Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea LJ Lopez.
Chelsea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story is ongoing, ever-changing, and evolving constantly, but if I had to pinpoint the starting point of my conscious journey and pursuit as an artist I’d say it started at age seven. My older sister Ashley begged my mother to start an acting class. Naturally, looking up to her, I asked my mother if I could join too.
After some convincing, my mother said yes and we joined the only acting school in my small New Jersey town. The school was called ACTORS TRAINING INSTITUTE taught by a woman named Sandra Croft. From there, I got signed with a manager and agent and was later introduced to my lifelong mentor Sheila Gray. Eventually my younger sister and father joined Sheila’s acting class and soon it became our families favorite pastime.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My career has been consistent and I’m very blessed for every opportunity + experience. Of course, there is occasional lulls and times I have felt frustrated with it, but in the end it’s all a part of the learning process and I understand it takes time and patience to harness a craft. I truly trust the universe that if I meet it halfway, it’ll meet me tenfold. I think a lot of times luck is just hard work. And I believe whenever I feel like I’m struggling is often times when I’m learning the most. My struggles have taught me so much, I always say “plant seeds and watch beauty grow from dirt”. Anyone who knows me well will tell you I’m an optimist at heart. I try to always see the bright side and hang around people with positive energy and shine my light wherever I go. The quote, “you are the company you keep” is a phrase that rings true to me lately. I am so grateful for my family and girl group of friends. They are my rocks and ground me on this journey. We all support one another and I think it’s really important to have a good support system while pursuing your dreams. I am clearer than ever on who I am as an artist and actress and human being at the moment.
There are a few key elements that have helped me through my artistic journey. Perseverance. Persevering through countless really special auditions and close calls to huge projects as a child. Learning to love the process of auditioning and respecting the rejection that comes along with it. Persistence. Persisting through being called weird for my strangely beautiful outfits as a teenager. Passion. Passion of knowing acting is my souls work but inside acknowledging it doesn’t define me. Because independent of acting, I am now realizing I am actually just an artist at heart. Someone who has the passion for kindness and inclusion and creation. Acceptance. Accepting, yet smiling through the rejection and continuing to have fun and explore myself and my creativity is what has lead me to where I am now. If my seven years old self saw me I think she’d be proud. I’m beginning to develop a career that honors that little seven years old part of me I guess, and continuing to preservere + create for her 🙂
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My acting career started with my first film Walker Payne. I starred in it besides some veteran actors who I was so blessed to work with. The cast included Sam Shepard, Bruce Dern, Drea De Matteo, and Jason Patrick. Some of my other accomplishments include a movie called I DREAM TOO MUCH produced by Richard Linklater, ARE WE NOT CATS which premiered at VENICE FILM FESTIVAL, NOVITIATE which premiered at SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, in which I acted alongside some really powerful female actors including Oscar award winner Melissa Leo. I think the biggest job I’ve done to date though was PHOENIX FORGOTTEN, a VHS found footage film produced by Ridley Scott. My face was on billboards, train stations, buses, and bus stops all across the world. It was truly a surreal and special experience.
After that, I joined a HULU show called T@gged where I starred alongside Noah Centineo. I think I am mainly known for my dramatic acting, but recently have been taking a step out of my comfort zone and exploring comedy and have been having so much fun making others laugh. I have a comedic short film coming out soon where I star alongside Barry Bostwick called MOLLYROBBER. I really am looking forward to sharing it with the world. And showing a different side of my work.
What were you like growing up?
My mother used to call me “monkey child” because I was always bouncing around and was a super hyper-creative kid. My parents exposed me to many activities from a young age. I took photography, dance, calligraphy, trapeze, basketball, and soccer lessons as a kid. I actually played soccer till I was in 11th grade, but had to give it up for acting because I kept missing practice for auditions. Emotionally speaking, I have always had a great deal of sensitivity from a young age. I’ve been empathetic and promoting honesty for as long as I can remember. Aesthetically, Ive always had a very distinct style.
As a youngster I would insist I dress myself, and would put together different funky colorful outfits as a young kid. When I got to middle school, I had my very own unique style and was often made fun of by other kids for how I dressed, but I persevered through the taunting and always held my own. Someone said to me once, “haters are just fans in disguise”. That made me laugh.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @chelsealjlopez
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