Reaching for stars in Hollywood
Former Clarendon pupil’s drama career takes off after tough start
EAST London-born Jen Theophilus is making waves in Hollywood after heading to the US in pursuit of a drama career. Theophilus, 21, has worked with international production companies such as Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, ABC and Netflix.
The Vincent Heights home girl studied drama and music at Clarendon High School, where she matriculated in 2013.
As a pupil her father’s mantra “dream big or go home” helped inspire her to set her sights on becoming a dancer, singer and an actor.
At the age of seven she was heavily involved in High Energy dancing, a variation of all styles of dance, and made it to championship level before the age of 11. “Towards the end of Grade 11, I couldn’t choose one thing [discipline] – I wanted to be all three, I wanted to be a performer.”
The budding Hollywood star later discovered The New York Film Academy (NYFA), where she applied to study musical theatre but was stopped because of a mishap with her student visa.
“The student visa I was issued with didn’t allow me to study music so I was enrolled into the Acting For Film programme. This was the best mistake the universe ever made! “It was the best year of my life.” She recalled the difficulty she endured while chasing her dreams in Hollywood.
“Being foreign in this industry is very frustrating at times. You have to have the correct visa in order to get cast, and even then you have to work hard to prove that you are better than another girl who is originally from America.”
She had fortunately been exposed to people who believed in her. “The support I have been getting is so amazing and it also gets me going knowing there are people here rooting for me.
“A plus side to being foreign in this industry is the South African accent, which is very loveable and different; it helps us stand out over here.”
Theophilus said she had developed on so many levels, but the best development in her career was when she was selected for the NYFA ensemble and performed in an off-Broadway theatre.
“I have just begun my journey with Thirdhill Entertainment and things are looking promising.
“I have gone to countless auditions with big names in Hollywood, and I’m excited about getting my own name out there.” — mbalit@dispatch.co.za