Meet Elena Schick

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elena Schick. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elena below.

Hi Elena, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I got it from my Mama and my Papa! My Mom, Edith Cugini, worked two jobs while I was growing up and took public transportation to and from both jobs, made time to spend with our family, and loved to dance! My Pop, Frank Cugini, worked a full-time job and cared for both of his parents, Frank and Lena Cugini, who immigrated from Italy and settled in a three-story rowhome in Southwest Philly. Our 3 bedroom, 1 bath row home in Southwest Philly was home to me, my Mom, my Pop, my older brother, and my Grandmom and Grandpop. Our home was always filled with family and friends. My Grandmom would always say, “We may not have money, but we always have food!” and anyone who came through the front door was always greeted with a hug and a kiss and told to sit down and “Mangia, Mangia!” (“Eat, Eat”!). When a family member or friend was having a difficult time in their life, our door was always open, and my parents and grandparents would sit and listen and do whatever they could to help out. All those years of growing up and watching and listening to my parents and grandparents actively listen and really connect and talk to our family members and friends in times of need, and in times when our friends or family just needed someone to listen, instilled in me that nothing is too difficult to tackle and there is truth to my Mom’s favorite adages, “No one said it was gonna be easy! It is what it is!”

With all those wonderful life experiences instilled in me from a very young age in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath row home in Southwest Philly, I knew at age 7 that I wanted to be an actress, and it was not because I learned at a young age how to get my older brother in trouble by crying on demand, although that did help me develop that skill set at auditions later in my life, it is because I fell in love with the art of storytelling from such a young age watching my parents and grandparents tell stories and listen to stories from family and friends every day of the week in that tiny row home in Southwest Philly!

As I have learned along the way in my acting career, a career in acting demands resilience. It would have been easy for me to give up so many times over and pursue another career choice. I have worked a day job in the legal field the entire time I have pursued my acting career, and there have been many times when I have had an internal conversation with myself as to whether it would just be easier and safer to take the LSAT and go to law school, but then I take a deep breath and look at my acting resume, and see my acting training and acting credits thus far, and hear my Mom’s voice saying, “Elena, no one said it was gonna be easy! It is what it is!”, and I take a deep breath and start preparing for my acting class and keep submitting myself for roles through Backstage.com and ActorsAccess.com and keep showing up for auditions. I am so grateful to relive those conversations my parents had with family and friends in our tiny row home in Southwest Philly when I was just a girl. Those life experiences shaped me in ways that have only served to continue to build my resilience, that give me the momentum to keep pushing ahead with my acting career, even at times when it feels as though I am swimming against the current.

It is resilience that has kept me focused, made me stronger, made me more determined, taught me to be flexible, taught me to embrace and build a community, and taught me to learn from even the toughest of situations, like when my brother and I cared for our parents on at-home hospice care together. As I cared for my parents on at-home hospice care, I was unable to travel, audition, or find time for acting classes because I was so physically and emotionally exhausted from caring for my Mom and Pop from early in the morning until late at night when my brother would come home from work while working my day job remotely that the only way I enjoyed acting was by watching lots and lots of old detective movies, westerns, sitcoms, and lots and lots of Law & Order and NCIS episodes with my Mom and Pop as they laid in bed, and I cared for them. I wanted to go back to acting class, self-submit for TV and films projects, show up at auditions, but I wanted to be there for my Mom and Pop, just like my Mom and Pop cared for their parents at home. It was resilience that got me through my darkest days caring for my Mom and Pop and helping to give them the peace that they both deserved at the end of their lives.

It was resilience that made me go back to acting classes with Adria Tennor six months after my parents passed away. It was resilience that made me start to self-submit myself for TV and film projects three months after restarting acting classes with Adria. It was resilience that made me show up for auditions. It was resilience that has kept me moving my acting career forward. However, I would not have the resilience that I have today if it were not for my Mom and Pop and my Grandmom and Grandpop who I so attentively watched give their undivided time and attention to our family and friends who would stop by our tiny row home in Southwest Philly when I was just a girl. Thank you, Mom, Pop, Grandmom, and Grandpop, it is because of all of you that I have the resilience that I have today and am still pursuing my acting career. I could not have done it without you! Now, on to my preparation for an audition for a new film project because resilience never takes a break!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am an actress who gets up at the crack of dawn every day, prays, works out, practices on camera audition techniques, and then I head to my day job on the train and self-submit for TV and film projects on Backstage.com and Actors Access for roles that are a good fit and roles that will push my boundaries. I also continue to work with my acting coach, Adria Tennor, and Sarah Gaboury of the Real Actors Lab, and check in with other actors to see if there is anything I can do to help promote their projects.

I think it is vital to support other creatives and ensure I make the time to reach out to other actors and creatives and check in with them to see how they are doing because acting can be very lonely and isolating at times, and ask if there is anything that I can do to help them, whether it is run lines with another actor, serve as a reader for another actor, or help promote/fund other creative projects, or just listen. I make sure to help others just as Adria and other actors and creative mentors have helped me along my acting journey. I always make sure to hold the door open for others in everyday life and throughout my acting journey.

I am excited for an upcoming photo session with Dana Patrick in May in Los Angeles where Dana’s photos will accompany an article authored by a publicist who reached out to me after seeing my performance as a recovering addict in the indie film, “The Impact Factor”, which was filmed in my hometown of Philly, to write an article about my acting journey. I am excited to have had the opportunity to recently meet and work with Walid Chaya, actor/director/write and owner of the Studio for Performing Arts Los Angeles, where I met casting director, Judith Bouley. Without that introduction to Judy by Walid, I would not have had the opportunity to begin working with Judy.

In addition to all of the above, at the end of day, what excites me most about acting is the pure, unbridled joy that I experience when I get to tell a story!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would have to say being resilient in the face of receiving a lot of rejection, consistent training/work in acting classes, and not taking yourself so seriously are all qualities that have been most impactful in my journey as an actress.

My advice to folks who are early in their acting journey is to not to take the rejection personally. It may be a “no” right now, but authentically develop that relationship with the casting director, writer, producer, director, showrunner, because you may be a fit for a future project down the line and, even if not, you may just develop an authentic friendship, which leads me to my next point. Be kind to everyone you meet for the sake of being kind, and not because you expect something in return. I feel most fulfilled as a person and as an actress when I am helping others without the expectation or anticipation of anything in return.

I would also advise folks who are early in their acting journey to audit acting classes and find a teacher who is a good fit for you and find other actors and creatives who you can support and who will support you too. Consistency with acting classes was vital to honing my acting skills throughout my entire acting journey. I am always in an acting class, always trying to strengthen and stretch my acting muscles.

Early on in my acting journey, I felt very isolated and alone at times because I was hesitant to reach out to other actors and creatives because I felt as though we are all not on the same playing field because I still had my day job in the legal field. I quickly learned you need a tribe and that I was not the only actress with a day job! You cannot do it alone. You need the help, love, and support of all types of creatives, so you do not isolate yourself or lose connection to others, which is vital as an actor, the ability to authentically connect with others. Keep reaching out and connecting with other creatives and build your community!

The last piece of advice that I have for folks who are early in their journey is live your life to its fullest and have fun! Early on in my acting journey, I was so serious in my approach to acting and during my downtime my life revolved around acting. I learned that approach really stunted my growth as an actress. Enjoy the acting journey but also enjoy your life. Your life experiences will bring such a wonderfully fresh, unique, raw, and authentic dynamic to your acting skills. I do think there is a time for hard work in class and out of class to move your acting career forward, but there is also a time to laugh, meet up with family and friends, read a book, go on a trip, learn a new hobby, really engage in other activities that have nothing to do with acting, and enjoy your acting journey.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

My parents never told me to go outside, or go to my room, or go to another room when family and friends were over. I was able to listen and soak up all the conversation, even if there was shouting and arguments, I learned the art of storytelling, active listening, and truly engaging with people in conversation, whether it was one-on-one or in a large group, which has served me immensely in my acting journey.

Also, my love of reading at a very young age was nurtured by my parents. Reading played an integral part of expanding my imagination and is also the reason I attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English.

The combination of my life experiences and love of reading are all gifts that my parents gave to me that have been invaluable to me during my acting journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @elenamschick
• Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/elenaschick

Image Credits

Jordan Matter/Jordan Matter Photography