We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jenna Nolen . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jenna below.

Jenna , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

Being a woman in the world is already a hard thing to navigate and being a woman in the industry is another beast in itself. I think one of the things I had set very early on is my morals and what I would and wouldn’t do. As a woman I think it’s very important to set these standards as you go into the industry. My family instilled in me very early on when I said I wanted to become an actress to not compromise your standards and your morals and that has stuck with me to this day. A lot of entertainment these days seems to always have an intimacy scene and I think as a creative those scenes are always awkward and it’s filled with a ton of anxiety. I remember doing a show that had a lot of intimacy scenes and had I not set my standards and what I would and wouldn’t do, I would’ve fell into the pressure of doing it just because I didn’t want to get in trouble. I think as a woman, we’re always sexualized so naturally people think we would be okay with doing whatever because we want to act, but we control the story. We can say no, and that’s something I’m forever proud of myself for speaking up and protecting myself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Jenna Nolen and I’m originally from Philadelphia Pennsylvania but I moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to pursue my dream in film and television. The biggest thing that I’m proud of myself for is just getting up and leaving. Chasing a dream that I had. Sometimes we get so caught up in the “what if’s” that we don’t take a leap of faith. I was eighteen years old when I moved across the country and yes it’s been rough but it has been an experience that I would do over and over again. God has guided me through the minute I got here until now and that’s been the biggest blessing. I would encourage anyone who is scared to take that jump, or leave that job, or change careers to just do it. You never know what’s on the other side.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the impact on people’s lives and my life at times. Whether I’m playing a role that is thought provoking or whether it’s just for entertainment, it can always touch at least one person. My favorite role that I played was Sabrina because there was so much to her and I took lessons from her life into mine, so knowing you have sort of like a friend in the role you play is amazing.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think the biggest misconception is that once you book a role no matter what it is, people think you’re rich, and that’s not the case. People often think that when you book a role you’re rolling in money, but they don’t understand that you have to pay taxes, the union, your team, and you have whatever you have left over for yourself. It’s a tough industry if I’m going to be honest and it’s definitely not the same as before. You use to be able to book a role and sit in the money for a while, but I’m going to be honest. I was a series regular for two seasons and right after I got done filming I went right back to my day job the next day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm5927774/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennanolen_/?hl=en