Margaux
There’s a well known saying, “The eyes are the window into the soul.” I found this to be true one afternoon in Hollywood, as I sat in a booth across from Margaux at an old school diner. I was captivated by her gorgeous eyes and was able to peer into this so called window to see a youthful and vibrant soul. Her quick witted humor and exuberant personality made for a fun and interesting conversation.
Margaux is a working actress in LA, originally from Miami, Florida. She graduated with honors from NYU where she studied acting, and six years ago moved to Los Angeles to completely pursue a career in acting. When I asked if she could ever see herself leaving LA, she replied by confidently shaking her head “no” and said “I love it too much,” referring to acting.
She is currently in a season of growth and finding balance. Margaux used the spirit level on a measuring tool as an analogy for how she strives to maintain balance in her life. “You want to keep the bubble in the middle,” says Margaux. She looks to find a balance between her biggest aspirations and remaining rooted in reality and being pragmatic. A balance in her state of mind while enduring the highs and lows of the emotional roller coaster one encounters when pursuing an acting career in the competitive entertainment industry. She also finds a balance in her daily life and how she spends her time. “You asked me what I’m doing later today, I’m nannying, then recording a voiceover for an audition, then seeing a play with a friend. That’s my day,” says Margaux with a smile on her face. The life of an actress.
One of the biggest highlights of her career thus far was voicing a role in the juggernaut animated Disney film that is Frozen. Margaux began working on the film first as a reader, where she would act opposite the stars of the film during their voice recording sessions. When Margaux is not acting in films or auditioning for roles, she fuels her creative fire by being a member of IAMA Theatre Company in Los Angeles. In August of 2016 she will head to Edinburgh for a month with the theatre show, “The Blind Date Project.”
“Now that I’m getting older, I’m finally fitting into the age range that I’ve been playing since I was a teenager. When I was 18 I already looked 30. I could never play the ‘college girl’. It just wouldn’t be believable.”
She loves acting and performing because she is fascinated with the complexities of every human, their idiosyncrasies, and emotions. “Someone looks up at a plane and says ‘Hey, it’s a plane,’ but I look up and think of the two hundred completely unique and intricate people that are inside it,” says Margaux. She loves watching a performance and being moved and having a human emotion. Her love for her craft is the silver lining and driving force to go day after day to pursue her dream, not throwing in the towel and calling it quits.
Margaux recalls a piece of advice her high school teacher once gave, that if you have a Plan B, start pursuing it because you’re not going to focus on your main craft if you’re constantly thinking you have something to fall back on. Also that the entertainment industry is so tough that if you found happiness doing something else, why are you not doing it? Your passion and love for your craft is the motivating factor through the difficult times.
I admired Margaux’s humility and honesty as we spoke. It was refreshing to have a candid conversation with someone who is also pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, and be open to talk about her struggles, her set backs, and her desires. No celebrity name dropping, no pretentious Hollywood talk, no deals pending, only a real genuine conversation over a beer and Diet Coke.
When asked what piece of advice she would give her younger self she replied “It’s okay to put yourself first in situations, and it’s okay to say ‘no.’”
Before she dies she wants to have a kid, and be a part of an artist project that she can look back on in fifty years, in awe and pride because she was a part of something special.
Interesting fact about Margaux is that she is Jewish and half Cuban. She is a “Jewban” says Margaux jokingly. “I love being Jewish. I love the culture and traditions. Some people don’t believe me when I tell them I’m Cuban until I play them a voicemail from my Abuela.”
As I left the diner and reflected on my conversation with Margaux, I was reminded that being an artist and having a creative soul, means being an outsider most of the time. You’re lifestyle doesn’t conform to the natural progression of society, college, a nine to five job, marriage, kids, then retirement. From an outside perspective a life of an artist may seem fun, adventurous, carefree and at times glamorous, but is actually full of uncertainty, waiting, and sacrifice. However the joy and satisfaction found in doing what you love and were designed to do is unparalleled and worth it. Thanks Margaux.
89 stories to go.
