Meet Stephanie Erb of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Erb.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a child of a musician, I was always drawn to the arts (also medicine, but that’s another story.) After pursuing degrees in Biology and English, I found myself in the Professional Actor Training program at SMU. After graduating, I moved to NY to start my acting career and found myself all over the regional theatre circuit…. wrapping it up with a national tour with THE ACTING COMPANY. But I wanted to try my hand at TV/Film. I dared to move to LA with no agent, no friends, not really even one connection… was that wise? Perhaps not! But I did it anyway.
Los Angeles proved to be a place where I COULD find friends, representation and employment (after some blood, sweat and tears) … and it definitely was not a linear route for me. Eventually, I could make a living on film and television, do some theatre in Los Angeles (and occasionally beyond) and begin forging a community for myself. Dream jobs were had early on (STAR TREK? PETER WEIR? JEFF BRIDGES? – these were gigs which truly jostled the mind of this girl from Ohio.) The irony being that oftentimes the dream gigs were followed by the valleys of nothingness, where one doubts the future and one’s path. More work would come.. not always exacty what I might want.. but also sometimes things that were quite lovely surprises.
And you know, those work valleys led me to MAKE STUFF… web series, short films, pilots… I learned that I could do a lot of things that I didn’t know I could do. Of course, money is needed, but it is also great to discover that merely by acting in things, you have learned to do MORE (direct, write, produce). The industry shifts so much, especially lately, that one has to be adaptable… and that is my current story and pursuit.

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?
As mentioned, there were times when things got SLOW. When work I loved doing gets cut from the final projects. When being verbally booked for a role turns into “we changed the character.” When respect seems lacking on a set. When someone you revere maybe isn’t so great. When you want to be seen for something and it just wont happen. When just aging means you have to reinvent yourelf just when you thought you found your place! When selftaping has taken some of the joy out of the process and you have to tape and tape in your wee office with no feedback or technical assistance. When a show gets cancelled (I did 10 episodes of BOSCH:LEGACY and worked with some great people I hoped to see again and again- wonderful! – but then it’s gone in the blink of an eye! Noooo!) I am inclined to believe an actor who has had a consistently smooth road maybe isn’t telling you the truth or is one of the truly lucky people. Nonetheless, obstacles CAN truly deepen your work. at times…..I do believe that.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have to say one of the things I am most proud of in my acting career is my range. I have played high-ranking military, distraught moms, crazy ladies, murderers, lawyers, doctors, therapists, dumb ladies, tough ladies…… I still really want to play a nun (maybe an evil one?) and a few other things… but I find that even when I was a young ingenue or leading lady, I was truly a character actress inside no matter how I seemed on the outside. Range may not be what helps you lock into a niche quickly, but it sure can be a lot of fun.
Also I really enjoy mixing a bit of comedy in with drama… it is what my favorite actors do and I aspire to always have a sense of humor about what I am doing… and if something is supposed to be funny, well I like to find the dark aspects of that as well.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is an ever-changing thing. For me personally it has morphed from specific bookings I would want (a recur, a certain show, working with this or that particular person) to finding peace in between jobs so I can bring perspective, joy and love to what I do when I get cast in something. Success is loving coming to work. It would always boggle my mind to work as a guest star on a show (and I’ve done over 100) and find there sometimes to be a lack of appreciation onset for the fact that doing a film or a tv show is kind of a miracle… it’s amazing to me it ever happens! I would be giddy sometimes to have a job! (and often eat way too many M&Ms ). And of course, being able to make a living acting is NOT easy (especially now) .. so success can be as simple as achieving that goal.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @stephanie_erb_official
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0258632/

Image Credits
Headshots by Stephanie Girard
Set shots taken on my camera… from LADY INVISIBLE (bloody teeth.) MONSTER with Niecy Nash, LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN with Rosie O’Donnell, military shot from CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL