Today we’d like to introduce you to Tess Aubert (they/them).
Tess, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, I moved back to LA from France when I had just turned 15 years old. My dad was driving for a ride share app almost 24/7 and that man sure does love to chat! So one day, he found himself in conversation with a passenger (as usual) who turned out to be a young talent manager looking for new clients (not so usual). Meanwhile, I was a high school kid taking a weekly acting class for fun, booking roles in student films and short films that were shot on weekends (my main hobby). My dad told this manager about me, she reached out to me via Facebook – Yes, this was a bit sketchy and my mom was apprehensive at first, but – Long story short, this manager sent me an audition for a co-star in Criminal Minds. I booked it, loved it and kept working from then on.
It’s been nearly a decade since then and I’m just now working on developing skills in a wider range of roles such as writer, director and producer. I’m hoping these skills will open doors for me in terms of showcasing my own voice more. I feel like a fish out of water most of the time, but when anyone from the marginalized communities I’m a part of writes and produces their own films, that feeling is gone and a new one I can’t quite put words to takes over. I guess it makes me feel like a fish dunked back in some water! I want to provide that feeling for others, help people feel less alone, give them a big hug of healing support and deeper understanding through art.
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?
Hark! Challenges are everywhere! I’ve never heard of anyone’s road being smooth unless they were talking about a very specific section of the 405.
Jokes aside, luck and privilege certainly play a role in my journey, but life will never stop “lifing” whether that’s spilling coffee all over your pants right before you have to head out or spilling coffee all over your pants right before you have to head out while going through a divorce.
As much as I could simply provide a list of my bumps in the road, I’d rather pair it with the lessons I’ve learned from them. For instance, as a small female-bodied queer biracial third culture kid, many people will test your boundaries and try to take advantage of you. So you need to work a bit harder to learn how to be “the boss of you.” And when there aren’t many role models front and center who you can directly relate to, you need to trust your own hard work and earned success no matter how much others might doubt it.
Also, did you know it’s possible to shift your thought patterns from “I suck, I ruin everything” to “It’s okay, I’m learning something?” Wild! That one’s super helpful.
I haven’t always had the proper tools when battling mental illness, financially struggling or going through my divorce so they all felt like the worst tragedy at the time and I was just fully convinced that the world was coming to an end. Now, when things get a bit rough—it’s still difficult to go through, but—I try to remind myself that life is cyclical and then I listen to everything Sheryl Lee Ralph has to say. She makes me feel better on any given day. Highly recommend.
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?
My mission is to create community-driven spaces where artists—especially those who may be struggling or looking to get back on their feet—can find support and grow. One of the ways I’m doing this is through The Write To Party: a writers’ table read feedback group that I co-host with fellow actor Marlee Forsyth. It’s been an incredible experience, and we’re hoping to expand it into a full-fledged artist collective, offering a wide range of events that foster collaboration, creativity, and mutual support. We’ve been running this group since January and it’s been such a blast; I’m proud of this one for sure!
In addition to The Write To Party, I also coach actors via Zoom, particularly those who are new to the industry or need help navigating self-tapes and auditions.
In terms of acting, I’m most known for my work in TV and film though “known” is a strong word LOL. Like sure, I’ll get low-key recognized at my dog park or cafe every so often by someone who’s JUST seen an episode I’m in and wants to share kind compliments and congrats, but you wouldn’t know my name unless you actively went and searched for it.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I can tell you about the time my French country cousins and I were chased by cows one summer circa 2010! It’s short and silly like me :))
My dad is from a small town in Brittany called Loudéac. My uncle bought a fixer-upper farmhouse there in the middle of nowhere a long long time ago. His daughter is my baby cousin. When visiting them, all my cousins and I (adult supervision: 0%) were aimlessly walking around barren dirt roads one day. The youngest (7ish) points to a barbed wire fence opening and suggests we take a stroll across a field. The eldest (17ish) expresses some concern about this family of cows hanging out in the shade far off to the side. The youngest goes “It’s fine, the cows are my friends!” So naturally, we follow her lead. We get about halfway across the field when I turn my head to the side and notice this giant yet adorable curious cow just marching right behind me. Next to this cow was another cow and another and… We quickly notice all of those cows had joined us on our stroll. This is when our baby cousin “expertly” decides to sprint forward and scream bloody murder. The cows start chasing her and our herd of cousins just BOLTS for it. The eldest finds an opening in the barbed wire fence at the other end. She lifts it, yelling at us to slide underneath past a small muddy ditch. We slide through, reaching safety one by one. In stunned silence, we all catch our breath staring back at these innocent yet huge cows. Soon after, we start chuckling little by little until all of us are belly laughing so much our stomachs hurt. Of course, once we made it back to the house, we all irrupted in a loud cacophony of storytelling to our parents and that’s that. This memory brings such warmth to my heart; I hope to remember it forever and tell it to my friends’ city-dwelling grandkids as an old folk tale of mine like “Unty T was chased by a buncha cows once, ya know?”
Pricing:
- $60 1h zoom acting coaching session
- $300 6 sessions
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tessaubertofficial.wordpress.com/
- Facebook: You can reach me via email at [email protected] I’m also newly represented by Sarah Nezamzadeh at Stride Management so for any professional actor inquiries for film/tv/theatre, please contact her.
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tess-aubert-6b267b251/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6877417/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_2_nm_6_in_0_q_tess%2520aubert
