The Herald Bulletin

Morning Update

Entertainment

Related Photos

  • Alexa Munger of Anderson sits on a ledge outside an ABC studio building in New York City.

    0107 comm Alexa.jpg

  • Alexa Munger

    0107 comm AlexaHBmug.jpg

Discussion

January 7, 2013

Pursuing her dream

Frankton grad chases acting career in New York

By Dani Palmer The Herald Bulletin

ANDERSON, Ind. — Anderson native and 2012 Frankton High School graduate Alexa Munger isn’t a famous movie star, but she has big dreams to someday become one.

Munger was accepted into the New York Film Academy in New York City, but decided to forgo it for now to focus on auditions.

“I decided I’d pursue my dream and just go full-fledged,” she said.

Since September, Munger has been to about 30 meetings and auditions, including commercials and a TV show.

She had an audition for the upcoming primetime soap opera “Deception” where she read for a character screaming and crying as she watched her brother being killed.

Not giving any spoilers, she said that plot line had a twist and that having a brother herself, it was tough to act.

But she loves the challenges.

“I’m a really outgoing person and I love trying new things,” she said. “There’s no limits to it (acting). You can be anyone.”

And Munger is learning as she goes.

To support herself, she works as a waitress and at a Juicy Couture on Fifth Avenue. She said she feels blessed to meet people in the industry daily.

“It’s crazy out here. If I’m not doing one thing, I’m doing another,” she said. “I had to grow up a little bit.”

The 18-year-old said she’s doing many things on her own for the first time, such as paying bills and doing laundry, and that she wants to keep a level head and make good decisions. Her strong ties to her faith help, she said.

It gets to be lonely, Munger said. She’s made new friends, but misses her family and old friends “a crazy amount.”

Her mother, Lisa Chambers, said Munger is really fighting for what she wants and doesn’t let doubters get her down.

“I believe in her 100 percent,” Chambers said. “She has a driving force that’s remarkable. It’s amazing what she’s putting herself through.”

Munger said she would have never just dived in, though, if she didn’t have some ties to the industry.

She’s friends with actor Josh Flitter, whose movie credits include “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Nancy Drew,” and still works with the manager she met in California.

Munger’s acting dream started in the sixth grade when Chambers heard a radio ad about auditions for children who entertained.

She said that sounded just like her daughter — who would act out her own shows when she was little. The family even bought her a little stage.

So, with just a disposable camera and a trip to Abercrombie and Fitch, Munger said, photos were taken for the auditions.

To be honest, she said, it seemed “super sketchy” at first, but 11 callbacks later, she was one of 10 kids selected to go to California where she took acting and voice classes and lived for about a year.

The family moved to New York for a couple of years afterward and Munger said she did catalog work and commercials, including a “Hannah Montana” one, and was an extra on the soap opera “One Life to Live” in a few scenes as a cheerleader.

It was in her high school years that her family moved back to Anderson.

“(My family) wanted to give me the chance to decide who I want to be and if I want this life,” Munger said.

She said Frankton High School didn’t offer drama or theater classes, though, and that she’d like to help change that if she ever makes it big.

“Sometimes you change your mind (about the career you want),” Chambers said. “But she’s headstrong about having this life and doing what she wants to do and having her dreams come true.”

The Film Academy is an issue that may be revisited later, Chambers said. At a cost of about $60,000 a year, she said, it’s a pricey career investment she wants Munger to be sure of.

Find Dani Palmer on Facebook and @DaniPalmer_THB on Twitter, or call 640-4847.

 

Text Only
Entertainment
  • FEA - HB0522 - Jacob Brown - SM.JPG Pendleton singer debuts CD at Falls Park show

    Jacob Brown was 7 years old when his grandfather taught him to play “Jesus Loves Me” on the guitar. Since then, the Pendleton Heights senior has become an accomplished singer, songwriter and musician.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • Anderson Powerball players tend to go for the big payouts

    Someone in Florida has the winning numbers to the highest Powerball jackpot in history — a whopping estimated $590.5 million. But before those numbers were drawn Saturday, multiple people right here in Anderson gave it a go. On Sunday, The Herald Bulletin stopped by Mounds Mall to interview several Powerball players.

    May 20, 2013

  • Mellencamp-King musical to debut in Bloomington

    A musical by John Mellencamp, writer Stephen King and T Bone Burnett will debut in Bloomington this fall before embarking on a tour of 20 U.S. cities.

    May 20, 2013

  • NWS - HB0520 - Diaper Derby Winner - DP.jpg Diapers rather than helmets

    You hear the word derby and you may think of kids in soap box cars racing down a steep hill. But for Sunday’s Baby Derby at Applewood’s Pay Less Super Market, helmets were replaced by diapers as tiny humans crawled their way to victory.

    May 20, 2013 2 Photos

  • Taylor Swift wins 8 trophies at Billboard Awards

    Another day, another domination for Taylor Swift: She was the red hot winner at the Billboard Music Awards.

    May 19, 2013

  • FEA - HB0517 - a5 Little Mermaid - JC 1 - Copy.jpg Highland Middle School performs the ‘Little Mermaid’

    Looking for some musical entertainment this weekend? You could always take a trip under the sea with Highland Middle School.

    May 16, 2013 1 Photo

  • Candice Glover wins ‘American Idol’

    Candice Glover was crowned the new “American Idol” on Thursday after defeating country singer Kree Harrison.

    May 16, 2013

  • Women’s League to host annual spring luncheon

    The Women’s League of The Anderson Center for the Arts will hold its annual spring luncheon at the Arts Center, 32 W. 10th St., on Wednesday, May 22, at noon.

    May 16, 2013

  • Lapel variety show set for Saturday

    The annual Lapel High School Variety Show will be staged at 7 p.m. Saturday in the auditorium. The show will feature all of the performing groups in the high school. Included will be the high school band, Jazz Band, Show Choir and Concert Choir.

    May 13, 2013

  • FEA - HB0512 - Big Band - Carolyn Martin - SM.jpg Carolyn Martin set to bring swing to Paramount

    The 2012-2013 Big Band series comes to a close with a performance by The Carolyn Martin Swing Band, new to the series and to the Paramount Theatre.

    May 11, 2013 1 Photo