Josie Loren’s Next Chapter

Photography by Jeff Vespa

 After four years on a hit TV show “Make It Or Break It,” Josie Loren is ready for her next challenge. She has worked hard to get here and trust us she isn’t going anywhere.

JL: I had a blessed and beautiful childhood in Miami, Florida. My parents are still together and I am number 3 of 4 kids. We already had a full house, but our friends and family were always over. Our house was the “it” house to come to. It was where everyone gathered on holidays and where people came to throw their parties. To say that our house was loud and boisterous is an understatement. There was ALWAYS something going on. It was great and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but in the hustle and bustle of it all it was very easy to get lost. I soon learned how to get people’s attention by being funny or dramatic. It worked every time.

I went to a private, Christian school until I was in 5th grade. The principal there was a huge advocate of the arts; so every year she would make every child learn a monologue. We would perform it for a panel that would then select a team of 5-7 students for each grade. She would spend the next month coaching each team in preparation for a monologue competition among Christian schools in South Florida. I was selected every year and always ranked in the top of the competition. After my first year, I knew I loved acting. I didn’t know I wanted to be an actor. I had no idea what that entailed or that it was even an option. I just knew I loved it. My principal, Ms. Patsy, always gave me extra attention because she truly believed that I had a gift. I came to love our sessions together where we would work together on these monologues and completely lose track of time. Often times, my teacher would have to come and pull me from her office because I had missed too much class. I owe Ms. Patsy everything. She saw something in me nobody else did and she cultivated my love for the arts.

In the fourth grade my principal recommended to my mother that I audition for the theatre department of an arts school. I auditioned, was selected, and left my private school. When it was time to go to middle school, I auditioned for another arts program and was again selected. As for high school, I attended New World School of the Arts and graduated from their musical theatre program. I have been in countless school plays and musicals as well as community theatre. My high school also had a musical theatre touring company, of which I was a member that performed throughout all of Florida. I made it into the musical theatre program at UCLA, but after 2 quarters, decided to switch to a major that allowed me to work as an actor outside of school.

There was a period of time where I wasn’t booking work, so I started to work as a caterer for UCLA. It was grueling! I think my back is still messed up from it. I booked Make It Or Break It while I was working there, so I gave my 2 weeks notice the minute I got the call. It was, however, a humbling experience. I recognized that a lot of people work those jobs their whole life and never get their “big break.” That’s their reality. It made me so grateful that I had the opportunity to make a living doing something that I love. How lucky was I? That experience also instilled a deep compassion and respect for honest, hard working people. I walked onto the Make It Or Break It set feeling truly blessed and I can honestly say that 4 years and many jobs later, I still feel the same way.

Now that Make It Or Break It is over I am in the process of getting that next job. Since I was on a drama where I played a 16-year old for the last four years I’d like to go the opposite direction and work on great sitcom or do an edgy indie that will separate me from my predominantly young audience. I’d love to be in a period piece and play one of the many roles that Keira Knightly plays, but I highly doubt I will ever get the chance. Hispanics don’t really fit in that period of history unfortunately.

I always try to look beyond simply booking the job. I take it out of myself and put it into a greater context that’s more powerful than just me. I feel this way because of an experience I had auditioning for a guest star role on a hit drama series playing the role of a sex trafficking victim. Before going in for the callback I did a lot of research on the topic and the countless women that have suffered because of this grotesque crime. I was shocked at the things I saw and the stories I read. I made the choice before going in to the audition that I would dedicate my performance to the victims of sex trafficking, so that their stories would be heard. I put aside the goal of booking the audition, and focused on bringing these women justice. I didn’t get the part, but I have never been more proud of a performance. I realized then that we must choose to have a greater purpose, one that lives outside of us.