Daily Inspiration: Meet Elton Tanega

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elton Tanega.

Hi Elton, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My mom likes to tell the story of me at four years old, crying hysterically in the living room. I had been the only one of my siblings awake from nap time, so to hear me crying alone was more concerning than normal. However, as my mother tried to pry out of four year old Elton what had happened, a giant grin grew ear to ear on my face. Her shock was met with a sigh of relief, and as she collected herself, the only thing she recalls me saying is, “don’t worry mommy, I’m just acting.” I can recall wanting to be an actor, or at least be on stage or tv, since I was little. I enjoyed making up characters, letting my imagination run wild, and I loved movies. I grew up in a lower class family, and was one of three siblings, so the accessibility to perform or search for classes and such was very minimal.

My parents truly did want to support me in getting there, but were met by the initial scammers of the industry who led them and myself to believe I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without handing over thousands of dollars to do so. I can remember being eight years old, standing in my living room, with my parents sitting me down telling me they couldn’t pay the “fee” required to get me to the next phases of my potential acting career. It felt like someone had just told me a relative had died. I continued to do school productions through my grade school years, doing four shows a year upon moving to Denver.

I graduated high school, and did the instinctual Filipino college move and started to pursue Nursing. I was unhappy, partied all too often, and began to experience some pretty bad mental health issues during that time too. Come January of 2017, I switched over to a theatre degree, thinking that would be my resolution, only to be dropped from my classes a week in them, for a failure in paying my tuition fees. It was another “we need $2,000 payment by tomorrow, or we can’t help you”. Again, heartbroken. But this time, with my parent’s support, I took what felt like loss at the time, and turned it into an opportunity to pursue what I had wanted to since I was a child. I got an agency that following April, started working in the Denver commercial/film industry, I started to pursue theatre, and have been fortunate enough to grow within the past few years. It is most definitely not something that comes without the constant doubt, fear, and rejection, but it is something I am happy to pursue and will continue to do as long as it makes me happy.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to where I currently stand in my career hasn’t been the smoothest of rides, but it has been one in which I feel has a lot of color. Besides the doubt and fear that constantly tries to overcome my mind, I think the biggest struggle has been my mental health. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder, and ADHD almost three years ago, and have been trying to find a balance of accommodating to my mental needs while also pushing myself to be better. I have had to turn down several opportunities as a result of my mental health putting me in a bad position. However, I find it best to see it as God has other plans for me, and I keep marching forward. I still have my moments, but overall, it is something I am able to acknowledge and not let control me.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actor/model, and work in the commercial, film, television, and theatre industry. I do find many opportunities coming from the commercial scene, as a result of the market, but I do believe of my most meaningful accomplishments my works on stage and on film take the cake. One of my most recent short films, “Orbit”, was shot by a fantastic director Andi Dilley, and I can say without a doubt that it was by far my favorite project to work on. It was shot of the course of four months, and it was the first time I had gotten to play a character that had a lot of depth to him. He also was a character I related very little too, so I think being able to take the time to put my heart into what “James” was going through really allowed for him to come to life. I will give all the credit though to Andi, who really supported me taking my own spin on things. I find that we all have a story, and even though I may not personally relate to what it means to be an alcoholic, I do know what it is like to feel like I am not good enough. So finding myself in everything I do, and carrying that into each character is what I feel “sets me apart”. I don’t want to lose myself; I mean after all they are casting me to do it for a reason.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I love the idea of risk-taking, but I will admit I am not the biggest fan of it. I think it stems from my experience in having been a risk taker who inevitably met the reality of my impulses. The very first audition I ever went to outside of a high school setting was for a Disney Cruise Line. They were held in Los Angeles, and I had nothing but a fire under my belly to get me there. So I took the risk, planned a trip to Los Angeles, first time I also traveled alone, and within the first five minutes of being at the audition- I was cut. I continued to let my gut lead the way for the coming year after that experience, but I fell victim to a lot of doubt, self-worth, and fear after it all was done with. It wasn’t until more recently within the past few weeks, that I have begun to be more strategic and thought out, without losing the passion. It’s a balancing act, but I think I am a risk-taker, who is just more comfortable with the outcome. Two sayings I repeat, “God is with me”, and “You either win or you learn”.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elton_jt/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EltonTanega