Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Burks.
Ashley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Ruston, Louisiana with my mom, dad, and two sisters. During my childhood, we would always take a lot of family vacations to Disney World, Sea World, the zoo, to be honest, any childhood adventure you name we definitely did it, but hands down Disney World was always the best! Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was watch television shows and movies. I would literally watch movies all day long, it didn’t matter what kind of movie it was I would instantly gravitate towards it. However, my favorite movies and TV shows were literally anything dealing with Disney adventures and magic. These type of genres really allowed me to explore my inner child and made me feel a warm joyous feeling inside. Then, one day, I was thinking how badly I wanted to be on TV, especially after watching shows like Sister Sister, That’s So Raven, The Proud Family, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After constantly watching shows like this, it really motivated me to pursue my passion for acting. I not only wanted others to see me on TV but wanted to see myself fulfill my life long dream, as well.
Going back to my history, my family decided to move to Carrollton, Texas when I was in middle school, 7th grade to be exact. From that moment, my dreams started taking off in my head, the possibilities seemed endless. Upon our transition to Texas, I noticed a dramatic difference between Ruston, Louisiana and Carrollton, Texas. In Louisiana, there was no such thing as theatre classes or anything like that, well at least not the part I was from, but when I moved to Texas, there were theatre classes and I was mind blown thinking “wow, they teach you that here?” I was taking theatre classes and instantly realized how much I loved being on stage and in the spotlight. It was awesome, to say the least. From that moment forward, my dreams began to manifest themselves. A year or two after moving to Texas, my parents took me to a Disney audition. The Disney talent recruiters were blown away by my talent and really wanted me to take things further, as such they offered me a great opportunity in which I was unable to pursue as a result of financial obligations. Since that opportunity, I’ve worked extremely hard and pushed myself harder than ever by taking the necessary steps to ensure I am in the right position to take full advantage of the next opportunity presented.
After residing in Carrollton, Texas for only a year, my family decided to move to Frisco, Texas. Thankfully, after our last move, I was able to establish and maintain lifelong friends after graduating from Lone Star High School and transitioning to attend Texas A&M University in College Station. Of course, coming from a hard-working middle-class family, my mom wanted me to obtain a degree in a field that would allow me the opportunity to secure a “real job,” which was not theatre. Thus, I majored and graduated with my Bachelor’s in Community Health, which is a field that would afford me the opportunity to secure a job in the medical field, providing financial security. However, that just wasn’t enough for me. I’m the type of person where I would never want to wake up miserable or wake up hating and dreading my life due to my job. I’m also the type of person where I want to wake up ecstatic about my day and don’t want to feel like I’m “working,” but rather enjoying life and my passion all at once, and acting does that for me. I am able to start my day off right every Monday being able to train with one of the big name, best actors in the industry, Glenn Morshower. Acting class is truly amazing in itself, but having Glenn Morshower as my acting coach just adds the extra icing on the top because he truly wants to see you grow and become phenomenal in your craft while also becoming the best you, can possibly be. His teaching mechanisms are truly inspiring and therapeutic, to say the least. In this lifetime, you only have one life to live.
Thus, if you know deep down in your heart you don’t like doing something I would highly recommend not doing it anymore because you only have one life to live so live it to the fullest, you don’t ever want to wake up everyday living a miserable life. You want to spend life having fun, being happy doing stuff you love to do and I just absolutely love to act. Acting is so much fun, which brings joy to my heart, and is simply therapeutic for me personally. I am truly devoted to acting and it has shown in my work over the past few years. I have been apart of three feature films, one of which was trending on Netflix: Carter High, Deep, and The Golden Voices. I have also been blessed with being apart of two stage plays: Juneteenth and Watch Night, both of which share a critical part of our history dealing with slavery and freedom. Along with my weekly training sessions with Glenn Morshower, I also study fellow actors and actresses I look up to such as Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Rachel McAdams, Octavia Spencer, Chadwick Boseman, Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the list could literally go on forever, but just watching them and studying them over the years has allowed me to truly hone my craft.
Earlier this year I decided to research big name actors and actress’ acting coaches and the name Jemal McNeil appeared across my screen for coaching many in the industry, but two names in particular stuck out because they are two of my favorite actresses who are, Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer. I just remember praying to God and saying “Jesus if you could just please make a way for me to train with this individual, he has trained my favorite actresses and I don’t care if I have to fly to LA to do it, but please make a way,” and a few months later, I saw a post that Jemal McNeil was hosting a workshop here in Dallas, Texas. I began to praise God because I was so ecstatic for the opportunity and needless to say, I immediately signed up for his workshop! Jemal is so amazing, humble, and always eager to show us the ropes and by the grace of God he had another workshop a couple of months later again in Dallas and my heart was just so full being around him and his energy, he’s truly awesome! Acting is just the one true thing that calls out my name every day so that’s my story and I’m sticking to it and one-day, y’all will definitely see me on the big screen, on Freeform, Disney, OWN, HBO, FOX, STARZ just wait on it. I am so dedicated to my craft that the only drama I would love to have in my life is the one that follows after the word “ACTION!”
Has it been a smooth road?
The perfect answer for has my journey been a smooth road would be yes. However, that is not the case. In this industry, you will hear a million NOs before you get your first YES, and that’s just what comes with the business. However, while hearing NOs from different directions there is always work to be done in the meantime such as: maintaining your health mentally and physically, taking new headshots periodically, attending regular acting classes, studying fellow actors’ craft and understanding why they chose to portray characters as they did, learning the difference between on camera and on stage acting techniques, and the list can literally go on forever. Essentially, the point is to always stay ready so you won’t have to get ready because while the ride may be bumpy and not always be smooth, that one fork in the road could put you in the position to catapult your career tomorrow in a sense, thus, always stay ready. Unfortunately, most people think being an actress or actor is you immediately becoming an overnight success and that is far from the truth. Success doesn’t just happen overnight, it takes time and dedication to fully develop and transform. Metaphorically, you have to bake success at the right temperature, adding the right ingredients such as: time, dedication, mentors, hard work, blood, sweat, tears, and training in order for success to bake within an optimal time frame. You don’t want your career to be a rushed microwaveable career, you want to make sure it’s baking thoroughly at the right temperature using the right ingredients.
Essentially, what has helped me to truly be on the right path and take me to the next level is having a mentor. There are going to be a lot of things you just do not know in this business and it’s best to have that close confidant you look up to and can truly guide you in the right direction. My mentor is Nikki Dixon, one of the best actresses I’ve seen up close and personal thus far, she is seriously the real deal. Without her I would have struggled a lot harder than I did, she has truly helped me to hone my craft and put me in the direction towards success. Don’t let anyone tell you your path is wrong and there is only one path you can take to success because that is far from the truth, as well. There are a ton of different pathways you can take to any ONE destination. Whenever I’m feeling like I’m steering off this bumpy road to success and following my dreams and thinking it’s not worth it, and tired of hearing the word NO, I ask myself “do you think the world deserves to see what you can do,” and every time the answer is 10000% YES, and I immediately jump right back onto that bumpy road knowing deep down in my soul I am almost to my destination.
What do you do? What do you specialize in?
I am an actress in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and I specialize in both drama and comedy in TV, film, and theatre. I believe what sets me apart from others is that I can honestly say I am a triple threat and am able to truly bring it when it comes to acting, singing, and dancing. In regards to my acting skills, I am able to bring my comedic side to a scene and literally have you falling off your chair laughing, but can also offset my comedic side with my drama, more serious side and have you feeling as if I’m directly affecting your life in that very moment. Being able to sing on stage really warms my heart and I am so grateful God blessed me with the ability to be in the alto and soprano voice range in order to reach any audience I am placed in front of. Dancing, on the other hand, can literally bring life into any room whether it’s hip hop or ballroom dancing, I am in it to win it, and am happy to showcase any dance moves that’s asked of me. What I am most notably known for is my role in the Carter High football film on Netflix, as well as my role as a slave girl named Babydoll in the Watch Night stage play. What also sets me apart from others is that I am able to comfortably speak with a British dialect and absolutely love doing it! Speaking with a British dialect is so much fun! Being able to have that skill in my toolbox ready to go whenever needed is an amazing tool to have. It brings me great joy to showcase my talent on TV and film and I look forward to continuing that momentum by bringing all of my many talents to a screen near you.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5-10 years, I see myself on any major TV station such as: Disney channel, Freeform, ABC, FOX, HBO, OWN, STARZ, and even Broadway! The sky is the limit and I don’t see myself slowing down any time soon. I am going to forever reach for the stars and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Email: ashleyburks01312@gmail.com
- Instagram: ashbash_243
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.burks.7737
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