Meeet Cerris Morgan Moyer, originally from Cornwall, who moved to LA 13 years ago to pursue acting
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
It was a natural progression west from NYC and London. After training at Central School of Speech and Drama, I completed a BA at Sarah Lawrence College in New York (I was born with dual citizenship to a Cornish father and American mother and decided to take advantage of the possibilities as soon as possible), then moved to NYC where I worked in theatre and independent film. During the summer of 2001 I visited my now-husband Caley O’Dwyer in Los Angeles, was in a play at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and returned to NYC to consider a move out west. September 11th of that year was obviously devastating. Next to the citywide, national and global tragic impact, the fact that I lost a lot of work there seems trivial, but it added to the catalysts already in place for me to come to Los Angeles – the others being love, and a different culture of acting work. I sublet my apartment in Brooklyn and thought I’d try out Los Angeles for a year. Still here!
What one thing do you miss from home?
Friends, family and British chocolate. To me these constitute one thing 😉
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus your home town of East Portholland?
After you get past the obvious differences between Los Angeles and a 30-person hamlet on the beach in Cornwall, I’d say the main difference is outlook on life. Culturally, there’s less of a safety net here and more wild west entrepreneurship. Cornwall, as the most western tip of mainland UK, is its own wild west, don’t get me wrong: supremely creative and pioneering. But there is nothing quite like the daily culture of reinvention in this country and particularly in this city.
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
Not so hidden, but one of my favourite things to do when visitors come is to drive the length of Mulholland at twilight as sunset fades and the lights start to come out. Such a vista across both the Valley and south and west towards the Pacific! Good for perspective and bearings
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
Be prepared for acclimatizing to take some time. Los Angeles is an investment – because it’s so spread out, it takes longer to get to know than other cities, and longer to find your tribe. It’s also a city of dreamers, so it’s easy to lose sight of the practical necessities for fulfilling your own particular dream: be as prepared as you can be for those practicalities (save up, research, get to know yourself). Once you’re here, ENJOY IT! Honestly, I’ve found the chapter I’ve lived here to be the most creative of my life so far. So many wonderful creative souls have found their way here, and because Los Angeles lacks that central hub and community aspect of cities like London and NYC (at the very least due to square mileage and public transportation), initially we’re all having to dig deep and find our own creative voices to then contribute to the world around us. It’s a beautiful journey and a gorgeous place to be doing it!
And here’s the wonderful TRUTH: Because of the fantastic community generated and hosted by Eileen Lee and Craig Young with Brits in LA, it’s so much easier to get connected and organized so you can enjoy all the glorious benefits of LA without the headaches!
Lastly, how can we find out more about you? Are you on the Internet?
I host an industry chat show on Actors Entertainment and Actors Reporter (http://www.actorsentertainment.com) but you can also find me at: www.cerrismorganmoyer.com; or twitter.com/Cerris or facebook.com/CerrisMorganMoyerActor
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