If you happen to be watching The Vampire Diaries tonight, keep your eye out for Bermudian actress Lana Young.

Ms Young, whose real name is Lisa, got her start acting in local theatre productions at the Hamilton Princess in the 1990s.

Since moving to the US she has landed several gigs in film and television, including a role in an upcoming episode of Lifetime series, Devious Maids, airing on April 20. She also runs her own acting school called Lana Young’s Hollywood Theatre Lab in her current hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Ms Young said it was a dream come true that she’s been able to find consistent work doing what she loves.

“It’s exciting for me because it’s a dream I have been working towards for a very long time,” she told The Royal Gazette. “I have been pretty strategic about it and it has been better than I ever imagined, so I hope the jobs keep coming. I have tried other careers, but this is my passion.”

She admitted that “it was wonderful” working with the cast and crew on the set of The Vampire Diaries; and is hopeful the small role will lead to bigger opportunities in the near future.

“I think once you build relationships with the production company and meet the crew, then you definitely open up doors for yourself,” she explained.

“These roles are also great ways to attract casting directors as well. Once they see you are cast-able, then they want you and you can take advantage of that as an actor.”

Ms Young admittedly “got a late start” in acting, when at 33-years-old she landed a role in the made for TV movie ‘Killer Flood’.

While growing up in Bermuda, she said she had no idea acting was a viable career option, however, after she started booking jobs in the early 2000s she decided to pursue it wholeheartedly. She got accepted into the Arts Education Schools in London, UK — which proved to be another confirmation she was on the right path.

“They auditioned up to 1,000 people and only picked 20,” she said. “Sometimes you need that little validation to keep you moving forward.

“I moved to Los Angeles in 2005 and was able to book some jobs there.”

One of her biggest opportunities came when she got a small part as nursemaid to Academy Award winning actor Christopher Plummer in ‘The Beginners’.

“I had a wonderful experience because my scene was with Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer. Mr Plummer asked where I was from and I told him ‘Bermuda’. “From then on he joked with me about it because he had been to the Island back in the 1960s to perform theatre at the Bermudiana Hotel, and for the rest of the day he called me ‘Miss Bermuda’,” the actress said.

She moved to Charlottesville, VA for personal reasons in 2009, which ended up being a good move personally and professionally.

“It’s sort of like Bermuda, except bigger, and if people are on your side they are on your side,” she said.

The great thing about being an actor these days is you don’t even have to be in LA to go on auditions and book jobs, Ms Young explained.

Once her agent is able to find her auditions, she can send in video submissions right from her home studio. Then it’s up to the casting director to get in touch with her if they’re interested.

She admitted it took a bit of courage switching to a career in acting, but worth it in the end.

“If something frightens me then it feels like something I need to do,” she said. “This business is all about being outside your comfort zone, so I am always putting myself in situations that are uncomfortable, but highly rewarding.

“If I didn’t get a sense of reward from what I do, I’d stop. But there’s nothing greater for me then telling stories, finding the truth in a character’s life and moving an audience.”

It can also be challenging finding parts as a mixed raced actress, when many roles call for either ‘Caucasian’ or ‘African American’ cast, but she is starting to see a bigger call for diversity in the industry.

“Going for an audition is like a numbers game,” she said. “You aren’t going to get everything you try out for so you have to have a thick skin.

“You also have to remember that the audition isn’t for just one role, it’s for future roles as well. If a casting agent likes you, even if you aren’t right for that part, they might call you back for another role.”

Her advice to anyone looking to work in the entertainment business is: ‘Don’t give up’ or let a rejection keep you from pursuing your dreams.

See Ms Young in tonight’s episode of The Vampire Diaries on The WPIX Channel 12 at 9pm local time (8pm Eastern Standard Time).

Useful website: www.lanayoungonline.com