Although you may not have heard of Jenn Proske yet, you will because she is quickly gaining ground in Hollywood.When I got the opportunity to interview Jenn Proske, I was very excited at the prospect to learn more about her and share this with her fans. She is positioned to be the next Hollywood movie star.I invited Jenn over to my house to have lunch and found her to be a breath of fresh air. She arrived in jeans and a nice shirt. She was very polite and had a great attitude, enthusiastically telling me about her experiences in Hollywood. In our conversation, I found her to be not only sweet, talkative and pretty, but additionally very smart and down to earth as well. It is true that Jenn is a very pretty face but she is also a talented actress that is poised to go a long way in Hollywood. It is not often that we hear of a success story like Jenn Proske's, coming to LA right after college and landing the lead role in a 20th Century Fox Film after only four months of auditions. Sometimes it takes years and that's if you're lucky. The case with Jenn was incredible as she landed the lead in "Vampires Suck", a big Hollywood film put out by 20th Century Fox. Jenn personifies an actor's dreams come true; she arrives in Hollywood and in a few months after a few auditions, lands a leading role in a major film, how incredible is that!Jenn revealed that there was lots of secrecy around this film saying "I could not talk to anyone about it for a long time" but now Jenn has come out to tell us about her life, her hopes and what she wants to do in the future.What is your origin? I am German, Slovenian and Spanish. Slovenia, is in Eastern Europe isn't it? Yes. My Dad was born in Ljubljana and I still have lots of relatives there, so I try to visit when I can.It’s such a beautiful, amazing county.I would love to spend more time there, learn the language, and explore my Eastern European roots.It would be such a dream to get the opportunity to do a movie in Eastern Europe one day!
Tell me your story; have you always loved acting?Originally, I’m from Toronto, Canada but I mainly grew up in Orange County, California (my Dad is Canadian and my mom is American so we were able to spend lots of time in both countries.) Both of my parents are artists- my mom was a professional dancer and my dad does sketching and graphic design- so I was always surrounded by the arts. When I was six, I started doing children’s theater at my school and fell in love with acting.It became my main passion and focus and basically, I never stopped.When it came time to go to college, I auditioned for BostonUniversity’s conservatory acting program and got in!So I spent three years in Boston and one in Sydney, Australia working for Sydney Theatre Company.That time was absolutely incredible because I worked under the direction of one of my favorite actors, Cate Blanchett. In May of 2009, I graduated from university and moved to LA a few months later to try to pursue my dream and make a career out of it.My second day in LA, I was performing in an actor’s showcase and met my manager.We started working together the following week, and soon after that, I met my agent.With an amazing team behind me, who believed in me and were supporting me every step of the way, I began auditioning full time.About four months in, I was called in for an audition for Vampires Suck- but actually for the role of Iris (the Alice Cullen character from Twilight).I gave it my best, and about two weeks later, I got called back in for the lead role of Becca instead.I had to go in about 7 more times for call-backs and late one Friday night, I booked the role and then flew out the following Tuesday morning to Shreveport, Louisiana to begin shooting. In just four days, I packed my bags, memorized all of the lines, and left to start my first ever acting job- the lead of a 20th Century Fox studio film!I’m so amazed and honored to have started my career with this incredible opportunity. Are you a vampire in the movie?No, but I do fall in love with a very good-looking vampire!Tell us about the lingerie scene in the movie.I am a pretty modest person when it comes to my body so I was very nervous about shooting in lingerie.Normally, I don’t even like to wear bathing suits!But the directors were incredibly supportive.They actually created our shooting schedule so that the lingerie would be one of the very last days on set- when we were all more comfortable with each other.Also, they cleared the set so that only a few people were there.Matt Lanter, my co-star also helped encourage me to not worry about it and feel confident.It really helped being surrounded by good, positive people.How was working on the set?At first, I was so nervous!I knew that I had the responsibility of being in every scene and “carrying the movie” so going into it, I was a bit terrified with all of the pressure.But I knew the one thing that I could always bring, regardless of my fear or anxiety, was a great sense of work ethic- I’m a really hard worker.The directors, Jason and Aaron are really passionate and hard workingtoo, so together we met and rehearsed every single day- even on weekends. Eventually, I found my footing and began to be less scared and have more fun- that’s when the whole experience on set turned into a magical one.It really was thanks to Jason and Aaron though.They helped instill a sense of confidence in my work and supported me unconditionally.What can you reveal about Vampires Suck? I can definitely tell you that the Twilight fans are going to love it!There are so many little tiny references that they are going to love and appreciate.I can’t wait to hear what the fans think…What do you find the most challenging about the acting? I find the roller-coaster ride of auditioning most challenging.It’s always about putting yourself out there, being rejected, and then getting back out there and trying again.Even now that I’ve booked this, I’m still going out every day, putting myself out there, and getting turned down sometimes.And rejection is hard!So I think just the nature of the business is probably the biggest challenge.It’s a struggle to make sure that you stay confident and believe in yourself, even through the rejection and keep trying!But do it.I can promise you that when you succeed and live your dream, it’s really worth it!What advice do you have for aspiring actors?I think the most important thing that I could tell to any aspiring actor it to be proactive- keep trying to go after your dream- and make sure that you are not just sitting around waiting for something to happen.You can help change your path!Each day, meet new people, get your face out there, and keep trying. Even if there are roles that you can’t necessarily get in the audition room for, you should try it out and tape yourself doing it.Maybe if the tape is good, you can get it to the casting directors.It's all about being active and coming up with creative ways to put yourself out there. How do you memorize all those lines? I sit down on my computer and tape the opposite lines. That way I can practice saying the lines over and over again out loud, with myself!Usually, I bring my computer to the audition and sit in my car beforehand and rehearse.Have you felt the effect of fame yet? Not yet!Everyone that I went to school with when I was little has found out now that the commercials are on TV, and it’s funny to talk to people that I haven’t spoken to in years, but I haven’t been “recognized” in public yet.Are you ok with Fame?I’m not sure, I really haven’t had to deal with it yet so it’s hard to say what it will be like, or what changes it will create in my day-to-day life.But if and when it comes, I think I will embrace any fame or any attention that I get because hopefully, that means that I’m creating great work that people are seeing. What do you feel about being rich and famous? Being rich and famous has never been my goal at all. I love to act and I want to be able to do really great parts. My goal is to be able to provide for myself and not have to worry about the daily expenses. I do want to be able to benefit from my work and make a good living, but I love it so much that I would do it for free.What is your guilty pleasure? I am a huge nerd and I love to study and read!In college, in addition to acting, I worked on part of my masters degree in Criminal Justice.I love Forensics and Investigation and I used to study this at the Boston Crime :ab. It’s an interesting, dangerous world that really excites me.What type of lifestyle do you lead? Right now, I am enjoying this crazy adventure that I am on and am doing lots of interviews for the movie and auditioning a lot.I’m very close to my family so I do a lot of things with them. I go to coffee with my friends.I read.I go dancing…Do you have a sweetheart?I am dating my career right now!It’s hard to find the time for a love life.You have a nice figure. How do you stay in shape? Do you work out ?I don’t really work out as often as I’d like, but I really enjoy walking. I have a healthy living ethic and really believe in eating good foods, not smoking, taking care of yourself and relaxing.What are your favorite foods? I love sushi and seafood.What is your most important beauty tip?Wear sunscreen!I lost some really close people to me because of skin cancer so I’m a huge advocate of wearing sunscreen and hats.What is another beauty tip?Love yourself. It is important to stay positive because beauty comes from the inside out.Do you have any brothers or sisters?I have a little sister, who is amazing and so fun to be around.She’s my best friend.Do you have any pets?Yes! A Yorkie Poo , which is a Yorkie and a Poodle mix.How do you see your life in 5 years?Ideally, I would like have a career where I’m working on lots of meaty, interesting roles, in projects of all types of genres. Maybe not in five years, but in ten or so, I’d also love to be married to someone amazing and be a mom.
The interview with Jenn ended on a positive note as she finished her Cobb salad and bid me adeu, then departed for another audition.
An Interview with Jenn Proske
