"You Never Know What Can Come from Your Creation." - Chatting with the Egle Petraite!
It is my complete joy to introduce you to someone I have known for many years, Egle Pretaite. Egle is an actress, singer, and musician who has also dabbled in filmmaking. She began her journey in the arts at age 6 studying music (voice/piano) and dance and soon found herself on stage doing musical theatre during her high school years. Modeling took her to New York where she began working in film/TV after landing her first film role as Julie in the cult classic Camp (2003).
Egle graduated from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (TV/Film) and received her BFA in Theatre Arts from Adelphi University. She can be seen as Jade/Emma (one woman with two identities) in the The Daughter (2017), Rebecca in Fishbowl (2015) for which she received a festival win for Best Supporting Actress, St. Sebastian in Night Home (2010), Kelsey in Big Dogs (2020), Zenobia Parker in One Life to Live (2010), and Delocated (2010) among others.
Egle and I attended Northwest High School in Maryland together, and the moment I met her I knew she had an amazing future ahead of her. She is truly one of the nicest people you could ever meet. I am so happy to reconnect with Egle and to have the honor of interviewing her!
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be an actress?
I fell in love with acting when I was 15, but I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career when I was 17.
Are there any teachers or mentors in your life who truly helped you become the amazing performer you are today?
Absolutely. I see my teachers as light beams along this unpredictable path. There have been so many, and the list would get too long, but for now, my parents and grandparents who sacrificed a lot so I could have a life here in the United States and pursue this path, my high school theatre director and the woman who strongly influenced me to become a performer and pursue this as a career, Sherion Cosby, and my choir director, Ms. Carolyn Gipe, who shared her skills and passion for music and instilled it in me.
I also have to mention my childhood piano teacher Mrs. Simkuviene. She was my first music teacher. Later, at the Conservatory (NYCDA) it was John Tyrrell and Julia Carey who encouraged me to be brave and understand the human condition and energy. Pete Mattaliano taught me all about semantics in scenes and monologues. Dr. Brian Rose and Nicholas Petron were my college theatre guides at Adelphi University.
From them, I learned the history of theatre, and my commitment to the craft deepened. Marcia Weiss and Lori Danziger, my managers, have both been instrumental in guiding me with their wisdom when it comes to both acting and the business side of the industry. Now, Tracy Goodwin and Machan Taylor are my voice guides, and James Villemaire and Anthony Abeson are acting coaches I continue to study with.
We are living in some unprecedented times in the world. For all artists (especially actors) it is definitely a time of uncertainty. What has your everyday routine been like during Quarantine and what are some things you do to keep your spirits up?
Yes, the times are very difficult for all and especially artists and performers. I’ve been using this time of uncertainty to alchemize my worries and stress into creativity. I took a deep dive into music, playing piano and writing. I’ve always loved those things and did them on the side, but due to the quietness these days, I’ve immersed myself into it.
Music keeps my spirits up during this time. I don’t know what I would do without it. Things like meditation and yoga have immensely helped me in the past, and I have committed to them a lot more these days as well. I like having rituals and routines. It allows me to get more done and keep centered. My days usually consist of waking up, coffee/breakfast, mediation, yoga, singing (I do vocal warm-ups daily, even if just for 10 minutes), then any work I have for my day job, and I spend at least an hour a day at my piano writing, playing around, singing, etc, whatever comes.
These days, despite what my daily schedule may look like, I always make sure to get my warm-ups, creative hour, and yoga/meditation hour in, and it’s become a habit. The rest is unpredictable. I guess I should also mention that my boyfriend, Ian Elmaleh, and I started a little comedy web series while in quarantine. Episode 2 is coming out soon, and I’ve formatted it in a way where we can really utilize this weird social distancing, shelter-in-place situation, and work with other actors. We will see how it continues to evolve, but that has definitely kept me sane.
Are there any roles or performances you have done in your career that will always be near and dear to your heart?
That’s a tough question because there are so many roles I’ve loved. I usually fall in love with each one, no matter how big or small - otherwise, I can’t give myself over. However, those that stick out are Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors (that was the first time I knew I wanted to do this as my career), Emma/Jade in The Daughter (I got to really play on that set and play a woman with two distinct personalities which was very fun), and Rebecca in Fishbowl (it was my first lead in a feature film so that forever stays in my heart). Oh! And Julie in Camp. It happened by chance and started it all. It was my first time on set and first time acting in front of a camera.
What advice would you give any young aspiring artists in these challenging times?
It is very important to create in these times. It doesn’t matter what it is, anything from cooking to writing to dancing to building something to drawing. Find one thing that you can give your soul over to for the time being and channel your creative force until things return to equilibrium. You never know what can come from your creation. I think this is a great time to discover new gifts and talents and to hone old ones. When the world opens back up, you will be ready for it.
If you would like to learn more about Egle make sure you visit her official website at www.eglepetraite.com