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Meet Trailblazer Dalena Nguyen

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Dalena Nguyen.

Dalena, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
To be real, I feel like I was in a relationship where I had to constantly prove myself, but in the end, I found myself even through my insecurities, and my ability to show who I am. Film school became my path towards my true identity. Throughout my teenage years, I’ve always been the creative type and started making Youtube videos and made a brand for myself using Myspace. I went by the name “Ms. Hollywood XTC”. With my Youtube vlogs and Myspace combined, I gained some popularity through the internet. Through this, I was able to develop my own characters and alter ego. This is how I knew I needed to do something with this, which led me to study writing and producing at Colorado Film School.

During my first semester there, something happened to me where I felt the Universe was looking out for me. I was helping run the Open Auditions that the school holds twice a year. My job was to make sure everyone who came in felt welcomed and then guide them to the right place to audition. Well, while I was doing this, one of the students who was a Producing major came up to me and told me I should audition for their short film that was a comedy. I thought to myself, why not? I have nothing to lose, I am a writing producing major, let’s just do this for fun. I went to the audition, and I got one of the supporting roles! After being on set for the short film, I realized this is something I want to pursue. I fell in love with acting and what it stood for as an artist. So, I changed my major to acting and directing and now I have a degree for one of my passions. After recently graduating film school in May, I told myself I deserved to live my life the way I wanted since I was in school on and off for eight years. That’s when I decided to try modeling. I’ve been following this facebook group called Sunday Night Meets which is a Denver based group led by Hien Nguyen and Dustin Handrich, where photographers and models would meet up and collaborate together. Finally, I thought why not go to one of these meets and see how it goes. And like magic, I learned to fall in love with Modeling as well. Just something about being able to tell stories with my mind and body whether it’s with photography or filming, I just feel so alive.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely was not a smooth road, and it still isn’t. I still face challenges today as an aspiring actress and model, but I find it worth the chase because it’s my passion and it is what I live for… besides tacos. The biggest struggle, in the beginning, was trying to find what I wanted to do with my life and who I was as a person. I mentioned I went to college on and off for eight years, well that was mainly because I changed my major twice before I figured out I wanted to study filmmaking. I grew up in a pretty traditional Asian household, so my parents would remind me to go to college to study something that would for sure bring money in the future. So, I studied forensic science for one year, then switched to mathematics after realizing it’s not like it is on TV at all. But even going to school for Math was a complete bust.

When I told my parents I decided to go to Film School, they weren’t completely supportive at first, they were scared I was studying something that wasn’t going to allow me to have a steady income, however, my three older siblings supported and pushed me to pursue it. I will never forget when my older brother came to my room and told me how brave I was to do it because he wished he would have done the same. Another struggle I was dealing with was rejection. After acting for three years and modeling for less than a year, I’ve learned to put my ego aside, because, with this type of industry, you are going to be rejected A LOT, but that’s all part of the process. I’ve learned that that’s how I am going to grow, this is how I will learn to master my craft. What’s crazy is I battle with mild depression and anxiety all the time, and to be honest doing this interview really heightened my anxiety. I almost didn’t want to do it. My shadow kept telling myself that I am not interesting enough or good enough who would want to hear my story. And this is my advice.

I actually have so much advice I want to give! I don’t know how to spill it all without going on a huge rant. But I’ll say this… allow yourself to take the time discovering who you are and what you want to do in life, there’s no rush. And I know it’s easy staying in your comfort zone, but know that going out of your comfort zone is going to be the most rewarding experience because vulnerability is a strength, not weakness. The opportunities come to you when you take the moment to be brave.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I have acted in over 20 student short films, and one feature film, I’ve mostly been casted in comedies but I did win the Best Actress award through Colorado Film School in 2017, which was a romantic drama called “Scarred for Life”. In this film, I played as a tattoo artist with a traumatic past due to relationships, but she learned to overcome her past and allows herself to fall in love again. As previously mentioned, the feature film is called Monster Force Zero, a sci-fi film where I play as Kadabra Couture who I think is a complete badass because later in the film she gets telekinetic powers. Monster Force Zero is on a festival run right now and so far, we have won four awards! If I am known for anything, it’s most likely from all the short films I’ve been in and my modeling through social media. I am proud of all my work really, I’ve loved all the 20 characters I have played and all of my photoshoots. I am an independent artist at the moment but pursuing to find an agent whether it is in Denver or out of state.

What sets me apart from others is my image. I feel as though my brand is myself. Call me basic, but I use Instagram as a brand and marketing tool for myself. I really like the idea of providing some creative and unique content. It allows me to share parts of who I am and my image. I love my body and I choose to own it, so I embrace it. I feel as though my strength when it comes to an image is being “sexy”. I’ve done all kinds of shoots from portraits to boudoir. My favorite shoots are probably portraits, they carry a lot of creativity and truth to them. But my most favorite thing about acting and modeling is getting the chance to be surrounded by other creatives, it’s where I feel the most inspired and a sense of belonging.

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
I was lucky enough to have multiple mentors throughout my life. All of my older siblings have been mentors to me, and when I went to film school, I felt like all my instructors were mentors.

This may sound cliche, but the best way to find mentors is really just put yourself out there. I’ve found mentors through school and family. And nowadays, it’s so easy to find groups you can relate to. You can find groups with common interests through Facebook! That’s how I found the modeling group.

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Image Credit:
Michael Herrera, Hien Nguyen, Paul Camagong, David Ballard, Josh Edstedt

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