We recently connected with Lauren Elizabeth Harris and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren Elizabeth, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I decided to skip my final semester of senior year at USC to study at the British American Drama Academy, everyone told me that it was crazy to miss out on your senior year, but I had this gut feeling that studying at BADA would change my life. Deciding to pursue a career in acting or entertainment industry in general is inherently risky, and at times scary. Before attending BADA, I wasn’t positive I’d pursue a career in acting. I was scared of failure and putting myself out there. Studying at BADA led me to realize I would not be happy if I never tried pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, and that realization pushed me forward to go do it. Acting and filmmaking requires “daily risks” every day, auditioning for a role that requires vulnerability, getting on a casting director’s radar through a piece out of your comfort zone, or reaching out to network with someone who’s in a place you’d want to be. But to me, all of these “daily risks” or baby steps are worth it, because never taking that risk would be a much worse feeling.

Lauren Elizabeth, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up in the Philadelphia area and went to Quaker school my entire life. Quaker school set great values that I’ve maintained for the rest of my life. While there, I played the leading role of Strega Nona in my kindergarten play (along with 5 other kindergarteners also playing Strega Nona), and could be seen backstage mouthing the lines to the other kindergarteners on stage. From that point on, I was sure I wanted to be an actor. Many years later, I studied at the University of Southern California where I double majored in Acting and Spanish. I later studied at the British American Drama Academy, where I made lifelong friends who would later become my producing partners. I produced, wrote and starred in It’s A Girl Thing that came about from college experiences and got the filmmaking bug. Since then, I’ve produced, directed, and acted in many other projects that often work to have a social impact, and will be attending Columbia University in the fall to receive my MFA in Producing.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Many of the projects I create work to have some sort of social impact, in hopes that someone watching can feel more seen, understood, or represented. I would say that my goal is to create projects that people can learn something from, whether it’s a part of the world they didn’t know about previously or a character who they relate to who makes them feel like someone else understands what they’re going through, that’s why I keep going.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

So many things! The main thing would be that it’s OK to ask for help. Whether it’s someone whose where you want to be in your career, someone who you’d like to collaborate on a project with, or someone who you respect in the industry, it’s important to learn about others journeys in helping you get to where you want to be. On a practical level, also services like WeAudition, the importance of good lighting and non-distracting backgrounds in auditions, and making sure you have your priorities aligned so you have time to focus on what’s important to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: laurenelizabethharris.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/laurenelizabetharris
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/damsels-in-the-dms/id1521547037

Image Credits
Vivien Killilea= Getty Images, Headshot- Dana Patrick Photography, California Women’s Film Festival