Did I Choose The Wrong Career Path?

As you know this is an exploratory time for me. I’m trying things I’ve always wanted to but haven’t been able to for one reason or another. One of those things is acting. 

The bulk of my childhood comprised of making home videos. Shout out to Sanyu, Karen and Renata! Who on a daily basis, I forced to perform in my talk shows, music video shoots, Disney Fantasia reenactment or whatever. 

(I should really try to get some of that stuff in a digital form. So jokes!)

I was in the drama club throughout all my schooling. I also belonged to a dance club and performed regularly. And if you watched CP24 on the weekend you’d know that I always talked about my time at Broadway camp. 

On paper if you were to guess my trajectory in life, one might guess that I would’ve gone into acting. But as you know that was not the case. 

Part of that probably has to do with the fact that I grew up in the Caribbean. Where the accepted career aspirations are Lawyer, Doctor or Engineer. Also (and this might have more to do with it)…my parents were actually actors. They are founding members of the Black theatre workshop in Montreal. 

My mom with Louis Gossett Jr

To be clear, my parents never discouraged me from pursuing acting as a career. For years my whole family revelled in my living room plays and antics. My mother  loves to tell the story about when she saw me on stage for the first time at Broadway camp. She says it was the moment I came into my own. I was 9. My mother never limited my imagination or my desire to try new things. You wanna play violin? Sure. Piano? Sure. You wanna start a neighbourhood club? (big up the Jaguars…I stole the idea from the Sweet Valley High books) Why not. That’s why, when I think back to weighing my choices for university, I’m puzzled as to why theatre never came up? I often wonder if the reason why I felt so much dissonance in my job was because I chose the wrong career path?

15 years later, I’ve recently been reintroduced to my love of acting through reporter roles for TV & Film. At first I didn’t really want to explore it. But now that I’m on this journey, I’m tapping back into the passion I used to have for performing.

This week I went out for my first ‘non-reporter’ auditions. Two commercials. Check out my video below recounting my experience.

Here’s my my TV/FILM Demo reel in case you’re curious.

Nneka Elliott – TV/Film demo from Nneka Elliott on Vimeo.

I want to hear from you. What do you think? Do you ever question whether the career path you chose was in fact the right one? Let me know in the comments section below.

Love,

Nneka