Today we’d like to introduce you to Carine Rice.
Carine, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I joined theatre my freshman year of high school and was hooked. After falling deeply in love with the stage, I decided to major in theatre in college. Right out of high school, I went to the University of Texas at Austin. But in my very first semester, life happened. I got pregnant, got married, and moved across the country. My entire world was flipped upside down, and it was popular opinion that I had ruined everything. Eventually, I moved back home with my son and worked to get my life back together and get back into the theatre. I attended Collin College for a few years, where I took my first acting for the camera class. In 2013, I signed with the Kim Dawson Agency, and my career finally launched. I got my degree from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2015, staying true to my dream with a major in performing arts, and in 2016, I signed with the Action Talent Agency in Mississippi. For the past seven years, I have been a working actor based in the Dallas area!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! Of course not! If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that every time I made a plan for my life, the universe had something else in mind for me. The long term goal of becoming a successful actor was always the same, but the steps to get there were messy and hard.
My biggest struggle was becoming a mom at the age of 19. It’s hard enough for someone to chase a dream, but to chase a dream with a little boy in tow at such a young age was even harder. I didn’t get to have my youth to make mistakes, because I had to keep it together for my son. Every decision, every step, I had to consider him first. Trying to chase a dream while trying to do what was right for my son was so confusing and challenging, but I never gave up. I wanted to teach my son by example, that no matter what life throws at you (like teenage pregnancy, for example), you keep pushing. You don’t let life’s obstacles be the excuse to quit. Because there will always be obstacles. But you only have one life to chase a dream.
Please tell us about your work.
I am an actor, voice over actor, and model. Because my person is my tool, I have to make sure I keep up with my nails, my skin care, etc. I have clothes in my closet that I only ever wear for auditions, I have pieces that I keep because I know that wardrobe stylists will ask me to bring them to set, etc. I keep up my education by taking workshops and classes around the DFW area, both for commercial and film work, along with voice over education. I’ve invested in my own filming equipment so I can tape my own auditions here in my house, and am researching voice over equipment to purchase this year for the same reason. When I get an audition, I have to do research and prep work. If it’s a commercial, I look up the company, familiarize myself with the product, find their past commercials to see if there’s a common theme, etc. For film, I look up the director, the writer, any person’s name that is provided to me, I research their work. Then I go through the audition sides (the piece of script I’m given to audition with) and I mark it up as I read through it to make notes for myself on how I think the character is feeling, reacting, speaking, etc. In the end, my auditions could be flawless and I could still not book the role simply because I don’t have the right look, or the way I read the character isn’t exactly how they envisioned the read, etc. You only get so much information to go off of and the rest is pretty much a guessing game. You use your training and your skills and you do your best, and that’s all you can do.
My most well-known credits are Nashville, a Kohl’s campaign, Road Less Traveled, and a handful of national commercials. Honestly, I could sit here and list off credits from my resume, but that’s not what defines my career. The thing I’m most proud of is the fact that I have been able to sustain life, to have a salary, from acting. Society associates a successful actor with fame. But fame does not equal success. For me, success means that I get to do what I love, and it pays my bills. I worked hard, fought hard, and created a life for myself where I get to do what I’m passionate about. That’s something to be proud of.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Passion and persistence. It’s cliche, and anyone you talk to in any field will tell you that to achieve your final goal, to reach that final dream, you can’t lose your passion and you can’t give up. Especially in this industry, you will hear “no” more than you will hear “yes.” If I had a dollar for every no I received during my career, I could retire by now! But I once heard someone say “no” stands for “new opportunity.” You can’t let the no’s get you down. You accept them, you learn from them, and you move on to a new opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Address: Kim Dawson Agency
1645 N Stemmons Frwy, Ste B, Dallas, TX 75207 - Website: www.carinerice.com
- Email: carinerice@gmail.com
- Instagram: @carinerice
- Facebook: facebook.com/carineodetterice
Image Credit:
Amanda Emily Photo
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