We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ava Acres a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ava thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

My older sister and I attended a children’s theater camp when I was 3 years old and she was 6. I was hooked from the first moment I stepped onto the stage, and that feeling of gratitude and excitement for acting has never gone away. Soon after theatre camp, I told my parents, “I want to be like the people in the TV”. I then signed with a talent agency for on-screen acting, and I’ve been a working actor ever since.
I’ll never forget my first day on a film set. It was a car commercial and I was around three years old. I was in awe of the giant camera rig- a Panavision camera shooting on 35mm film attached to a crane, and during the take it would push in close on my face. I remember feeling so curious and excited about everything that was happening around me, and I didn’t want the day to end. As I grew up working on film and television sets, I began asking as many questions as I could- to my directors, ADs, the sound mixer, the hair and makeup artists, and my fellow actors. I’m so inspired by the people on a film set who are passionate about and dedicated to their craft, and I love that we get to work together as a team to create something one-of-a-kind.

Ava, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. I’ve been a working actor in Hollywood since I was a toddler. My television work includes roles on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon A Time, American Horror Story, Family Guy, American Dad, and Adventure Time. I’ve also shared the screen in feature films starring Anna Paquin, Eva Green, Daniel Bruhl, Shailene Woodley, Jeff Garlin, and many other inspiring and talented artists. Growing up in this environment inspired me to also learn about screenwriting, directing, and producing, and I became determined to make films of my own.
That led me to applying to film schools for a major in directing and a minor in screenwriting. I spent a year at film school before deciding I’d rather be in Hollywood working than reading a textbook about working in Hollywood! So, I moved back to LA and immediately began pre-production on a TV comedy pilot which I wrote, directed, and starred in. As much as school is important, I realized I had certain opportunities that would have passed me by had I not taken a risk and jumped head first into developing my own show.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is when somebody comes up to me and says that a movie or show I was in changed their life in some way, or that a character I played helped them feel understood or be more understanding of someone in their life. I experienced this with a film I recently starred in called “No Right Way”. My character is a spirited, tough teenage girl who gets taken from her family by Child Protective Services. The film recently went through the festival circuit, and I was lucky enough to attend a handful of these festivals and connect with audiences at the screenings. People told me how much it meant to see my character’s perspective being represented, because it either helped them gain better understanding of themselves or of specific people in their lives. They’d said things like, “Thank you for portraying this character, she reminded me of my daughter” or “She reminded me of myself as a teenager, I feel so seen”. To have that effect on an audience means the world to me, because that is my intention in every step of the creative process. Whether I’m portraying a character, writing a script, or directing a project, I hope to tell stories that inspire connection and understanding in the viewer.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My current mission is to sell my comedy TV pilot that I mentioned earlier. This will be my first time pitching a TV show, and I’m so excited to learn from the process! Later this year, I will be starting my own production company, where I can develop specific projects that for now just exist in my Notes app. One of those projects is a feature film about my abuela’s life, because she has spectacular stories of how she came to America, built a company, and overcame so many challenges to become the incredible person she is today. I also have ideas for an action film, a documentary that I want to direct, and certain characters that I want to explore in my acting career. These goals drive my creative journey on a daily basis, and I feel so blessed to be following my dreams as an actor and filmmaker.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @avaacres
• Other: My IMDB Link!

  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3732165/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_3_nm_5_in_0_q_Ava%2520Acres

Image Credits

Tony Zamarripa, John Mazlish, and Laura Revercomb