Nov 2, 20227 min read

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

After Surviving a Health Challenge, Actress Stephanie Gold’s Belief in Herself Was Strengthened

Catherine Stephanie Gold is an actress and model living in Las Vegas. At the beginning of her career, she received training at Breaking into Hollywood Studios. She auditioned among 143 beginning to advanced actors.

“I had never even had one audition before. One by one, they took us in to audition for the school, a process which included a screen test. They were supposed to accept 45 people. The final cut ended up being 26,” she recalls.

After she trained with Brooke Bundy, Andrew Orthe, John Bentley Cole, and David Anthony, just to mention a few actors, she had to audition to get an agent.

“There was a room filled with agents and I had to perform a monologue for them . I left the room and only one agent was allowed to pick me. I could hear a commotion going on in there as I left the room. When they came out, I had an agent! Rochelle Perlas– my first agent until she retired– saw that I had what it took to be an actress and signed me on the spot. She then proceeded to tell me how excited she was to have finally found her one ‘diamond in the rough’ that sparkled brighter than anyone else she had seen in Las Vegas. She said, ‘you’re a natural you just need to be guided in the right direction and I’m one who can do that for you!’, and then I began my career in acting,” says Stephanie.

When did you decide that you wanted to become an actress?

Not even a year before I had emergency brain surgery at the Mayo Clinic. When something like that happens to you, and you're not expected to survive, it changes you. It makes you grateful for every day, every person in your life. It makes you want to do the things you never thought you could do! I said to myself, after I got the call to audition for the school, that if I could beat the odds and not die or become a vegetable with my brain surgery, then I could do anything! I live my life now with that belief and a positive attitude, and positive things just keep manifesting in the world of acting for me. I got signed to the Craze agency for modeling right when I walked in the door. Of course, that was pre-pandemic.

I also met a man by the name of Jarrod Knowels, who in 2015 helped promote his IndieWise Film Festivals in Miami, and we have been working together ever since! I have had the pleasure of training under Ryan Williams at the Act Club, and with Billy Hufsey, from the 80’s series Fame–he is a prominent acting coach who recruits for Disney, amongst other big production agencies. Now I'm working with Amy Jo Berman over Zoom. She was head of the casting directors at HBO for over ten years.

What attracted you to acting?

When I was younger, My father owned radio stations in The Las Vegas Market and other parts of the country. He started in the mail room in California of another radio station. He worked very hard for what he had achieved in his life! At that time it was customary for the talent to come into the station to record their own promos, so I used to see them all the time when I went to work with my father. They were all very nice to me, so I feel very comfortable around people in the industry. My father already owned the number one rock music radio station in Las Vegas, when he decided to take a leap of faith and dream big against all listeners and clients advice in 1976 he reformatted his station into country music. Later in life he acquired another FM station in Las Vegas and reformatted that one to country as well. He then became First owner of two FM stations in Las Vegas history. They were both number one until he sold them for the highest price in Las Vegas history at that time. By doing this he proved to be a true visionary and fulfilled what others told him was an impossible dream!

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Who are your biggest influences?

My biggest influences aren't people that are famous. They are ordinary people who have helped me in my life during really difficult times. Without them I would never have been able to achieve what I have up until now. They are the friends that never gave up on me, My family members, such as my mother. When I was ill she held back my hair. After my brain surgery, she said to me, “the tough part is already over and you are my miracle.” My brother drove me to classes when I had seizures and was not able to drive myself. All of these people are my heroes, especially my father who is no longer here with us. He told me to never give up on my dreams and to grow a thicker skin. That is one of the best pieces of advice that anyone could ever give me. In this industry, you have to learn that you're not always going to get the roles you want, not even thirty percent of the ones you try out for. You will, however, sometimes get the roles that you were meant to have. That has been my experience so far!

What is your main strength as an actor?

I never give up and never get discouraged. I work hard and am respectful to everyone. I guess I always have had many little angels around me to help guide me through my life, not only in my acting and modeling careers, but just making sure that I'm okay in general. It’s been10 years since my brain surgery but I'm still on watch and wait. What gets me through the day is knowing deep down that I hold the key to what happens in my life, that I can control and manifest anything. I believe that if I truly want something to change or happen, it will be so if I believe with my whole heart that I can achieve this and then work towards it with positive energy. That is what I have done every day and I am full of energy and positive light. I am ready for the next project the universe sends me. I am living proof that this works. I am extremely grateful that I am still here to experience every new day and every new person that I am lucky enough to cross paths with each and every day, because I learn and grow from everyone I meet along the way. The universe has granted me another chance at life and I will continue spreading hope and laughter. My message is that it takes so much more energy to spread hate then it does to spread love, because love is light and beautiful, while hate is heavy and toxic.

I am so very happy to now be healthy enough when it comes to my body, my mind, and my soul. I’m thankful because I have a life left to live and continue to accomplish my personal goals as an actress and a model. There is always room to grow and learn and be happy; that's what I want for everyone.

How difficult is it to establish yourself in the film industry?

Very difficult. You have to keep working on your talent and going to classes to nurture your goal. You can't just stop learning. You need to develop your skill and that takes many years of classes and experience on sets. You have to realize there is always going to be someone who is better than you. Let them be your guide instead of someone who intimidates you. One can learn so much from someone who is on a different level than you are. Ask them to be your study partner or your scene partner in class. You never know what you can learn from them!

What's your dream, your ultimate goal? Do you feel like you're on the path to this goal, or do you feel as if you already achieved that dream?

My grandmother used to always say, “find a job that you enjoy waking up to and going to every morning and it won't feel like work”. Well, that's how I feel about acting and modeling. I love to wake up and be a different person for a while. I find it so interesting both on a creative level and a personal level. I love to get inside my character's head and imagine how they would react within a certain scene and then put my own spin on it. When I’m modeling I love the fashions, even though I did put on 15 pounds during covid times. I enjoy responding to the photographer and getting my hair and make-up done and then looking at the final product with a sense of accomplishment. I don't know if I'm on the right path, but it sure seems like it to me.

What is your message to your fans?

Believe in yourself. Never let anyone tell you that you are not good enough. You are! Do whatever makes you happy. Life is too short not to be happy, and if you have found something that fulfills you, try to make it a part of your daily ritual. Dream big! There is no dream too big to achieve, as long as it is something you absolutely love. Put in the necessary hours of practice or study needed to fulfill your dream. Work hard towards your goals every day and eventually you will see your dream becoming a reality. Visualize yourself succeeding. You are your own number one fan! No other person can do this for you. Start dreaming big today.

Also, try and spread love and not hate. Positive energy comes back to you and makes you feel good and energized and happy. Isn't happiness what we are all striving for?

Watch out if you are spreading hate, because negative energy will come back to you twice as fast as positive energy, since it just grows and feeds off itself like the fires in California, leaving behind terror, depression, anger, and destruction.

We need to learn to be good to one another. We are all human, we all bleed the same color blood. Love your fellow man. treat everyone equally. Don't be so quick to judge others.Try and walk in another person's footsteps. Smile at people when you walk by them instead of looking at your phone and bumping into them. Most importantly, learn to love and be kind to yourself! You need to truly love yourself in order to be able to love someone else, so let's all start there. Look at yourself in the mirror right now and say “I am good enough, I am worthy of other people’s love, and I love myself today and every day!”