The Colombian-born actress Loren Escandon started out as a professional ballerina in Cali. “I was born and raised in Cali, not California but Cali, Colombia,” Loren explains, “My mother loved the ballet and always encouraged me, so I began studying professional ballet at the age of 9 with the National Ballet School. I performed for many years on stage until I suffered an ankle injury. I couldn’t dance the way I had done before, so I decided to hang up my ballet shoes and focus on acting. I enrolled in the Universidad del Valle Theater and left with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater.”
It was shortly after graduating that Loren took a leap of faith and made the permanent move to New York to pursue her passion for the performing arts, and the bigger opportunities that Broadway could offer. “I literally landed in New York, with a suitcase, not knowing what I was going to do next. All I knew was I wanted to be on Broadway,” said the actress, “I joined the Atlantic Acting School and began to expand my acting techniques to cater for stage, film and television.”
Loren’s tenacity to become a successful actress definitely paid off. During her time living in New York she wrote and starred in the award-winning off-Broadway play Montera, a fearless one women show about the oldest profession throughout history and the most dehumanized profession in contemporary times. “I had a fabulous time with Montera,” enthused Loren, “I toured with the play in Russia, Spain, Cuba and of course New York. The play earned me two awards for ‘Best Actress in a Solo Show’. I learned so much as an actress when playing Montera.”
Unfortunately shortly after her New York successes, Loren’s career took a detour. “Suddenly my circumstances changed and I had to move to Denver with my family. It was like I was on a little hiatus, struggling to catch a break. I became really focused and went on as many auditions that Denver offered. It was tough going from flying high in New York to practically nothing in Denver, however, with this hiatus came personal determination. It really prepared me for the next chapter in my life – – Hollywood.”
In the fall of 2014 Loren finally hit a homerun. She booked a recurring co-star role on the highly anticipated CW Television Network show The Messengers as the spirited Gabriela. “I am so excited for my role in The Messengers which airs next week. I don’t want to give too much away, but the show starts with a mysterious object crashing down to earth. As a consequence a group of unconnected strangers die from the energy impulse created by the crashing. Their death though is temporary. They soon awaken with a special power assigned to them and with the responsibility to prevent an apocalypse. They are like angels saving the world from its ending.”
The show, which is set to air April 17, has an all-star cast and is produced by Joe Incaprera from American Horror Story and Stewart Lyons from Breaking Bad. As a Latina herself, Loren booked the role of the shows gutsy Latina, Gabriela. “Gabriela is a passionate woman who is married to Cesar Garcia (Bernardo Saracino), and is the sister-in-law in love with the shows leading man, Raul Garcia (JD Pardo),” explains Loren, “My character made a lot of mistakes, in the name of love, and now she is trying to straighten her life and fix the mess. Even though she might seem selfish at times, she is dedicated to the people she loves. She has been a great character to portray. I can’t wait for everyone to see Gabriela in action!”
With her new role in The Messengers, Loren was given a new lease of life. She made the bold move to California. On living in Los Angles full-time the actress said. “I only recently made the permanent move to Los Angeles. I can’t explain how happy I am to be finally back on track. When I’m not out on auditions or working, I am exploring everything the city has to offer. I love to hike in the Hollywood hills with my two Chihuahuas, Lincoln and Taft. Life feels good in LA.”
From a struggling actress to a rising star Loren concluded. “You just have to keep going despite all the odds. You have to take the knocks, dust yourself off and remember to keep smiling.”
Catch Loren as Gabriella in The Messengers on The CW Network April 17, 2015 at 9pm/8pm c.
To learn more about actress Loren Escandon, visit her website www.lorenescandon.com or follow her on Twitter @lorenescandon or Instagram.
