GEORGIA TALENT
Finding Her Niche as an Actress Reece Odum’s recent work By Den i s e K. Jame s F rom the time she was a child, Reece Odum, actress, producer and Atlanta native, knew she wanted to perform in front of an audience. With the encouragement of her parents—whom she says “instilled in us that we could do whatever we wanted in life”—young Odum attempted and loved
about an aspiring actress choosing between life and career —the irony! Following that success, Odum found she’d discovered her niche: acting out difficult stories and situations most people are uncomfortable with. “It was in the moment of filming this project when I truly knew in my heart that I’m supposed to be doing this—and that I was definitely on the right path.” Fast-forward to now, and Odum has more than found her footing in the acting world, typically working on multiple projects at once. At the time of our interview, she’d finished a role in a film called Karen , debuting on Amazon Prime and BET, and was preparing to depart for Dallas to film a feature called Just Between Us Girls , in which she plays the lead role: an attorney/author seeking solace through friends during life’s challenges. As you read this, Odum is likely in North Carolina, filming a romantic comedy called Single, Saved and Searching . And in Atlanta, Reece has worked on several television and film projects: CW’s The Vampire Diaries and—probably her best-known role—as Anita Robinson on Bounce TV’s hit drama Saints and Sinners , also on Hulu. In her little spare time, Odum keeps up with her industry, enjoying numerous TV shows and movies on various channels and streaming services. She names Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers , starring Nicole Kidman, as her current obsession, as well as Peacock’s Dr. Death , starring Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater as another favorite. Odum credits her parents’ vision and drive as part of her success. Her American father met her Filipino mother during his years in the Air Force, and the couple has remained happily together for more than 50 years. They always encouraged her to follow her dreams, and now, they are pleasantly surprised at how their daughter’s dreams turned out. Her parents even shared the big screen with her in one of her earlier films, The Wish , and her father frequently joins her at red carpet events. “If my dad isn’t with me on a red carpet now, many photographers are looking for him, asking where he is,” she says, smiling.
Reece Odum
everything artistic, from ballet to drama classes to playing cello in the school orchestra. As her family anxiously awaited her to choose one talent and stick resolutely to it, Odum cleverly found a way to incorporate many interests together: pageants. While she attended college, various beauty pageants, including Miss Georgia USA and Miss Georgia America, were the ideal way for Odum to “use all her talents and have an audience…The things I loved were intertwined in those pageants,” she says. Though Odum didn’t bring home those partic- ular crowns, her foray into the public eye led to ini- tial acting roles and the leap of faith to relocate to Los Angeles along with her brother, also an actor. Like many artists, Odum worked corporate jobs “to help them stay afloat,” including modeling for vari- ous companies. “Corporate work stifled me as an artist,” she admits now. “I was always so unhappy in those types of jobs.” She felt most alive whenever in front of a camera or audience. “I was on billboards all around L.A. and LAX, for example, and when I saw that billboard one day, it was like a confirmation for me that I was meant to pursue my dreams.” Following her epiphany, Odum moved home to Atlanta—she missed her family dearly, and she felt confident it was the best decision. Back in Georgia, she was thrilled to be in the company of loved ones, but she wasn’t acting—that is, until she had lunch with a friend who point-blank asked her why not. “This was back in 2010. I hadn’t really thought about what I was going to do regarding my acting career or even a job at that point,” she says. “But then the industry started booming here in Georgia and the rest, as they say, is history.” As serendipity would have it, that same friend referred her to audition for one of his friend’s projects, a web series made up of several vignettes. He offered Odum the lead role in one called Lights, Camera, Action ,
Photo by Mizell Williams Jr. Photography
Odum has more than found her footing in the acting world, typically working on multiple projects at once.
www.Reece-Odum.com | Instagram/Facebook/Twitter:@reeceodum www.imdb.me/reeceodum | bookings.reecedum@gmail.com
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