Celebrities●0 min read●
From Cape Town To Hollywood: The Inspiring Journey Of Hilary Ijieh
My name is Hilary Ijieh, and I’m an actor of Nigerian descent—my mother is Yoruba and my father is Igbo. Both of my parents moved to South Africa before I was born, and I grew up in Cape Town before moving to Los Angeles to pursue my acting career.
At 21, I left my friends and family in Cape Town to pursue a Master’s of Fine Arts in Acting for Film at The New York Film Academy. Just weeks later, the pandemic hit, and life changed drastically.
I found myself attending acting classes on Zoom, isolated in a new city, while grieving the loss of my father, who passed away due to COVID in 2022. Due to travel restrictions, I had to attend his funeral virtually, which was incredibly difficult.
Despite these challenges, I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and have worked with brands such as Nike, Meta, and Stuttershock. I also starred in a national commercial for Google Shopping alongside Brandon Blackwood, who’s best known for his luxury designs and bags. I essentially showed how easy it is to purchase his luxury bags through the Google Shopping app.
Screen grab from the commercial
Brandon Blackwood and myself
I’ve also had two films circulate the film festival circuit:
‘Bare with BRCA’ (directed by Jas Je’Toi) is a dramatic short film about a young black poet (Hilary Ijieh) who is dealing with her own cancer scare after losing her mother. Bare with BRCA has been screened at The Awareness Film Festival at the Regal Cinema in Los Angeles, at the The International Black & Diversity Film Festival in Toronto, and at the San Diego Black Film Festival in San Diego‘Black Woman White Man’ (BWWM) follows a young black woman (Sarena Jackson) whose mind creates an alternate form of reality she struggles to ask out a woman (Rachel Boudwin – Boot Camp) who comes to the nearby park regularly. She shares this world with her best friend (Hilary Ijieh) and, of course, the viewers. BMMW is proudly a queer-led project, and has screened at over 10 different film festivals oaks around the world, including the Maumee Film Festival (Award winners – Best Regional Short Film, at Madrid Short Film Festival (Award winner – Best Supporting Actress: Hilary Ijieh), and at The Random Acts Festival (Nomination – Best Supporting Actress: Hilary Ijieh)
An exciting project for me was when I collaborated with my friend, roommate, and fellow South African, Angelique Munyange, to write, produce, and star in a web series titled, ‘And They Were Roommates (ATWR)’. Inspired by the fact that we were roommates, and by a popular Vine, we wrote episodes around two unlikely friends who have no other choice but to make their new living situation work.
ATWR became a SAG-affiliate production once we got started, which in turn gave me SAG eligibility. ATWR was definitely a passion project of ours, and I was so proud of the work we were able to accomplish.
An unforgettable experience for me was when I worked as a scareactor during Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, where I essentially got to play dress up for two months straight.
One night I’d be getting attacked by a Chucky doll, and the next I’d have to squeeze into a tight Vecna mask. It has definitely been the most exhilarating experience for me so far. I even got to scare Pedro Pascale!
Alongside acting, I vlog my journey on YouTube and TikTok. I absolutely love being able to share my journey with others, and I love being able to talk about my experiences with them. Because there aren’t too many African-born actors living in Los Angeles who share their story on social media, I have established an open DM policy with my followers where they can reach out to me and pick my brain regarding studying film in the US, the culture shock, how much things cost, and so on.
I didn’t think that my channel would even have a real impact on anyone’s lives, but I’ve since met 5 different followers in real life who reached out to me for advice before moving to the US and studying at the New York Film Academy (which is where I got my MFA in Acting For Film).
I’m currently working with my team to keep the momentum of my career going. I definitely want to pursue more action-based roles. I’m a naturally sporty person, and so the idea of taking a stunt course or training for a specific role is something that excites me. But I am very excited for the future ahead. I have some projects coming out soon, so definitely watch this space!
You can keep up with me on my social media platforms:
🔗 INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/hilaryijieh/
🔗 TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@hilaryijiehagain
🔗 YOUTUBE: youtube.com/c/HilaryIjieh
GOOGLE SHOPPING COMMERCIAL
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzLxTV7AsFA/?igsh=dzBnMnFzbzcyOHpo
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