Life & Work with Olivia Desiree of New York

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Desiree.

Hi Olivia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I come from a very mixed background. I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, and I’m ethnically half chinese and half dutch from my Dad’s side. I moved to New York for film school in NYU- Strasberg. So from the get go it’s already really complicated for me because : 1. Not a US citizen even though some of my family are (they live in LA), 2. I am wasian, so I don’t look like ‘the hollywood beauty template’ that everyone usually knows, 3. The way I was raised was very strict and that made it hard for me to express myself through literally everything. My parents never really supported my dreams of getting into the film industry . So, NY was totally accidental. They told me to study and go back to Jakarta after I was done with school. But then, after school I tried auditioning and got few gigs… paid and unpaid. Then I started to actually doing it professionally and I loved every minute of it. So then my portfolio began to grow. I had to come back at one point to Jakarta because my parents didn’t want to send anymore money for my apartment rent, and I was doing double jobs and auditioning left and right, I was 20… I was a baby in a foreign concrete jungle that is NYC. But I promised myself I would come back. And so, I’m building back my portfolio and doing commercials back in Jakarta, and NYC, and LA. Going back and forth is kind of annoying but it’s worth it. Also doing corporate jobs to pay bills and to make my parents stop complaining about my career stability. But yes I am definitely going to keep auditioning either that’s theatre, or film, or even a commercials. And I won’t stop until I feel back at home .

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nope. Never a smooth road. It’s been VERY bumpy, there has been no space for smooth at all. With my parents against every odds and choices that I’m making, it’s kind of hard to juggle and balance all at once. At one point I want to make them proud and be the perfect daughter, but the other, I want to prioritize myself first, and do whatever makes me happy and whole. I never know how that feels like until I came to NY, which is ironic because I wasn’t even supposed to go to NY in the first place.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
It depends on where I’m doing my work. Again, when I’m in Jakarta I’m doing corporate (but my work is hybrid thank God! So I could audition on the weekends and book commercials), when I’m in NY I do off-off broadway, theatre stuff, commercials, editorial shoots, I also do modeling sometimes. LA is slowly becoming a bit of a home for me because I started staying with my uncles and aunts there, and so I got dancing gigs and small modeling / commercials roles.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Just wanted to say that always fight for what you believe is right, and true in your heart. Even if you can’t explain it. I gave up on myself over and over again back when I was a kid, I didn’t know any better, and my life was 10x more miserable than when I’m actually speaking for myself and fight for what I want, what kind of life I really want. My NYU teacher always says to always listen to a small part of intuition in my heart. That little voice inside of you, that is truly you. Follow it. And you won’t be left astray.

Pricing:

• No

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oliviadesiree.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liv.desiree?stkn=MXB6azRld2l4eDFveA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr