Emily Coupe
2012 TAFTA Full Time Alum Emily is an Australian born Eurasian actress, singer, writer & model, who has worked consistently in both Australia and Los Angeles. With a versatile girl-next-door & tomboyish vibe, she is a mix between a young Mandy Moore & Scarlett Johansson.
She has recently been cast in feature films The New Hands, Lilith, Home Bound, Dark Haven, The Locket, and Wicked Wifi Workout, as well as booked co-star roles on Channel 10's Offspring, A&Es Cold Case Files and Netflix's Corrupt Crimes.
Emily recently completed film The Crossroads in AZ in which she played the lead, & is also co-writing + producing the music.
She released her first album Revolution in late 2019, and has released multiple singles since. In the past 2-3 years Emily has also played over 150 gigs at various venues around L.A. She is working on her second album, which she will be releasing gradually throughout 2022.
We asked Emily about moving to LA for Acting and Singing, and how to make the most of a transition to the United States. We also checked in on how being a multi-hyphenate has shaped her career. Read on for tips on how to prepare to move to the US, what to expect when your over there, and some handy tips on how to stand out from the crowd!
1). What steps did you take to keep creative during the pandemic and how has it affected post-pandemic Emily?
Living in the U.S during the pandemic, I'm sure was very different than living in Australia. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to receive both unemployment and the stimulus checks, so was able to stay afloat while everything was shut done. In saying that, it had been the first time that I had not been working full time in nearly 5 years since I moved to L.A, and so took this as a chance to really delve deep into getting as much work done as possible.
I knew that this wouldn't last forever, and I treated this time like a 9-5 job. Some of the creative things I did was - set up many meetings with different film makers, producers, writers, directors etc and learn from them, build connections etc. Another thing was shoot a looooot of self tapes through my agent/self submits.
My self tape game has gotten a lot stronger since Covid, as it has for everyone due to necessity, and I really tried to lean into it, and find a good system that really worked for me efficiently and effectively.
Musically, I did a lot of songwriting sessions via zoom. I think I wrote over 20-30 songs with people, as well as many more by myself too. I wished I had spent more time improving my guitar skills, but I really started getting into that after the pandemic. I also read a lot of scripts, as I was dabbling in film producing too. Coming out of Covid, I had planted many many seeds which I am now seeing the fruition of aka booking lots of commercials, leads in indie films, more music gigs, and even modeling gigs - which I believe all came from work I put in during the Pandemic.
2). What is it like being on the ground in California as an actor? Do you have advice you would give to aspiring actors who want to get over to the US?
Being an actor in L.A is all about consistency and resilience. The odds are you may do 100 auditions and not book one of them, or even get any call backs. So you have to just focus on the work and enjoy the process. The one thing I wished I had done earlier is gotten a steady day job and built a solid foundation, before jumping into auditions.
I got a manager within 6 months, and honestly I was super green and not ready mentally, physically or emotionally. I hadn't developed a good system yet at breaking down a script, and would panic when getting an audition. Like I would open up my email and feel anxiety. Sometimes the best thing is just to be thrown into it, however I wished that I had started with commercials first and feeling comfortable in the room using my American accent, rather than being sent out for co/guest stars, series regs, and leads in features. I'm sure the casting directors could just see a young super green actor, but I felt like I was ready, however was very not!
I would say find a great accent coach (I use Claire Corff) who I see twice a month now, a great affordable acting coach/self tape person (I use Albert Ruis at Whisper films for pretty much all of my auditions), and I truly believe in it because he is not only my coach, mentor and friend, but also provides honest and valuable feedback. It is also a stable, consistent system that I know will be there for every audition. I was recently shortlisted for a series reg role through an 'Albert' self tape, so really believe in it! Also, try to surround yourself with as many positive working actors as you can. You are like the 5 people you spend the most time with, and so being around that energy definitely doesn't hurt you. As well as building great, genuine friendships too :) And being grounded and down to earth as much as possible, having hobbies etc. Mine is tennis and surfing! Side note, I won my Greencard in the lottery the first year I entered, so highly recommend entering every year until you win too!
3). What's the difference between working in Australia and working in the US?
The audition process is different - we hold sides in the U.S and not in Australia.
The pool is so much smaller in Australia, like there 15-20 major Casting offices, whereas there are 200-300+ in L.A. After 7 years, I still get called into new major offices all the time (yay to my reps). But have also been into some major offices 7-10 times too!
Actors are kinder and more willing to help in the U.S, and it feels more cliquey and aggressive in Australia. In L.A is feels like there is an abundance of work, and so it almost feels less competitive, whereas in Australia there is less work so people have to fight for it that much more.
The quality of acting is better in the U.S overall - it's more competitive so the cream rises to the top - it's the Olympics of acting. If you make it in L.A, it feels like you made it in Australia.
From what I've learned about marketing in the U.S, people are way more aggressive and unashamed. Like here I generally send out a thank you card after an audition from each new theatrical office. I send out newsletters/physical postcards to Casting Directors every 2-3 months too. I would love to do headshot/resume and small gift drop offs, but not sure if offices are back in person again! I wished I had done these things back in Australia - I feel like it would really stand out. Also sometimes I send 3-4 follow up emails before I get a reply! Stalker much?!
4) How does your knowledge and experience of music affect your acting craft (and vice versa)?
Honestly it has really been melding together in a really nice way. It's funny because people ask me all the time, do you enjoy acting or music better? I always say - both. This is because where your attention goes, your energy flows. And if I think one is more important than the other, what's the point of doing the other thing, coz' it will just drop off. I honestly love both endeavors equally, in a different way. Let's just say each has their own kind of high and I'm addicted to both ;) Acting is about the connection, being present, and getting to travel for me, and music is about getting to show off your voice/guitar skills, performing/connecting to the audience and also storytelling through songwriting too.
Some ways in which both have intertwined - recently I got cast in feature film 'The Crossroads' playing a singer songwriter, which is probably my biggest role to date, and I got cast in it without an audition because I was both a musician and actress. A bunch of songs I had written are in the film, as well as feature on the soundtrack too. Likewise, my music has been used in a lot of films which I have acted in, in the soundtrack. I also sung on feature film 'Dark Haven' in which I played the lead, which is still in post production. Just today I just booked acting commercial playing a musician too - so the worlds keep on intertwining. Another cool aspect of doing both, is that I find when acting is busy, music is slow - and vice versa. This also helps with creative burnout, because when I am sick of learning lines I can then go to learning music and writing songs, and likewise when it's slow with music - a bunch of auditions and projects tend to pop up! One thing I've noticed is that there are a lot of people who say they do both, but really only half arse one. I try to do both equally and to a professional level - as much as I can!
5). What's the best advice you've ever received?
Follow your heart everyday, and then every decision you make will be the correct one, and you will have no regrets. Also to live a well rounded, happy and fulfilled life no matter of your career status. It makes the journey more enjoyable (since it could take a life time) and being a real 'human' informs your craft too, with songwriting, acting experiences, etc.
