Jennifer Ens: How To Break Into Television By Landing A Series Regular Role Right Out Of Acting School

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Ens.

Jennifer Ens is one of Hollywood’s fastest rising stars and her career continues to evolve with exciting and challenging projects. Born and raised in Canada, Jennifer is Thai, Laotian and Caucasian. She studied acting at The Vancouver Film School and the Deb Podowski Acting Studio. Jennifer recently starred in the Epix series CHAPELWAITE alongside Academy Award Winner Adrien Brody. Making it her first professional acting job.

Based on the Stephen King short story “Jerusalem’s Lot,” CHAPELWAITE is the story of a man and his family in the 1850’s who relocate to the ancestral home in a small, seemingly sleepy town of Preacher’s Corners, Maine after the death of his wife. After settling into their new surroundings, they quickly learn of their family’s secrets. Jennifer plays Honor Boone, the oldest of the three children and helps her father fight against the evil forces haunting them while working to break the family curse.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Thank you so much for having me! I was born in Abbotsford, British Columbia but grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and I am the middle child out of 5 children. I grew up loving performing and storytelling. I danced and started acting in commercials when I was around 3 years old, when I was around 10, I picked up guitar, piano and singing. I did a bit of gymnastics as well.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I don’t think I have one specific story; I think I came out of the womb knowing I wanted to be an actor haha, it’s the craziest thing, there was never a doubt in my mind. I remember being 10 and having a meeting with my commercial agent (I made my mom set it up) and I told her “I would like to take acting more seriously.” I was like a little businesswoman.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I think it’s the story about how I booked my first role ever. I just graduated from acting school 10 months prior to getting the call that I had booked my first TV series as a series regular in Stephen King’s “Chapelwaite.” I learned that I would be #3 on the call sheet next to Academy Award winner Adrien Brody and Emily Hampshire. We were supposed to start filming in April of 2020, but Covid 19 had put the world into lockdown. I later got a call that we were going to start filming in August of 2020, so I packed my bags and we filmed in Nova Scotia, Canada for six months during the pandemic.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Oh boy. When I just started auditioning, I went out for this role and at the end of the audition, my character was supposed to get shot and die. When it came time to perform my character's death, I got so nervous, rushed it and I just fell to the ground and said “ouch.” It was terrible. The lesson I learned from this, is to always do your research and stay calm. Haha.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I can’t say anything yet, you will have to stay tuned….

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Never allow fear to guide your life. If you want to be an actor, go do it, don’t listen to what other people say or that silly voice inside your head that creates self-doubt (yes, we all have that voice.) Of course, there is a lot of rejection in this industry but there’s a lot of success as well, it’s your decision to choose which aspect you’d like to focus on. Work hard, stay focused, take acting classes and be prepared for anything. Miracles happen all the time.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

1. Diversity in Film and Television is a necessity because a lot of people learn from movies and tv shows. When we are inclusive and teach new things about different ethnicities, cultures, and sexualities correctly and authentically, we break the barriers of racism, homophobia, prejudice, and stereotypes.
2. Diversity brings exposure to different ethnicities, places and cultures that aren’t well known. When people ask me what my ethnicity is, I tell them I am Thai, Laos and Caucasian, most people know what Thai is, but they have no idea what Laos is, although Laos is right next to Thailand.
3. We also need more diversity in every department of film and television, especially within the hair and makeup department. There isn’t just one skin color and just one hair type.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Trust the process. It’s hard doing a lot of auditions and not hearing back or booking right away. If you’re feeling down, remember to trust the process and know your tapes are being seen and the fact that you’re auditioning in the first place is a good sign. Every audition is like a stepping stone to getting more exposure.
2. Always follow your gut.
3. Everything happens for a reason. I remember being upset that I didn’t book this Netflix series because the casting director said she loved me for the role, but I didn’t look the part. Fast forward a few months and I booked Chapelwaite. If I booked that Netflix series, I wouldn’t have been able to film Chapelwaite.
4. Make sure you have another hobby besides acting. Yes, we love acting but when you aren’t on set or auditioning you need to make sure you’re nurturing every part of yourself.
5. Don’t pigeonhole yourself, you aren’t just the “geek” or “pretty girl” there’s so much more than people assume. Make sure your reps know your range and don’t be afraid to take risks and do something you may not normally do.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

This is a great question!

• Make sure you’re in it because you love acting not because you want to be famous or win awards. There’s a lot of rejection in this industry but never give up. It’s always nice to connect with others who have the same passion and have a good support system.
• Sleep well, eat healthily, exercise, take your vitamins.
• Always stay sharp, whether it’s doing an acting class monthly, watching a movie or reading an acting book, always do something every day that will help your training/career.
• Always listen to your body, for me, I always have one day a week where I have a self-care day and rejuvenate.
• Really understand yourself. If I know I’m going to have a lot of emotionally demanding scenes that require crying, getting angry or high energy, I know exactly which triggers will help me get to those places. I prepare myself mentally and have my “toolkit” organized. Sometimes one trigger that you rely on won’t work a certain day or sometimes you just can’t cry in a scene because you’ve been doing it all day. Make sure you have backup “triggers”

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I am a huge advocate for mental health. I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety in my life and go to therapy regularly. It has changed my life and improved my acting. Sometimes the stressors of life are too much, and some people don’t know how to handle it. I know there’s still a lot of stigma around therapy but you don’t have to be a “messed up” person to go to therapy. Therapists are like life coaches. Understanding myself also helps me understand the characters I am portraying.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I would have to say, my mom. She’s the one who introduced me to acting, dancing, playing guitar, piano and singing. She was always the one who drove me to dance competitions, auditions, callbacks, meetings, acting classes and would always rehearse with me. She definitely helped jump-start my career and always believed in me.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

It’s not just one quote, it’s from the book “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. He says that following these four agreements is a guide to personal freedom and I totally agree.

• “Be Impeccable with Your Word”
• “Don’t Take Anything Personally”
• “Don’t Make Assumptions”
• Always Do Your Best”

These quotes really helped me because a lot of doubt or unhappiness comes from taking things personally, making assumptions and being too hard on yourself. Once I started not taking anything personally, didn’t make assumptions, always did my best and was always honest I really started thriving therefore my career was thriving.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Timothée Chalamet. I am a huge fan of his work and am in love with his acting.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me on Instagram @jenniferens, Twitter @JenniferEns_ and IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11752730/

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!