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Hurdling through Hollywood

More than luck... LoriDawn Messuri flies down road to fame...

When she joined the track team at Coeur d’Alene High School in Idaho, LoriDawn Messuri had no idea it would change her life.  She ran the hurdles at track meets all over North Idaho, but it didn’t stop there.  She’s been jumping the hurdles of life ever since.  Messuri, or LoriDawn as she prefers to be called, is not a professional athlete -- unless you consider stunt work a sport.  LoriDawn is a budding young actress.  She has successfully cleared many of Hollywood’s hurdles to grab leading roles in over ten independently produced films since her move to L.A. four years ago.

LoriDawn also co-starred in TV shows, "Party of Five" and  "Jack & Jill" last year and she is currently about to begin pre-production on a film that she will star in as well as executive produce called 'Sleeping Dog'.  That’s quite an accomplishment with her small-town roots because she wasn’t very popular, she said. "Iwas a total horse freak in school. I competed in barrel racing and I herded cattle in my spare time. I didn’t
hang out with many people or date very much at all," she said. "I was a total recluse and painfully shy."

Some of that has changed now... She still claims to be reclusive but her self-confidence began to grow when she joined the high school track team, and gained something in common with more of her peers.  When she graduated early and moved to San Jose, California, she used some of that confidence to finish college with honors. She completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management at San Jose State University.

Even with a degree, LoriDawn said she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She couldn’t picture herself working 9-to-5 to make ends meet. "I had to love my work, and I want to get paid to do it," she said. "I asked myself, what would I choose to do if I believed it were impossible to fail? I wanted to take fear out of the equation and just go for it!"

She found her passion in a career that answered that question after a trip to Los Angeles four years ago. "I knew from my first visit that there was something here for me in L.A.," she said. "Every time I came down here, I felt this positive energy that told me I was in the right place."

LoriDawn got her first break while touring the set of Melrose Place with a friend who was an electrician on the set. Her friend took her up to meet the director, who was busy trying to find and actress for a featured extra spot in the scene he was shooting. "My friend said, "This is LoriDawn. She’s just here visiting.."  "The director said, ‘not anymore.’" "At first, I thought he was going to kick me off the set."  Instead, the director sent LoriDawn to wardrobe where she was fit for a part as a model named Suzanne.

She eventually worked enough hours on Melrose Place to join the Screen Actor’s Guild. Being in the right place at the right time certainly paid off, but LoriDawn believes there are no accidents. "It’s really kind of weird," LoriDawn said, "Things like this have been happening all my life. My life has been a series of steps that I have not planned per se... I just allowed them to happen." Once she decided to apply a little effort toward a career in acting, LoriDawn broke a stride that is relatively unheard of in Hollywood. "Also, I always knew whatever I chose to be, I’d be one of the best. I’m working towards that path, always."

One of LoriDawn’s most challenging roles was one as a single mother who is addicted to
methamphetamines in her first theatrically released film, Sunsplit She received a complimentary notice in the L.A. Times Calendar section for her work. She is continuing her work in independent films, "I enjoy the freedom of indy’s. There is more creative freedom, however, sometimes you do pay the price of a small budget. If the creativity is not captured with quality production value, it can get frustrating."

Although very few people recognize her on the street as of yet, LoriDawn is comfortable with her success  so far. "I don’t have to hold down a second job anymore," she said. "I just took a huge leap of faith and knew that the universe would catch me." With her confidence and drive, it’s not hard to believe thatLoriDawn will be signing autographs with the best of them some day. After all, what’s one more hurdle?
 

        LoriDawn just finished the indy films "This Way Out of Brooklyn", "The Guardian", "Crusing Purgatory" and "Outlaw".... We'll be seeing a lot more of this radiant redheaded raconteur in the years to come.