My Life on the A-List

Hello everyone, and welcome Life on That A-List! You can call me J. No, that is not my real name, but my name doesn't matter, only my story does.

There's a tricky thing about entertainment. Everyone assumes one thing: that you want to be famous! The moment you tell someone about your hopes for stardom your passion for your craft goes out the window. Suddenly you aren't the kid with a love of theatre, you're that delusional wannabe. I'm not delusional. I know that the a-list is a exclusive club composed of the elite. Whether they are born into it or dedicate their life to getting their, it's a hard group to get into. But every door has a lock, and you need a key to get in, and I want to be the one to the key.

Success is measured differently to everyone. For some it's money, others it's power, family, promotions, friends, and of course, happiness. To me, I'd measure my success in this industry if I am able to find steady work. Note that steady isn't the same as mainstream. If my steady work comes from occasional commercials rather than A-list movie after A-list movie, than that is a success! Because I have a genuine passion for my craft. I enjoy being on set, getting glam, reciting lines, and all the ordeals that come with showbiz. It's exciting, and I love every minute of it regardless of my paycheck. As you can probably guess, I do work for free on occasion. Work is work, and every bit of it helps strengthen my talent and resume. How could I saw no to that?

You're probably wondering, how did I get into this work?

My whole life I had a feeling from a young age that I would grow up to become a big deal: a star. Famous. Rich. Beautiful. And I wanted all of that. I fantasized about being Hollywood's next "it" girl. My daydreams were composed of walking red carpets, film sets, photoshoots, and sold out concerts (but I quickly learned that all my vocal lessons still couldn't make me Celine Dion).

 But this industry is no joke. You need to come from a prestigious family, be born into wealth, have loads of talent (or the connections to make up for a lack of it), and most of all, you need to be beautiful!

But I come from a family whose name doesn't matter, our income is nothing more than middle-class, and talent only makes up .01% of your chance of making it. But there is one thing I do have: beauty!

Yes, I'm beautiful. There's no doubt about it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I'm sure if some of you ever saw me you would disagree, but society has a firm definition of what they consider to be the best, and I just happen to fit it. My whole life I've been told that I am beautiful. It happens all the time. People will stop me just to tell me that I'm pretty; it happens daily. I've always been known as the pretty one, so I knew I had to use this to my advantage.

Ethnically, I'm mixed. I'm half white and half something that doesn't matter. I look completely white, though, or at least that's what I've been told. Fortunately, the country that makes up the non-white part of me has a strict beauty standard, and those that fit it are destined for A-list stardom. When I became an adult I packed up my bags and left my American home (much to family's displeasure) and sought after the work I was looking for. Of course, I found it.

Anyone who's beautiful there does, regardless of talent, and I felt the power of my beauty the moment I stepped off the airplane and into the foreign airport. Everyone was starring at me. Young, old, man, woman, it didn't matter, they all had eyes on me. Remember, few people fit this article standard of looks in this country, so it's not everyday that they saw someone like me. Everywhere I went I already felt like I was famous. People would stare, point at me from across the street and shout "beautiful!' I got asked day and night if I modeling, strangers would come up to me and ask to photos just because they thought I was beautiful, and occasionally I'd walk into a shop or restaurant and hear the staff gossiping about whether or not I was a celebrity and required special treatment. But I'm starting to sound full of myself, let's move on and let me tell you about how I got the real work.

The stars in this country who have no talent and only looks to rely on typically spend years slaving away in the modeling world, praying to get their big break in the steadier world of film and television. Unlike others who spend forever trying to break into TV/film, that was actually my first job, and not with anyone, but with the country's top network. Thanks to being in the right place at the right time, I starred on a television show on the country's most powerful network. Think NBC or ABC status. From there, I broke into modeling. Again, I was in the right place at the right time, and got to know some people from my work. I got a few modeling jobs before seeking an agency on my own. I got scouted on the streets multiple times, but I decided to choose the right one on my own.

Now, I'm here, back in America trying to chase a dream so wild that sometimes I even wonder what the heck I'm doing. I've had countless nights contemplating on how insane I am for risking everything (particularly financially) to try to make it in this world, but it's a risk that I need to take, and I know if I don't I'll spend the rest of my life wondering what could have happened. So, I'm inviting you to join me on this journey, as tomorrow I am officially flying out to Los Angeles to permanently move there, in order to find my life on that A-list.