Marie Avgeropoulos (“The 100” fame) chatted about her new film “Queen of the Ring,” which was directed by Ash Avildsen.
Academy Award-winning screenwriter and novelist John Orving once said: “I have pretty thick skin, and I think if you’re going to be in this business, if you’re going to be an actor or a writer, you better have a thick skin.” This quote applies to actress Marie Avgeropoulos.
She is known for her portrayal of Octavia Blake in the hit post-apocalyptic sci-fi TV series “The 100,” which ran for seven seasons on The CW.
Avgeropoulos on ‘Queen of the Ring’
The synopsis is: In a time when professional wrestling for women was illegal all over the country, a small town single mother Mildred Burke (Emily Bett Rickards) embraces the danger to change culture as she dominates America’s most masculine sport to become the first million dollar female athlete in history. “Emily was awesome in the role of Mildred,” she said.
On being a part of the wrestling movie “Queen of the Ring,” Avgeropoulos remarked, “I loved learning how to wrestle. It was a lot of fun, especially being around all of these amazing women.”
Avgeropoulos takes on the role of Elvira Snodgrass
In this film, Avgeropoulos played the role of iconic female wrestler Elvira Snodgrass, who was raised in rural Louisiana and is considered to be the “forgotten woman” from the Golden Age of female grapplers.
Snodgrass was a legitimate shooter in pro wrestling, and that meant she could fight for real, a shoot match, no script. She was feared, respected and loyal.
“It was neat to tell the story of Mildred Burke and how women’s wrestling originated in the ‘40s. I loved playing Elvira, and it was an honor to tell that story,” she added.
Avgeropoulos on her Greek heritage
Avgeropoulos also took some time to trace her Greek roots and heritage. “My father was born in Krokilio in Greece, which is a settlement north of Nafpaktos. I really like saganaki and spanakopita, and I really love Greek people,” she said.
“I just love having Greek people around me so we can dance,” she said with a sweet laugh.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Avgeropoulos said, “Thick Skin.”
“You need thick skin in this life because life is not easy,” she explained.
Avgeropoulos offers her advice for young and aspiring actors
For young and emerging actors, Avgeropoulos encouraged them “to be brave and to have thick skin.”
Avgeropoulos went on to share a motivational story that happened in her own life. “I went to television broadcast journalism school,, and I quit my job because I tried to tell good news, and my boss told me that ‘only bad news is worthy.’ I said ‘good, I quit!’ She said: ‘Marie, do you know how many people fought for this job?’ and I’m like ‘well, good, honey, you won’t have a problem filling mine’.”
“So, my advice to you all is thick skin,” she underscored. “You need thick skin, and it’s important. That’s it!”
Success
Avgeropoulos defined the word success simply as “health, happiness, and family.”
Closing thoughts on ‘Queen of the Ring’
For fans and viewers, she concluded about the film, “By watching this movie, I want people to know that women are powerful, and they always have been.”
To learn more about Greek-Canadian actress actress Marie Avgeropoulos, follow her on Instagram.
Read More: “Queen of the Ring” review
