Studying Acting in Los Angeles: My Early Months in West Hollywood

Travel has always been a part of my life, but my journey to Los Angeles began with a very specific purpose: studying acting.

I grew up in Copenhagen in a creative family where music, drawing, and storytelling were simply part of everyday life. But it wasn’t until my late teens that I began seriously pursuing acting as a profession.

After finishing high school as an exchange student in Northern California, I returned to Denmark with a clear goal. I applied to the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles — and when the acceptance letter arrived, I packed my bags and went.

I didn’t know a single person in the city.

Arriving in Los Angeles — the city where my acting training began.

First Steps in Los Angeles

Landing at LAX felt like stepping into another rhythm entirely. Los Angeles has a scale that is hard to grasp at first — endless roads, unfamiliar neighborhoods, a constant movement of people and stories.

My first stop wasn’t a glamorous apartment or a film set.

It was a hostel in Inglewood.

From there I eventually found my way to the Orbit Hostel in West Hollywood, tucked just off Melrose Avenue. It became my base during the months that followed while I began studying acting in the city.

Hostel life meant shared rooms, constant noise, and a rotating cast of people from all over the world — musicians, actors, travelers, and the occasional local character who seemed to appear every evening with stories and advice about the city.

It was chaotic at times, but also strangely energising.

You learned quickly how to navigate Los Angeles by listening.

Studying Acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute

Each morning I would make my way to Strasberg, where I studied scene work, on-camera acting, and improvisation.

The training was intense and disciplined. Much of the work focused on observation — noticing small details in behaviour, gesture, and emotion.

Looking back, those exercises shaped more than just my acting technique. They trained a way of seeing: paying attention to atmosphere, posture, and the quiet details that make a scene believable.

It’s something that has stayed with me in my work ever since.

Living Among Strangers

Hostel life also taught its own lessons.

Living with strangers from different cultures forces a certain adaptability. Plans change, sleep schedules disappear, conversations happen at odd hours, and you learn to stay grounded even when everything around you feels temporary.

Those months taught me resilience and focus — traits that have helped me throughout my work in film and television.

It was also during this time that I fully developed the American accent that has since become a distinctive part of my casting profile as a Danish actress working internationally.

Looking Back

When I think about Los Angeles now, I don’t only remember auditions or acting classes.

I remember small moments.

Walking through West Hollywood early in the morning before class. Sitting on the hostel terrace listening to conversations in half a dozen languages.The strange feeling of being very far from home, but also exactly where I needed to be.

Those months shaped me not only as an actor, but as an artist.

The habit of observing people, places, and quiet details eventually found its way into other parts of my work — including my illustration practice, where many drawings begin with similar moments of everyday atmosphere.

It all comes from the same instinct: noticing the small things that give a scene its life.

in Venice, California

About Me

I’m a Danish actress and illustrator based in Copenhagen. My work often centres on character-driven roles and quiet observational scenes — whether on screen or on paper.

Alongside my acting career, I create drawings inspired by memory, atmosphere, and elements of Danish visual culture.

You can explore my illustration portfolio, read more Studio Notes, or follow occasional updates on Instagram.