Today we’d like to introduce you to Teanna Mitchell.
Hi Teanna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Most of my childhood consisted of watching movies with my brother and then acting out different scenes with him. Movies would always inspire us to come up with some sort of video idea. We would make skits all the time and I remember having so much fun. As time went on things changed and I lost my childhood in a sense. When I was 10 my parents got divorced. I would go back and forth between my mom and dad’s and whenever I did see my brother it wasn’t the same. He was heavily involved in using and selling drugs. As a result our relationship deteriorated.
Eventually, my aunt ended up getting custody of me because my mom was unfit to take care of me and my dad was also involved in drugs with my brother. At my aunt’s, I felt safe and I had a chance to succeed while living under her roof. For years I was searching to discover my passion. I felt like I wasn’t good at anything so in high school, I got involved in theater, chorus, dance, softball and pageants. I wanted nothing more than to figure out what I was good at doing. As time went on I realized how much I enjoyed acting. Even while in high school I would convince family friends of mine to make skits with me. I wanted any opportunity I could get to act. At the time my aunt and I didn’t know what steps to take in order to get me into acting or an agent so I just left the idea of acting in the back of my mind. I ended up going to college at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication. I thought I wanted to be a news or sports reporter and quickly realized that wasn’t for me. I had the opportunity to be the sideline reporter for my college’s football team but it wasn’t what I imagined it to be. I had lots of other opportunities to host events and report on many stories but none of it made me feel the way acting did.
While I was in college, whenever I came back home to Georgia for the summers, I would do background work and serve on the side. The very first time I was an extra in a film was such a surreal experience and the first time I had thought about acting in a while. I ended up working for Clint Eastwood in the movie called “The Mule.” I met really cool people on set and I actually got invited to an after party by one of the actors. It was at the hotel that all of the actors, directors and crew were staying. We were all just mingling at the restaurant bar and I remember looking around and thinking this could be my life. I was surrounded by actors and directors and this was my very first experience doing background work. I saw Clint Eastwood in the corner but I was too nervous to go up to him. The next day came and I happened to run into the same actor that invited me and he told me and my friend that they were all going to be hanging out at the hotel bar again. So I showed up and I finally got the courage to talk to Clint Eastwood. This experience inspired me to want to act again. I started thinking of it more as a career than just a hobby.
When I returned to school I took an acting class, did short films, practicum films, and auditioned for as many things as I could. So while I was on my journey of becoming some sort of reporter in school I was also acting whenever I could. My family and friends loved the idea of me being a sports reporter and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone but my last semester of college I remember thinking I want to act for the rest of my life. It took trying many sports and activities for me to realize how much I love acting and it’s something I actually feel like I’m good at. The search to find my passion is finally over but now making the passion my career is the real challenge. I graduated from college November 2020 and since then I’ve been trying to figure out this whole acting thing. I’ve gotten professional headshots, done background work, commercial work, and anything that involves acting. I’ve been doing a lot of self tapes and getting used to making them. The very first few month after graduating I struggled with what I was going to do but now I’m finally on the right path of becoming an actress full time. I’ve had some pretty cool opportunities since graduating and have made so many connections with other actors. It’s nice to not feel alone while in the film industry. It’s a struggle to not have consistent work and to look for gigs all the time and hope I book something. But I would rather do this than anything else.
My next steps are to take some more acting classes and look for an agent. I’m really hopeful about the future and believe I can do anything I put my mind to. I choose to dream big and to strive to make those dreams become my reality. My goal is to get paid to work as an actress full time, share my story with other people, inspire people to follow their dreams and open homeless shelters. There’s a lot I didn’t mention but if you ever want to know more you know where to find me. My dad passed away a few years ago and my brother and I are still not close. I don’t have a relationship with my mom but I’m really close with the aunt that raised me. But despite the adversity, I still have the same drive and excitement in me from when I was a little girl. It’s what drives me to do everything I can to make my dreams come true.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Discovering my passion for acting wasn’t easy. I definitely had a lot of obstacles and challenges. I went through karate, tennis, softball, dance, pageants, chorus, hosting, reporting and I remember thinking I wasn’t good at anything. I would question if I was even good at acting, the one thing I enjoyed doing the most. It wasn’t until I did my very first short film which I was the lead in for me to realize I was actually good. I remember going to the film premier at my school and I was so nervous to see the film I was in called “The Veil.” It gave me chills watching myself on the big screen and seeing other people cry at certain moments. After the film so many people, students and professors came up to me and complemented my performance. Over the next few days I remember running into several people on and off campus who told me how good my acting was in the film. Almost all of them asked had I been acting for a while and this was my very first film I was in with speaking lines. It encouraged me so much and made me feel like I was actually good at something for the first time.
After this, time passed and COVID-19 hit the world and impacted so many people. I remember when all the schools were closing and eventually my college closed and I had to go back home. I was so used to grinding, working all the time, and being in school so when two weeks turned into months of staying home I got discouraged. I wasn’t able to do anything, along with almost everyone else in the world. I remember thinking I’m never going to be able to have a real chance of acting now. I had too much time of being alone and not being able to do anything. However, now that things are back and running, my mission of becoming a full time actress is back on track. Still today I do get discouraged and sometimes think “can I even act?” But every time I do I try to think back on the special moments acting has brought me. As I mentioned earlier when I was in high school I remember my aunt tried to help me get into acting and modeling. However, we didn’t really know much about the process of it all but we did try a few times before giving up. She had a lot on her plate taking care of me and my grandmother who had Alzheimer’s.
Every time we went to a casting call for a modeling or acting agency they always said I had the look but we never had the money. We needed money to get headshots and such but couldn’t afford it so we left it alone. That’s when acting went to the very back of my mind and I stopped thinking about it. Today I now know the process of it all and have the funds to make it happen. Sometimes I do wish I could have gotten started when I was younger but I do believe everything happens for a reason and it’s all about timing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Right now, I work side jobs and try to take as much gigs as I can. Whether it’s commercial work, background work, cleaning someone’s house, serving, short films and really anything that gets me closer to acting full time. I would say I’m most proud of myself for overcoming adversity. I had a really tough childhood and was forced to grow up at a young age and I’m proud of myself for not giving up. There have been so many times where I wanted to throw in the towel and just give up but I didn’t. I’m proud of being the first person in my immediate family to graduate from high school and college. I’m proud of myself for doing what I need to do in order to do what I love. I know what it feels like to be behind the camera and in front of it. I’m not afraid to be in the back and do the less glamorous things because I know it won’t be like that forever. I would say I’m known for dreaming big and not giving up. I have many friends that tell me I inspire them to dream big too. I believe we can do anything we put our mind to and life is too short to not go after what you love.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters to me most is my relationship with God. I put God first no matter what and I know I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for Him. I believe He put these desires and passions in my heart for a reason. I’m excited to see them come to life. Although I don’t really have much family left in my life I do have a few people that have really inspired me and they matter to me the most. It’s important that I follow my dreams and I pursue acting to the fullest. I know it’s difficult and never easy but I won’t give up until it becomes my full time career.
I would love to use my platform to make a difference; to tell my story, encourage other young people who are just as confused as I once was, and to help the homeless and the mentally ill.
It’s important that I stay true to myself and never do anything that requires me to compromise myself or values in the film industry as I pursue acting.
Contact Info:
- Email: Mitchellteanna1@gmail.com
- Website: https://actorsaccess.com/actor/preview/actor_details.cfm?tab=profile
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teanna_mitchell/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/teanna_mitchell?lang=gl
- Other: https://teannamitchell.wixsite.com/website
Image Credits:
Mike Senior
Josiah Richwine
Ashley Sampson
Tara Gulledge
