Emily Robinson

Born: New York City, NY — 1998 / Living: Los Angeles, CA

Interview by Speciwomen — January 2016

Speciwomen: Tell us about yourself.

Emily Robinson: I’m seventeen years-old. I was born and raised in New York City. I am currently based in Los Angeles, but try to come back to New York frequently.

S: How did you get into cinema? 

ER: When I was younger, acting was never really a thought. Mainly because I thought that there were miniature people who lived inside televisions. I stumbled into the entertainment world through modeling. When I was five years-old, our next-door neighbor gave pictures of me to her modeling agency (Ford Models) and before we knew it, I was modeling away. I liked telling my classmates that "I have to go to work now.” That was great for a few years, but when I was eight years old, I realized I wanted something more. After years of acting out stories with myself, as I walked down the streets of New York, something clicked, I came home from school and exclaimed to my mom, “I want to act!” So that's how it all started. I liked to tell stories and somehow, with that knowledge and luck of the draw, I was able to discover my passion at the young age of eight.

S: Who inspires you? 

ER: There are so many people that inspire me! My mom, for starters. She has taught me so much and has been such a supportive and loving force in my life. I don’t know what I would do without her. But professionally, Lena Dunham, Jennifer Lawrence, Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Clunie, and Jill Soloway. The first four are filmmakers I so admire and respect, but the last two have inspired me through not only their work, but on a personal level, as well. Jill has inspired me to create my own content and explore and share the female gaze. She helped push me to let down my barriers and just create. Michelle has been such an incredible mentor. Having gone through this industry and experienced many of the things I am experiencing now, she’s been an incredible resource and friend. 

S: Do you have future plans?

ER: Right now, the plan is to continue acting, writing, and directing. I graduate high school in June. I’m applying to colleges now, but I plan on taking a gap year to continue pursuing my passions and hopefully get a little bit of travel in. Then I’ll go to college and somehow figure out how to balance the two. I love to learn and I love discussions, so I constantly crave school-like environments, but I also love the freedom that comes with independent study. Wherever you are, you can learn, if you are open to it. That’s part of what I love about acting, you constantly have to research other situations and experiences and try to learn how others think and experience the world. 

S: How has womanhood impacted you?

ER: Being a woman is a major part of my identity. I find it empowering, mainly because I’ve grown up in a very supportive and nurturing environment which has enabled me to aspire to continue to redefine, for myself, what being a woman means, which is thrilling. The subconscious discrimination you witness on a daily basis is disheartening, but living through such an important moment in civil rights history is thrilling.