I was 7 years old, eyes glued to the box television screen, watching ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’. I was just like any ordinary child watching Jim Carrey in his element with his brilliant humor and animated facial expressions but my thought process wasn’t that of an ordinary child. All that kept crossing my mind was “I could do that,” “see that stunt right there I would love to do that,” or “I could definitely act that out.”
So it began, I would watch a movie and act it out for my parents and extended family and they’d all applaud and congratulate me on my impromptu performance and once I stepped out of character and saw the eyes fixed on me something clicked, a fire burned inside of me and I knew I was destined for the silver screen.
Growing up I had always participated in school plays, the odd odd acting role and modeling shoots to satisfy my hunger but I always craved more, I wanted the real thing. Fast forward to when I was about 18 years old I had the privilege of being on my first Hollywood set (as an extra) the experience was surreal and once again that fire raged inside of me spurring me on to pursue this passion of mine. I walked onto set and watched in awe and crew members were setting up rigs and camera positions, featured extras getting props and lead actors getting hair and make up and I knew this is where I want to be. It was my first real big set experience and although the hours are long and scenes can get repetitive, these things only made me more determined to be in the film business.
My mother has always told me that God has a funny sense of humor and I tend to agree with her. Despite being blessed with the burning desire, talent and passion it takes to be an actor, I have also been “blessed” with a stutter, which has stunted majority of my opportunities, my castings and my roles apart from other aspects of my life. It is debilitating, humiliating and exhausting trying to communicate to people efficiently and despite the years of ridicule and torment of others mocking my speech impediment and despite all the opportunities I missed out on because I feared I might stutter or stuttered regardless the fire has not stopped burning. I don’t think it ever will and nothing can truly douse the flames but doing what I love and what I was born to do. Every great actor/actress has faced adversity in their life and this is my journey but fret not the comeback is on in 2020 and I look forward to proving everyone and myself wrong.
