From the moment she made her first on-screen appearance, Lauren E. Banks was ready to show the world that she was a force to be reckoned with. And that’s exactly what she’s been doing. After making a few relatively minor appearances in TV shows, Lauren got her first major opportunity in 2019 when she was cast in the series City on a Hill. Although some of the other cast members are very seasoned in the industry, Lauren had no trouble keeping up. In the two years that she’s been on the show, Lauren has earned the respect of both fans and colleagues and there’s no doubt that she has a very bright future ahead of her. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Lauren E. Banks.
1. She’s A North Carolina Native
Lauren was born and raised in the Durham, NC area and she comes from a close-knit family. It was in North Carolina where she first fell in love with acting and began taking steps towards building her career. Although it’s unclear where Lauren lives these days, it appears that she has moved out of North Carolina.
2. She Studied At An HBCU
Historically Black colleges and universities have been a part of the Black-American community for almost 200 years and Lauren is proud to say that she attended one. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Howard University in Washington D.C. She then went on to earn a master’s degree from Yale.
3. She Loves Fashion
If ‘show up and show out’ were a person, it would be Lauren. She has an amazing sense of style and she enjoys putting stunning outfits together. Whatever the occasion may be, you can bet that Lauren is going to shut it down. It wouldn’t be too surprising if Lauren eventually decided that she wanted to do some modeling.
4. She Wanted To Be An Olympic Athlete
Acting hasn’t always been Lauren’s main focus. When she was younger, sports was the thing she loved the most. She was a talented athlete who played basketball and had dreams of becoming an Olympic track star. All of that changed once she fell in love with acting, though. She told Nine 9, “The summer before my junior year at Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina, my dad sat me down at the dinner table and told me I had too much on my plate. I was captain of our undefeated basketball team and the newly appointed president of the drama club, and he suggested that I needed to focus on one or the other…I chose the theater.”
5. She Is An Avid Traveler
When you work as hard as Lauren does, it’s also important to make time for fun. Lauren is the kind of person who is always looking forward to having a good time and she loves to have new experiences. Traveling is one of her favorite things to do and she has visited several places such as Kenya and Australia.
6. She’s Passionate About Activism
Lauren is never afraid to stand up for what she believes in and she has never hesitated to use her platform to highlight the many issues surrounding racism and police brutality. Her support doesn’t start or stop with the internet, however. Lauren has also attended in-person marches and other events.
7. She’d Never Been To Boston Before City On A Hill
One of the cool things about acting is that it often gives people the chance to work in all kinds of different places. That was definitely Lauren’s experience when she first started filming City On a Hill. Prior to being cast in the show, she had never actually been to Boston. Once filming began she spent a lot of time in the city getting familiar with various areas.
8. She’s A Producer
Acting has been the main focus of Lauren’s career so far, but it looks like she eventually plans to establish herself behind the scenes as well. She has already produced a handful of projects and it’s clear that she’s passionate about telling stories from both sides of the camera.
9. She’s A Very Active Person
Although Lauren’s days as a competitive athlete are now behind her, that hasn’t stopped her from staying active. She’s a firm believer in the importance of taking care of the body. Taking care of herself doesn’t just mean working out, however. Lauren also makes sure she eats a nutritious diet, gets enough sleep, and stays hydrated.
10. Kevin Bacon Taught Her An Important Lesson
Working with a legend like Kevin Bacon has been a great experience for Lauren, especially so early in her career. She even learned a very interesting lesson from him. While talking to Nine 9 Lauren said that Kevin, “pointed out to me during one of our first days of filming that, contrary to popular belief, we don’t spend the majority of our day acting; we’re only actually acting in the small moments framed by the words ‘action’ and ‘cut.’ We actually spend the majority of our time in process.”
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