BFT
California
Elisabeth Moss claims she matured rapidly due to being enrolled in ballet classes as a young child. The Mad Men star was a dancer before she became an actress, having been enrolled in ballet classes as a child.
And when she decided to take up acting, Elisabeth admits she pursued the profession with a no-nonsense attitude. ‘I always took it seriously. Being a ballet dancer, you take things really seriously at a young age,’ she told Variety. ‘By 11 years old, you’re thinking about what company you want to get into and where you’re going to spend the rest of your life.’
Elisabeth, now 31 years old, first appeared onscreen in 1990 TV movie Bar Girls. Having been a child actor herself, she considers it imperative to treat younger colleagues on set with respect. ‘I do sort of feel a bit of kinship. I remember being a kid and working with older actors, and it was either intimidating or annoying. I remember wanting to be taken seriously and not talked down to. I think all kids are like that. They want to be treated like adults,’ she mused.
When she was younger, Elisabeth recalls finding equilibrium in dance. ‘I was in ballet - I wasn’t really friends with any actors. I wasn’t really in that kind of world, which I think was a good thing,’ the star noted. Elisabeth confesses she doesn’t dance like she used to anymore.
‘I haven’t had much free time. I carry my ballet stuff wherever I go in the hopes that I’ll go to class,’ she explained. ‘In L.A., you see all these people taking these ‘ballet barre’ classes and I say, ‘I can’t do that, I’m a real dancer.’ It never really leaves you when you’re that serious.’