Elise Rovinsky - Biography

Bio

After spending my first years in Austin, Texas, I moved with my family to Sweden. Spent the next bunch of years doing what other normal kids do…..being miserable about school and wanting something different, something interesting to happen!

I used to take it upon myself, every Friday afternoon, to make up some kind of performance for the other kids in the class. Sometimes my seemingly never ending improvisational plays would spill over into the halls where the rest of the school would take a look-see.

That was when I was at my happiest growing up; enjoying the escapism of the last hours of school at the end of the week…..I’ll never forget the pride I felt after having won first prize for the best magic trick; making a drop of water come from a quarter. Ah yes, that prize Snickers bar is the best I’ve ever had.

After high school I attended ‘Artisten’ at the University of Gothenburg for a year. The program was both practical and theoretical, so I did a lot of reading of the classics at that time. During this period I also directed and acted in a children’s play in my hometown of Kinna. That was scary, to say the least.

At one point I was asked by someone what I wanted to do with my life. Naturally I replied that I was going to go to New York to become a famous actress. Well, it so happens that the person I spoke with gave me the opportunity to take an apartment right in the heart of midtown Manhattan but it meant I’d have to leave Sweden in a month! Needless to say, my cool demeanor changed drastically. Perhaps I wasn’t all that after all…..now that a real chance to go presented itself.

Well, after about an hour of severe anxiety attacks (I jest) I decided to go. The best decision ever, I hope.

Then came the awful years of obligatory waitressing! Something I’d never done before, but quickly had to learn in order to deal with savvy New Yorkers who knew exactly what they wanted, how and WHEN! In all fairness I must say that I did enjoy schmoozing with the customers and made a lot of wonderful friends and acquaintances who are still important in my life.

Then I was accepted to the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, where I completed their two year Graduate program. This was a great experience. The faculty there is the best in the country. And the whole philosophy at Stella Alder’s suited me perfectly. Acting is reacting! Just get out there and do it.

Since graduating I have done all kinds of theater in New York. One of the most recent things was a staged reading of Rose Leiman Goldemberg’s play ‘Letters Home’, which is based on the actual letters between Sylvia Plath and her mother, Aurelia. Lucky me; Joanna Merlin played my Sylvia’s Aurelia. We performed the piece at the New Dramatists in New York. There are some plans to mount a real production of ‘Letters Home’ in the not too distant future. Have no fear, I will keep you posted!

I have also done some short films both here and in Sweden. Being bilingual, thanks to one parent of each, I have been able to do that. I do find now, that I am more drawn to film/TV than theater, and am working hard to try to get my foot in a door somewhere.

I made a movie in Sweden over the last two summers called ‘Vila’ (‘Rest’) which will be completed in about a minute. Last sound changes being made. It is a black and white thriller set in the Swedish countryside. Very innovative and scary!

Alright, I could go on for days, not knowing exactly what the norm is for a bio on a website…..so bear with me!

I live in New York at the moment, but travel to Sweden quite a bit to visit with my family and also to work.