Since the tender age of four years old, I’ve always had a clear vision of what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I always, without a shred of doubt, wanted to be an actress.
Many of my earliest memories involve performing staggering renditions of “Twinkle, Twinkle” and Natalie Cole songs to strangers at various restaurants. My first role on stage was as a Villager in Treasure Island at around age 8. I had the first line in our angry villager song (“Bring a dish of boiled fish and bring it right away!”) and in each of our performances over that weekend I was ecstatic to shout it out to my obviously adoring fans.
Performing on stage gave me, the little girl who had always felt like too much, a place to feel just right. I wasn’t too loud on stage, I was projecting and my vocal power was impressive. I wasn’t exaggerating when I was acting, I was being animated and making bold choices. I was never too much in the theatre, I was right at home.
Acting, being an actress, was one of the first things I ever felt really, really good at.
So naturally, I fell in love with it. It was all I really wanted to do. While other kids were memorizing pop songs and obsessing over Hollister or American Eagle, I would learn every lyric to Stephen Schwartz musicals and peruse Discount Dance for new leg warmers or Capezio heels.
I was in school play after school play, was in so many shows at my local community theatre I probably should’ve paid them rent. I landed my first professional gig at 17 and was on the exact track to not only be voted ‘Most Likely To Be Famous’ (which I was), but actually achieve it.