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Laurel Byrnes had done everything right. Her parents had made sure of it - from the moment their daughter expressed an interest in acting, they did everything in their power to make sure she became The Best Damn Little Actress the upper east side had ever laid their eyes on, signing her up for privates with the city's most prolific instructors and delighting in having her recite her latest classical monologue or sing her newly learned ballad or just show how she could cry on cue for anyone who'd stand around long enough to witness it. A diligent student, Laurel loved striving for her best self almost as much as she loved being better than everyone else, and though she knew better than to boast about having already torn through Shakespeare's greater works in her middle school English class, she didn't need to to make sure everyone knew. She jumped at challenges, consistently set new goals for herself, and did whatever was necessary to reach them. Acceptance into The Juilliard School's drama B.F.A program was the crown jewel of her high school career, and a new, higher standard to hold herself to. She studied ceaselessly. She partied sensibly. She kept her scene partners up late into the night rehearsing, and her roommates up even later, quietly leafing through her newest script or audition sides. She called her parents just to hear the repeated sentiments that she was making them so proud, that she was a Damn Good Little Actress. In 2009, shortly after graduating, she made her professional debut in Tanner Hall, a coming-of-age film that quietly premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and disappeared off the radar as quickly as it blipped onto it. That didn't matter, though, because she had already landed two films for 2010. Sure, they were small parts, neither with any kind of extensive character depth, but she'd be working with David Fincher. She'd be working with freaking Cher. This was the path she wanted, needed, to be on, surrounded by industry powerhouses and performers who made box office numbers. It was the perfect start to an illustrious career. Or not. Best laid plans of mice and men and so on. Though Laurel's agency had little trouble finding work for her, finding the kind of work she wanted to be doing was an entirely different story. They were trying, they really were, and she was trying even harder, but despite the tireless numbers of auditions she went on, the projects that wanted her were looking for types. Model types. Stripper types. Cheerleaders. Sorority girls. Dumb Blondes. Hot messes of all varieties. Her pedigree, while a nice accent to her resume, ultimately meant next to nothing. Sure, it was great that she'd gone through all that training, more power to her, but was she willing to take her top off? The fact remained that it was work or no work, and holding out for long meant not being seen, and not being seen meant being quickly forgotten by anyone who'd bothered to learn her name in the first place. So she took some projects she wouldn't have if they hadn't been the only thing available to her, gritting her teeth and reminding herself that everyone had to start somewhere, and not everyone could start with an award-worthy resume. This was just a phase she'd have to power through to get to the good stuff. She'd be a consummate professional, work her way up the ladder, and when she was nominated for her first Oscar and went on the inevitable late-night talk show circuit, would sit and watch clips of these terrible movies and laugh heartily with the hosts because could you believe that had once been her? As she took on small roles in blockbuster comedies like 21 Jump Street and star-filled projects like Movie 43, her parents finally expressed their concern: wasn't she digging herself into a hole? Maybe she just needed to try a new agency, or go do some work off-Broadway, or take a year off and work in sales and return to the scene with a new hair color and a different last name. But Laurel insisted that this was something she had to do. This was what 99% of actresses had to do. A few years later, she was filming Zombeavers and Lap Dance within months of each other and wondering how many years could go by before something stopped counting as a phase and became a career. Laurel did have qualities working in her favor: polite, professional, and poised, she was a surprisingly well-spoken treat in interviews and on press tours. She worked hard to get on the good side of anyone who had potential to help her career, and busted her tail to be noticed and remembered by her more prolific directors. Her work ethic was touted as outstanding. As for whether or not any of that is actually helping to progress her career has yet to be seen; though she's been fortunate enough to score a few projects lately that don't seem entirely hopeless, and her agent has promised her that her role in Magic Mike XXL will be the thing to finally propel her into superstardom and onto directors' short lists for wanted actors. Still, it's hard for her to shake the feeling that this isn't how her life was supposed to go, but it wouldn't make for much of a biography later if there weren't a few bumps in the road first, right? • Is a member of the Juilliard class of 2009, drama department group 38. • Soon to come! |