Meet Paul Rogan from London who moved to LA 15 years ago to pursue acting.
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
For an actor of course Los Angeles is the dream. In England I was an actor, stand-up comedian, improviser. and voice-over performer. I’ve found that people in the entertainment industries here are surprisingly easy going and approachable, and you can get opportunities here that don’t exist in England. I booked TV and commercial work here within a short time of arriving. Here, they love our Englishness, and they assume we all trained at RADA! Of course the sun, sea and space don’t hurt – my wife, who is American, would happily have gone back to Chicago, but the first time I visited Chicago it was in a winter, and stepping out the airport was the coldest I’d even been. It felt like I was being assaulted by the White Walkers from Game of Thrones.
What do you miss most from home?
I miss family and friends, obviously, but it is so much easier these days to stay in touch. I know Brits here who came out in the 50s and 60’s, and it must have felt so much more cut off from ‘home’. I can see my family, and read the English newspapers for free every day, even if I have no idea who the ‘celebrities’ are that the Daily Mail is shocked about. Being able to watch English football on TV was a huge surprise and relief. Now when I’m in England and the game isn’t on at 7 in the morning, I’m thrown.
What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since?
We stayed with friends, so I saw aspects of LA that locals see. If you just came as a tourist and saw only The Chinese Theatre and Hollywood Boulevard etc. you might think it tacky and nothing special. But there is a magic here. I remember the first time we drove along Sunset Boulevard where it transitions from West Hollywood to Beverly Hills, and it was stunning. My view hasn’t changed: I still love the Hollywood sign, and a sunset at Malibu.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus London?
What it all looks like – the light, the low-rise main streets, the ever-changing nature of it. In London the houses are all terraced and therefore won’t change much. Here, houses have their own lot and our Valley neighborhood is constantly changing as houses get rebuilt.
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
Coffee at Aroma on Tujunga, The Ojai Valley Inn; Paradise Cove, tacos at Brentwood Country Mart. None of these are particularly hidden of course but not all Brits may know them yet.
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
You’ve got one life. Do it! You can always go home again!
Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Question every bill you get from your health insurer. Brits aren’t much used to health insurance, and we tend to trust that people know what they are doing. But health bills are often riddled with errors and can be thousands of dollars more that they should be.
Lastly, how can we find out more about you? Are you working on anything at the moment?
I’m just about to open my show Jane Austen Unscripted at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank. One of my great passions is improvised comedy, which I did a lot in England, guesting with the Comedy Store Players etc. When I got here I joined Impro Theatre, a company that improvise comedy plays, and I created a show (long before Austentatious in London!) in which we make up very funny plays in the style of Jane Austen. We are performing our show again, from December 2-11 at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank. We had hugely successful sold out run of the show at the Garry Marshall in the spring, and now we have been enthusiastically researching Holiday themes and Regency Christmas traditions for our Christmas run. Click HERE for tickets. My own website is paulrogan.com and you can follow me on instagram@itspaulrogan
