“I want to demystify the industry”: this Albigensian helps actors get started in Hollywood

Alba Maria O’Neill is not calling from Los Angeles, where she now lives, but from San Diego. The young actress preferred to move away from the flames which are still ravaging the area around Hollywood to take shelter with her loved ones.

But this little intra-California stay is nothing compared to the thousands of kilometers covered last year… The young woman, originally from Albi, has in fact swapped the quiet streets of her hometown for the glitter of Hollywood life in February 2024.

Scenario of a surprising journey

She keeps memories of her childhood in Tarn and, from her time at the Tarn Conservatory of Music and Dance, a discipline. “The compliments from my lyrical singing teacher were sincere,” explains the actress. “He never said that we had excelled when we were bad.” This rigorous learning of humility helped her a lot in the world of entertainment: “you have to get used to this kind of feedback!”

Little Alba is then light years away from envisioning a future where cinema would have its place. “My parents were rather traditional,” she admits. “When I talked about acting, they rolled their eyes, especially my father.”

It was when the latter died that the young woman, who had meanwhile studied law and criminal sciences in Toulouse, realized that she had lost sight of her dream. The shock causes a real questioning. “I said to myself: life is too short, I have to get moving,” remembers the actress.

“I wanted to demystify the environment”

Alba did some filming in the south of France before heading to Paris. So, the projects follow one another, particularly in advertisements. But the young woman is more of a fan of big American productions than auteur cinema, and her fiancé is American. So it’s decided, she packs her bags. Heading across the Atlantic.

Franco-American, she was able to settle in Los Angeles, as close as possible to the film industry. “It’s easier with family there,” she admits. His projects resume and an appearance in Judge Mathisan American legal show, reassures her about her abilities.

“The beautiful thing is that I have the chance to touch dream projects with my fingertips,” confides the ex-Tarnaise, with a smile in his voice. In the midst of a casting period, she is currently applying for ever more ambitious roles, including a project with Nicolas Cage.

But far from letting Hollywood pomp go to her head, the actress decided to give advice for free, on YouTube. The goal? Helping young French actors launch their careers in California.

“In this environment, there is a kind of gatekeeping“, explains Alba. This English word designates a practice of barrier to entry. In short: closed circles, implicit codes, and an exclusion which slows down those who do not have the right connections. “I want to demystify the environment “, says the actress.

Waiting for a role in Mission ImpossibleAlba Maria O’Neill proves that becoming an actress is not one of them.