Today we’d like to introduce you to Athena Luong.
Hi Athena, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I found my love for acting during college. What started off as just credit hours turned into a career goal. I needed extra classes and I read off a list to my husband (boyfriend at the time). He said “Why don’t you try acting? I think you’ll be really good at it.” One class turned into six and before I knew it, I had enough credits to minor in performing arts. After I graduated, I began to dive into it professionally. I took classes, I got my headshots, and signed with my first agent. It was such an exciting time, I was consistently getting auditions and callbacks, everything felt fantastic. After one year, I finally booked a commercial and I was over the moon. It felt like I was doing everything right and I finally had it figured out. Unfortunately, COVID hit, and our country went into lockdown. Filming was canceled, I began working from home, I didn’t go out unless it was for groceries. Like many people during lockdown, my mental health took a nosedive, and I spent months wondering what I was doing. Was I good enough? Did I deserve to even try to having a career in this? What was the point? Thankfully, my wonderful husband talked me through every one of my mental breakdowns and he encouraged me to continue and at least try because it would be a waste if I didn’t.
Fast forward one year later, I book more commercials, an ad, and a couple of short films. Currently, I have a few more short films under my belt and I’m still auditioning, still hard at work improving my skills, and I’m forever thankful that I get to have such amazing opportunities. Something I learned is that with a career like acting, you can’t really “figure it out”. There isn’t a formula to it and it’s totally okay. Life has its ups and downs and plot twists. We just have to take it in stride. It hasn’t exactly been an easy road but it’s extremely rewarding and I’m just coasting along, enjoying everything life has to offer. There’s many more opportunities ahead for me and I’m excited to cross those bridges. I’m extremely grateful my husband pushes me forward when I need it.
When I’m not acting, I coach figure skating and I’m currently training for my certification to teach Pilates. I was a competitive figure skater from when I was seven and I quit when I graduated high school. Every weekday for ten years, I woke up at 4:30 AM, practiced from 5:30 AM to 7 AM, went to school, went back to the rink, practiced again from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM, and then did off ice conditioning class until 6:30 PM. Saturday mornings were 6:00 AM – 8:00 AM, off ice class 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM, and then skating again 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM. While I showed this amount of commitment in my skating, I do show a decent amount of commitment to my acting as well. Maybe not quite the same amount of hours but the difference is, I don’t have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to do scene study.
It was a huge dream of mine as a child to make it onto the national team but, it wasn’t in the cards for me. So, I tested through to Senior level, and I went off to college. I still skated here and there, and I began teaching group classes during my sophomore year. One day, a skater from one of the classes asked me for private lessons. I agreed, thinking it would be a great way to earn some extra money while I continued my studies. Much like the acting classes, one student somehow turned into fifteen and I was creating programs and taking them to competitions. I adore my students and I’m so happy I get to share my love of skating with them.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Mental health is definitely something that was a big obstacle for me. It can be a huge block for most people and I’m glad it’s being talked about more. I did have outside obstacles but the most of the struggles that really bogged me down were the internal struggles. Self-deprecating thoughts, doubts, feelings of worthlessness, etc. It might sound kind of silly to some, but affirmations really helped me get past those thoughts. A good support system was extremely helpful as well.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
This might sound extremely cheesy but what sets me apart from others is the fact that I’m me and nobody else. Every one of us has something to bring to the table due to our different life experiences and the different paths we walk. It’s something I’m lucky to be able to share.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see the acting industry becoming more diverse in the next 5-10 years. Representation is very important and I’m happy to see that more POC are on screen nowadays. I’m hoping that the industry will be more open to diverse body types as well. I’m already starting to see it here and there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/athenaluong
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athenaluong/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/athenaluong
Image Credits
Marina Karamysheva
