A leg up

One’s a dentist. One’s a hairstylist. One’s her mom.

“She’s my best friend,” says Ashton Leigh of her mother, Wanda, one of dozens of locals who have enrolled in the New Orleans native’s new Broken Leg Acting Studio in Baton Rouge. “It’s not strange at all [to be her acting coach]. I love it. She’s always backing me up.”

In just four years, the energetic actress has appeared in 30 films, TV shows and video projects, but last fall Leigh decided to spend her time in between gigs and auditions helping others to prepare for a tough industry. She believes one can never be too old to start acting.
”You have to be completely whole up here,” she says, motioning to her head. “Because this line of work is a lot of rejection. It’s easy to give up.”

Leigh’s six-week course includes guest instructors and industry professionals for teaching and networking, prep for cold read auditions, video auditions and an actor’s showcase for agents.

But Leigh begins each course with a session she likens to therapy.

“I have my students list 25 emotions, and everyone shares real experiences they can draw on to tap into those emotions—like a database,” she says. “To be successful you have to have confidence and show your personality. To do that, you have to really believe in yourself and know yourself well.”

Since last November, several of Leigh’s students have signed with talent agencies.

“To see that transformation in just a few weeks is amazing,” Leigh says. “It’s the most validating feeling I’ve ever had.”

Leigh will be seen in eight upcoming projects currently in pre- or post-production, including Barefoot, opposite Evan Rachel Wood, The Starving Games—a spoof of The Hunger Games from the director of Scary Movie—and an untitled thriller from Saw creator James Wan. ashtonleigh.info