Lauren Dreggors shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Lauren, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I’ve been trying to be more aware of how much time I spend on my phone. I feel there are better ways to spend my limited amount of free time.
This year, I started reading books purely for fun again. I used to absolutely love reading when I was a kid. I would stay up late or beg my parents for an extension on bedtime just because I HAD to know what happened next in the story. It has been amazing to rediscover that same passion again as an adult. I’ve been fortunate to read a great variety of books. Fiction and nonfiction. Biographies, mysteries, thrillers, true crime. The list goes on!
And even though it was not my original intention, I feel like I’ve slowly and inadvertently retrained my brain. Now, when I’m bored or looking for something to do, my immediate response is to reach for a book instead of my phone. And I don’t just read when I’m bored. I find myself wanting to finish other tasks and chores so that I can get back to reading my book. If left to my own devices, I could read for hours and think that only 15 minutes had passed. It has truly become such a relaxing activity for me.
Now that I’m not mindlessly scrolling through social media as much anymore, I compare myself to others far less than I used to. I’m more confident, and I’m able to enjoy my own journey rather than comparing my timeline to others’.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Lauren Dreggors, and I am an actress based in Atlanta, Georgia. I discovered my love of acting in college, thanks in large part to the wonderful theatre department that welcomed me with open arms. I learned so much from them both on stage and behind the scenes.
From there, I moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in acting and made the transition to film. Since then, I have been involved in multiple projects telling stories that I’m deeply passionate about. I specialize in portraying psychologically complex and emotionally-rich characters in a wide variety of genres.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents taught me very early on to take pride in my work, no matter what that work is. I credit them for my work ethic and discipline. Rather than simply telling me the value of my work, they led by example. As a kid, I saw how hard they worked, and it has inspired me to always put my best effort into everything that I do.
I prepare for every audition the same way I would prepare to show up on set. Sometimes you go a long time between booking roles and being on sets, so auditions are the best way to keep my skills sharp and do what I love: act. And every audition is an opportunity to act and put into practice the things I’ve learned in classes and workshops. Even when I don’t get the role, I take pride in knowing that I did the best work I could. And that preparation pays off when I do get cast in a project, and I know that I can show up to set ready to build on the foundation I already have in place.
I never want to do anything I wouldn’t be proud to associate with my name.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been so many times, particularly early on, that by now I’ve lost count. My acting career has been filled with a lot of, what I usually call, false starts. I’ve had many opportunities that I thought would be my “big break,” only to have them not turn out the way I had hoped. And of course, there’s a great deal of discouragement with that. I’ve had the discussions with myself about whether it would be easier to give this up. There would be far fewer disappointments if I just got a more consistent job that I wasn’t as invested in.
But one of the things I’ve realized along this journey is that the reason it can affect me so deeply is because I’m passionate about what I do. I always want to perform to the best of my abilities, and when I feel that I fall short of that goal, I become frustrated with myself.
So my solution has been to turn that self-doubt into fuel to do better and go deeper. After the last career setback I faced, I decided to sign up for as many acting classes as I could so that I could learn more and improve my craft.
Acting is the thing that fulfills me most in life, and at the end of the day, I would much rather face disappointment and self-doubt in the pursuit of what I’m passionate about than live a life with no disappointment and self-doubt doing something that doesn’t fulfill me. And I have been fortunate enough to learn that as daunting as the lows can be, they make the successes you achieve even more rewarding.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
It’s taken a long time for me to feel even remotely comfortable in my own skin. And even now, that work is far from over. But it’s something that I’ve worked very hard on, learning to value my individuality and “quirks.” The same things I used to get teased for as a kid in school are the very same things that built my foundation in acting.
My great-aunt Jo was an incredible woman and someone I looked up to my entire life. When she passed away last year, we had a celebration of life for her. And person after person stood up to talk about what she had meant to them and the impact she had on their life. And in all of those stories, the same word kept popping up: authentic. My great-aunt was her same genuine, authentic self with everyone she interacted with.
So I try to take that lesson from her. I try to be my genuine, authentic self with everyone I meet. I’ve learned not to waste my time or others’ time pretending/trying to be something or someone that I’m not. And I have found that this has allowed me to build much stronger relationships with people who value the “real me.” I have had people want to work with me again simply because of the person I am when the camera isn’t rolling.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
This goes back to the work ethic and discipline my parents instilled in me. Don’t get me wrong, it is always encouraging and feels good to hear someone say they like your work. But particularly in this industry, that external validation can often be few and far between. I have only once gotten a message from a director saying, “Your work was great, but we’re going with someone else.” Most times, you won’t hear anything at all about what a director, agent, or casting director thought about your audition.
You really have to make the conscious choice to be your own cheerleader. It’s easy to say things like, “I’m not right for this role, so why should I audition?” or, “I’ve auditioned for this casting director so many times, and they’ve never cast me. Why am I still trying?” It’s almost more of a knee-jerk reaction to avoid disappointment. But you never know how close you may be to your next big achievement. There’s probably a good reason that casting director keeps calling you back. It’s great to have a support system, but you have to be the one to keep yourself going. You have to be the one to celebrate all of your wins as you go.
The value that I place on the work I do is internal. I want to be able to make myself proud.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurendreggors/
- Other: imdb.me/LaurenDreggors
https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/laurendreggors
Image Credits
Gabriel Urbano / Austin Warren
Evan Hines
