me, “If I was going to be a door mouse, I was the best door mouse the stage had ever seen,”.

I believe that there is no small parts, only small actors. I heavily credit my smaller roles I received as a child to the bigger ones in my late teenage years to early twenties. It truly allowed me to appreciate every moment and perform each character to the best capacity that I can. It also reminded me to keep pushing and believe in myself no matter what. I was able to make my Hollywood debut at the age of 19. None of that would’ve been possible without my perseverance. I never gave up.

No matter how many times someone tells me “No”, I make it happen ten times faster. I have learned loss at a very young age, reminding me to live each day as if it were my last and to make my dreams a reality. I am a hard worker, a truth teller and a fighter.

I take great pride in everything I do. Though life has thrown me many curve balls, the one thing that remains is my passion for story telling.

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?
One of the hardest obstacles I faced while in pursuing my dreams was leaving home and moving across the country at such a young age. I went from seeing the community I grew up with all the time to just twice a year when I was only 17 years old. I had always been an independent child, but that never stopped me from missing home and being present for my community. There were many milestones for my friends and family that I had to miss in order to pursue my career. There were many times where I missed home in general. There were many times where my family had to miss my milestone moments out here in LA, given the cost to visit.

Reflecting on the times during high school where I would go from school, to rehearsal, straight to work on most days; I really don’t know how I did it. I have had to balance work, school and my passions ever since I was 14. Through that, I maintained being a High Honor Roll student and a member of the National Honors Society. Though difficult, I do credit those times for leading me to be adamant in combining both my work life and passion.

I faced a lot of loss in my teenage years as well. High school was a very difficult time as the reality of how fragile life is became so apparent. That shaped me into the performer I am today and why I chose to follow my dreams. I push forward for my guardian angels. I still feel them with me every step of the way.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an Actor.
I trained primarily in the theater as I have been performing on stage since I was eight years old. I specialize in comedic, emotionally complex, grounded or rebellious characters. I am known for making people laugh at expense of my own failure. I am also credited for my unique voice and insane facial expressions/reactions. I also have a strong passion for clowning, physical comedy, sketch comedy and improv. Recently, I have been drawn into the world of horror and anything spooky.

One of my favorite accomplishments in my career thus far was receiving the opportunity to perform live in Hollywood. I was fortunate enough to perform at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in both 2022 (Young Blue Girl, “Yellow/Blue”) and 2023 (Lexa, “The Lemming Effect”). This was such a thrilling experience as it was something I had dreamed of since I was a child.

Though my roots are in the theater, I have made the transition into the film world following my graduation. So far, I am fortunate enough to have completed one feature length film, several short films and a couple of commercials over the past year. I even received the amazing opportunity to participate in a BuzzFeed video that acquired nearly 2 million views! I am proud of every single piece of work I have done over the past year. I am grateful to have worked with so many remarkably talented people over my first year in the industry. Every project I attach my name to has a special place in my heart and so do they.

The thing that sets me apart from others is my ability to persevere. No matter how many “no’s” I get, I keep going. Everyone can achieve their dreams if they are willing to work hard enough for it. I moved out here with one promise to my family; that promise was to succeed.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a pretty outgoing kid. My parents claim I was intelligent, goofy, stubborn and independent. I remember begging them to let me audition for Disney when I was five years old, practicing my wand intro alone in my room.

I was constantly filming skits with my younger brother, Damian, for our “blog” or making movies with my stuffed animals. Let me tell you, I put my Club Penguin plushies to work! Upon reflection, this really was just a clever way for our parents to have footage of us. For me, this was the beginning of my love. YouTube videos have always been an escape from the world for me. I found comfort watching my favorite internet comedians making content. It made me feel less alone. As an early teen, that “blog” became my “finstagram”, where I would post sketches of myself lip syncing or playing various characters in my bedroom. I longed to provide my friends that same sense of comfort through my own videos.

It expanded to the point where people in my high school, whom I had never formally interacted with, referred to me as “orosstheboss” (which was my handle at the time). Luckily now, I have a backlog of videos to look at from when I was a child. There was always that love for “playing pretend” and entertaining an audience, even if no one was watching.

I started off doing community theater summer programs at our local YMCA and absolutely fell in love with musicals. I had a strong passion for the stage and performed in three to four shows consistently per year. Though, my commitment to the craft solidified when I was a Junior in high school, after playing my first leading role in a comedic play. Following that, acting became more than just a hobby; it became the thing I wanted to dedicate my life to.

There were definitely times in middle school and early high school that got difficult to maintain my rather outgoing personality. I became “too much”, or just outright “annoying”. I never let that get me down. I stayed true to myself, even when some kids made it really difficult. I attracted the right people to stick by my side. I still have those people with me to this day. I truly owe everything to my community who believes and supports me every step of the way, for I would be nothing without them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oliviagreyross.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviagreyross/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-ross-354b5529a/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/Y1rtnYoQldo?si=j5EeRzpeiNsgUoZd

Image Credits
All Image credits: Ted Ely Studio