By India Pearman
Staff Writer
With the constant set changes of her life, Freshman Izzy Youngson, plays the part of a student and actress while she juggles auditioning and schoolwork.
Youngson has been a model in small commercials since she was a baby, started acting classes at six years old, and has been professionally acting since she was ten. Youngson goes to an audition or “call back” two to three times a week. She has featured in many commercials and also on ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat, with a few lines in each respective opportunity.
“I enjoy going on auditions because I love going to the lots and meeting people that I have seen on TV and that I idolize,” Youngson said. “But, I am not attached to the end result because if it is what you are passionate about, you should just be happy with the journey and not only the end result.”
Youngson auditions for many roles, as of right now, they are relatively minor, but in the future, she hopes to get a leading role on TV. The auditions typically last from about 3 to 20 minutes depending on how much they like the person. In the audition, she presents the lines or the song she has been asked to prepare and, according to Youngson, she always has to be on her toes. If the casting crew want to see more of her, she then recieves a “call back,” and from that point she has the opportunity to get the role.
“It is hard because you do feel judged, but I am just going with the flow,” Youngson said. “La La Land is really realistic because you can be in an audition and they will just cut you off, or you will walk out and see a million people that look exactly like you.”
Once Youngson secures the role, the process continues. While she is on set, she has a trailer and an onset teacher, aswell as hair and makeup staff. Filming can last up to a few days because each scene can be repeated until it is perfected. In order to get the auditions and roles that she wants, Youngson works with two agencies, Prestige and Polygon. The agencies present you for roles, get auditions and help secure roles that suit your talents. Youngson also has a manager, from Discover Management, who manages her entire career and also submits her on breakdowns, which are auditions for specific roles.
“Rejection is constant,” Youngson said. “It is pretty hardcore and you have to roll with the punches. You could get rejected 1,000 times because, at the end of the day, they can only find one person.”
When Youngson was first interested in acting, her family decided to move from San Francisco to Los Angeles to open up more opportunities to act. At first she was homeschooled in order to be able to focus on acting, but later attended MBMS because she felt isolated and didn’t like online school. Now, her main difficulty with managing her time comes when she has commitments after school other than acting.
“I would definitely say that she is dedicated,” Freshman Natalie Cubillos said. “She is constantly going to auditions and practicing for it, and it is something she really enjoys doing and she puts a lot of time and effort into it. I think if she continues to do what she is doing now, I think she can definitely get somewhere.”
In the future, Youngson is planning on signing with a few modeling agencies. She has already been in touch with both LA Models and Wilhelmina. Both agencies were interested, but told her to come back when her teeth are straight because at this time she has Invisalign. Youngson hopes that once she is able to start doing professional shoots she will be able to create her own brand and become a business woman through establishing her platform through modeling.
“I would love to build a career out of this,“ Youngson said. “I obviously want to see how things go, but I am excited to get signed with a modeling agency, even though it is not ideal for your self esteem, it is a great way to meet people and network in order to come up with your own personal brand. It is also a little easier than acting because with modeling it is easier to book castings too.”
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