First and foremost, I would like to express what an honor it
is to have been invited to write for AllHipHop.com, and to have been given a
forum for you all to journey alongside the artist known as Noree Victoria!
Who am I? I’m an emerging film actress, virtually unknown,
but on my grind. And what an arresting grind it has been and continues to be. It’s
what I live, breathe, what drives me, and what keeps me sleeping in different
time zones from week to week. It’s what keeps me laughing, keeps me crying, keeps
me sane and insane… it’s what keeps me paid, and keeps me broke.
It’s what makes folks scratch their heads and ask, “What the
hell is she up to now, and more importantly, why?” Yet it makes others gaze from afar in admiration. In the words
of Travis from Gym Class Heroes, “It’s
all gravy, baby, life’s lovely; even when the gray rain clouds right above me.”
Even though I can’t imagine doing anything else, boy, does it rain…
But look here, we have plenty of time to get into all of
that. First, let me tell you a little
about me.
I’m a young African-American
woman of diverse ancestry, born and raised in Baltimore County, and dwelling
briefly at times during my childhood years on the West Coast, San Diego, to be
exact. I have a pretty interestingly blended family, and at any given time,
there’s a good chance that one of us could be contemplating the, uh, “quick and
convenient disappearance” of another, but for the most part, it’s all good.
I’m a brain – albeit a mischievous one. I graduated from high
school early and managed to earn straight A’s throughout, in the midst of a few
“minor incidents” resulting in suspension or expulsion, but rest assure, it was
all in good fun (insert evil contemplative grin here, but moving right along…).
I have a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree and a couple of
post graduate certificates, all of which I earned on a fast track, simply
because I was interested in the subject matter at that particular time – none
of which I use today.
In my constant quest for mental and creative gratification,
I’ve walked away from every single confining career path that my education led
to, despite the healthy salaries that came with a few. And by no means am I
implying that it was a waste of time – I love, love, love learning and earning.
It’s definitely a means to an end, and one of these days, I
may even pursue a doctorate – but my mind has proved to be a playground far
greater than anything I have ever pursued. That is, until now, which I suppose
is the very reason I ended up as an actress.
How exactly did I get here?
Well, quite honestly, after my last unfulfilling stint of
employment – not even the luxury of frequent
and reckless shopping could keep me there, and I love to shop – I found myself at home, leisurely sorting through my
inbox, when I decided to open a message that I would have normally skipped over. The subject line?
Yup, you guessed it: “Casting Call.”
Now, I’d love for this to be the part where I say “and the
rest is history,” but it’s not, because with me, history is still being made. I
did land the part, the lead in fact, for an independent film called Hood Related [see Anwan Glover’s mention] which has yet to debut, but
features several cast members of The Wire.
And so, it was at that moment that my journey began.
From that point, and in just a year’s time, I began
traveling constantly, and on my own dime, between New York, LA, and Atlanta for
auditions and training. I’ve been cast in five movies, one television show (America’s Most Wanted), one commercial,
and a print ad featuring LRG clothing.
I also snagged a .0004 second cameo in J. Holiday’s “Be With
Me” video by coincidentally walking down a street in DC where the video was
being shot, and being kidnapped by a pushy video director who spotted me
walking and barked at me to “get back to
1”! Before I could even explain that I wasn’t in the video, I found myself
being shoved across the set by a production assistant and planted into
position. And so began my eight hour night, that
night.
At the moment, I’m gearing up to film a feature remniscent of a modern day “urban” Romeo and Juliet, directed by Howard Gibson, featuring Lil’ Scrappy (who is slated to play my leading gentleman) and Parlae of
the Franchise Boyz. In this past year, I’ve also had the
pleasure of working with so many talented actors and artists, including Kadeem
Hardison and Darryl Bell, and of course, my own big sister, Penny Jerald of 24.
I’ve gone days without sleeping. Crashed on the couches of
strangers. Rode the subways of New York for three hours because I had no idea
where I was going. Studied scripts until my eyes locked, partied until my brain
froze. Ran from casting couches. Fought for respect. Fought to get paid.
Laughed until my stomach ached. Loved like today was my last day on earth.
Danced in the rain at midnight.
Lost roles. Won roles. Swallowed broken promises. Bonded with people who came
out of nowhere to help me. Spent the night at airports waiting for lost luggage…
And guess what? This is just the beginning.
Stay with me for the rest. I promise you won’t be bored.
Love, Hip-Hop, and Film,
Noree Victoria
[Supersleuth Editor alert! We found this video of Noree Victoria’s first scene study on YouTube…]
Visit Noree Victoria at myspace.com/noreevictoria
