Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Aslesen.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Hannah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Oh baby, this is a tough one! Quite honestly I feel like I’m still getting started, ya know? But for the sake of the narrative, I’d say my journey’s launching point was age 23 when I was working for Marlboro. Yes, that Marlboro – the multi-billion dollar cancer provider (probably shouldn’t call it that but let’s be real). I took the job of Territory Sales Manager straight outta college and was responsible for 140 gas stations across the Southeastern region of Minnesota. I took inventory, updated pricing based on tax changes, kept them in the loop on new and exciting product launches (Marlboro NXT anyone?), and made a bunch of money doing it. Company car, full benefits, trips, toys and gadgets – you name it – I had it. But I was fucking miserable. Just a working stiff; coaxing myself into a nice slumber Monday through Friday with the help of my favorite bottle of Pinot Grigio and The Office.
Then one day I read an article by the queen herself, Kristen Wiig, where she tells her moment-of-truth story. She decided to become an actor by literally looking herself in the mirror and asking herself the simple question: what do I want to do? Well, I did just that, and my answer was the same: I wanted to act. So I called my boss that day and quit. A month later, I moved back into my parents home, started pursuing improv comedy and working the day shift at a country club in my hometown. Not a glamorous lifestyle, but damn it was fun: working all day just to go and perform at night. I did that for about two years before I felt I was hitting a ceiling. I loved Minnesota but knew it couldn’t launch my career; that I had to make a move if I wanted to get to the next level. A friend said Atlanta was booming, and the next thing I knew I was driving my Chevy Cruze 1200 miles South. I didn’t know anyone, but that didn’t matter; I was here to make my mark.
But what was originally a pit stop on my journey to LA became an explosion of potential and inspiration. A mixture of hustle and passion like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I instantly fell in love: LA and New York have been seductive but Atlanta truly had my heart. Fast forward three years and I’m still here performing multiple nights a week, harnessing a craft I absolutely love and as committed as ever to my dream of being a household name. It’s a lofty dream for sure, but frankly I don’t give a shit how crazy it may seem.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate that all of my challenges in this business have served a greater purpose. Every setback, failure and rejection has proved to be a necessity in the journey. I don’t mean to make light of how hard those setbacks have been and how shitty I’ve been treated at times, but through it all I feel I’ve had good perspective. If I’ve learned anything it’s that the difficulties give you clarity and if you want it bad enough, the grind is worth it. Lately, I’ve been in the habit of thanking my failures for (often brutally) bullying me out of my comfort zone and into a life of spontaneity. Which sounds like a weird thing to be thankful for, right? A spontaneous life (cough cough** an actor’s life) literally means that every day is unpredictable, no paycheck is guaranteed, and you don’t know where you might be week to week. That can be intimidating as hell! Especially when the first of the month comes rolling around. But man, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This small time, indie film actor named Denzel Washington once said “ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.” When I heard that I wrote it on a sticky note and wedged it between a check I wrote to myself to be cashed in 2025 and a card from an old friend (you’ll get both those stories when you interview me again 🙂 )
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I think the most accurate way of putting it is that I am my business. I market myself, expense myself, and definitely put in over 40 hours a week. I’m an actor, writer, and comedian. What does that mean exactly? That I do the majority of work between the hours of 6pm and 2am. I perform regular improv comedy around the city, predominantly with my duo Co-Workers, which was named the Atlanta Improv Battle Champions back in 2018. I’m an actor as well, working to make a name for myself in whatever I can get my hands on. And I write: both for myself and for companies all throughout Atlanta. I’d consider myself a jack of all trades: a freelance artist. It’s an exhilarating life, exhausting at times, but exciting always. And I think that’s what I’m most proud of: my tenacity in all of it. I may not always be the best, but I’ll be damned if anyone is working harder than me. I know what I want and I’ll put in the work to make it a reality. I’ve got no time to wait around, this career waits for no one.
What were you like growing up?
I didn’t know how to answer this one so I Facetimed my mama and papa. I’ll relay their words as best I can…with some added embellishments of my own of course. “You were independent, that’s for sure. Always knew exactly what you wanted to do. Hannah was gonna do what Hannah was gonna do. Always chasing something, namely your brothers who refused to slow down for you. Performance was in your blood. Everything could be made into a spectacle or show, and I mean anything. Your brothers liked to observe, but you had to be doing – impossibly distracted with movement and creation. You used to cry if you lost and didn’t like to be left out. You had to be the best and you often had this winking sense of seriousness, even when it came to something as juvenile as dressing up; you wanted to sell it. It had to be good! I think the thing that has stayed the most constant about you is your fierce loyalty to what you do and the people you love. There’s not a whole lot of half-assing anything in your world. Now come home and visit.”
Not a bad synopsis, kinda sounds like they know me a bit. And it’s true (well most of it, I didn’t cry THAT much): having three brothers and being the only girl taught me to toughen up and hold my own. In a testosterone-filled environment like that you had to earn your seat at the table, which was good prep for the current male-dominated entertainment industry I find myself in. But in hindsight it served me extremely well and gave me the grit and determination I need to make it in this business. I wouldn’t trade where I came from and the journey I’ve taken to get here for anything. We’re on a constant journey of self-discovery and acceptance, baby! So, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or a centerpiece. Fuck it, slap some googly eyes on that bad boy and make it talk. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure it’s a spectacle.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hannahaslesen.com
- Email: hannah.aslesen@gmail.com
- Instagram: haslesen
- Facebook: Hannah Aslesen
- Other: Instagram: @hannah_and_jason
Image Credit:
Chelsea Patricia Photography, Hannah Foerster Photography
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