ALEXIS BERENT

I started doing community theatre while I was in elementary school and have been acting ever since. I became interested in film while in high school and began taking video classes where I could create my own short films. This led to my love of filmmaking and is why I majored in film studies in college. I acted in quite a few short films during my college career but I have been pursuing bigger projects since graduating this past spring.

From a very young age I had the performing bug. I always loved music classes and putting on little concerts and shows with my friends. My school would take us on field trips to local plays and that led to my curiosity with acting. Acting was very therapeutic and helped me express my emotions in a way that I felt comfortable. As I grew older, acting became one of my main outlets.

My best friend Talona and I produced a few short films during our college career and some of my best memories were on those sets. The last thing we worked on was a project for one of her classes, she wrote and directed a comedy. The character she wrote for me was very air-headed and she gave me a lot of room to improvise while filming. It was really fun to have so much freedom with a character, I usually play more serious parts so I’m not used to being so silly on camera. It was a lot of fun, there is nothing better than getting to work with people you care about.

My favorite character I have ever portrayed was Agnes in the play, The Shadow Box. This is an extremely emotion packed show and I often cried either during or after every performance. I love dramatic roles, I feel like those are what I do best.

I’ve been acting for most of my life, but it has always been more of a hobby consisting of theatre and indie films. A few months ago I made the decision to pursue acting full time and I have zero regrets. I moved from Michigan to New Mexico because the film industry is thriving here and over the past two months I’ve had a lot of auditions and worked on multiple feature films. I’ve very quickly gone from living in a small city working on short films to a full time actress working on something new every few weeks.

Pride is definitely what keeps me focused. I am working in the field I have wanted to be in since I was 8 years old, not a lot of people can say that. I refuse to give up on my dreams just because they are hard to reach. Over the years I’ve had a lot of people make me feel like I am pursuing something unattainable and I owe it to myself to prove them wrong. I have worked too hard to give up on myself.

I think I bring a certain charisma to set that makes me stand out. I’m enthusiastic and passionate about all areas of filmmaking, which I have been told is refreshing by a lot of people I have worked with in the past. I care about the creative process and do my best to make sure everyone on set is comfortable and having fun.

I have anxiety, which has caused a lot of problems for me as an actress. I get panic attacks that come suddenly and can be very hard to control, so stressful situations such as auditions and callbacks can occasionally freeze me up. Over the years, I have learned how to control my anxiety as best as I can. While I still struggle from time-to-time, I am getting better at coping with it.

I definitely agree, nothing made with passion comes easily. I have suffered emotionally and physically while acting. Fifteen to twenty-hour work days are not for the light hearted. There is so much happening behind the scenes that most audience members would never think of, life on set is not nearly as glamorous as some would imagine.

There is a lot I would like to see changed. I would love to see diversity on screen keep expanding, more films with minorities that aren’t being stereotyped and more female lead films that can pass the Bechdel test. More diversity behind the scenes is extremely important as well, in order to keep growing the film industry we need to hire filmmakers with differing backgrounds and life experiences.

The absolute best advice I’ve ever gotten is “fake it ‘till you make it.” This is an extremely hard industry to break into, and it is very easy to get discouraged. The worst thing you can do is give up when times get tough. Confidence is everything, and it is critical to walk into every audition at your best. No matter what is currently going on in your life you need to ignore outside factors and focus on the moment your character is in, nothing else matters in that moment.

My boyfriend and I have gotten very lucky and have had the chance to work on a lot of sets together. Over the past few weeks we’ve worked as PA’s on some feature films being filmed in New Mexico. I have a small role I’m currently preparing for but I don’t think I can talk about any details until it’s out. The main thing I’m working on right now is myself and getting established in a new city 1,600 miles from where I grew up.

I recently signed with Mitchell & Associates Talent, so I am hoping to start auditioning for bigger roles in the near future. There are a lot of big projects coming to the area so I am hoping to get the opportunity to work on some of those.

I am fairly active on social media so the best way to keep up with what I am working on would be to follow me on Instagram @alexisberent or to keep up with my IMDB page. I try to keep both updated as much as possible. I appreciate all of the love that I have received from people in the local industry and I’m hoping to keep making new connections.