Tessa Pihl has been travelling the world in recent years, trying to establish herself as an actress in Hollywood.
But the former Estevan resident hasn’t forgotten the time she spent in the Energy City, and how it helped her along her chosen career path.
Pihl moved to Estevan, along with her stepfather Devon Spencer and her mother Kaley Spencer, shortly after she graduated from high school in Kelowna, B.C., in 2014.
“It was a time in my life that definitely changed how I look at things,” said Pihl.
She immediately started working in the construction industry in Estevan for a summer job. It was just about as far as she could be from her desired career path, but it helped pay for her first year of classes at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.
“Working for what I wanted motivated me to really work hard in acting school, because I learned a lot there,” said Pihl. “I had never done anything like working construction or anything like that before, and Estevan is so much about the oil industry and the construction industry, so it taught me that I could really accomplish anything that I put my mind to.
“It made me way more confident moving to New York, across the continent, and going to acting school there, even though it (going to New York) was something that I was very scared to do.”
After her first year of college, she returned to Estevan, and worked as a waitress at the Flats Eatery and Drink and at the former Bakken Vapes store in Estevan, to pay for her second year at the academy.
She also spent time volunteering at the Souris Valley Theatre.
“I wasn’t in any projects, or anything like that,” said Pihl. “I worked in the concession, and talked to the actors, and talked to a lot of people there.”
After the first year in New York, she transferred to the academy’s campus in Los Angeles, and graduated in 2016.
Pihl said she grew up dancing in Kelowna, with an emphasis on ballet. She has always been passionate about the arts, and knew from an early age that a performance-based career was the path she wanted to follow.
“As soon as I went to the audition for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, that was basically the first big acting audition that I had, and the more I acted, the more I realized that I loved it just as much as I loved dance, and that I wanted to dedicate my life to it,” said Pihl.
From there, she realized that she preferred film to theatre, and she wanted a career on the big screen. Pihl is happy with the opportunities she has had so far.
“It’s a very competitive industry, and every part I get, I’m really lucky to have the opportunity to work with amazing people who have been in the industry for a long time,” said Pihl.
Pihl was in Naples, Italy, for the filming of 45…Good Wine, a film she described as a documentary and a drama about the cultures of the area.
“It’s to teach people about that area specifically, but it also had a storyline that went along with the characters,” said Pihl.
Her dancing skills have helped her land lead roles in the music videos for White Noise and You Don’t Know About Me by musician Ella Vos.
“I auditioned for her with a bunch of other girls, and I got the role as a dancer,” said Pihl. “Then as soon as I did that one with her, she really liked working with me, and liked what I did for her videos, and called me back for the second one.”
And she has been in productions like Enjoy the View, Open Mic, On Instinct and Zooey. Some are still in post-production, and haven’t been released yet. She is also part of a music video that will be released in June.
Pihl has been casted for a lead role in a television show that will be pitched to Netflix and HBO.
After she graduated in May 2016, she didn’t secure her first project for six months.
“It’s discouraging, because you don’t know anybody in the industry, and I was still trying to get my head shots and my resumé together, but you need projects to build your resumé, and if you don’t have a resumé, people don’t want you for their projects. It’s really hard to get the ball rolling, but once you get the first project and the second project, then people recognize you and people want to work with you.”
She has met people on sets who mention they are working on another project, and that they would love for her to be involved.
“You really just have to take every opportunity you get, and that’s the only way to keep it rolling,” said Pihl.
Every project leads her to another two opportunities, she said, thanks to being open to other people’s ideas.
It also helps that she’s willing to travel for parts, and she loves travelling, so it brings the best of both worlds together.
Pihl expects to be in Hollywood for a while. She will be applying for a visa to remain in the U.S., and she wants to stay down south for three years.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” she said.
