Ellary Porterfield has a knack for making major life decisions on whims-and she's got a lot to show for it.
When she was 12, the junior took 30 minutes to put together two monologues for a nationwide talent contest, and ended up winning the Junior-Teen Acting competition. Now, the young actress has a slew of notable projects under her belt, including the movies The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio and Sugar, plus the CW's O.C. riff, Hidden Palms.
As a high school senior, she applied to Duke two days before the application deadline. Now, she's at one of the most competitive colleges in the country.
Entering the entertainment industry and attending Duke are two events that Porterfield says have immensely shaped the person she is today.
But it is also a reflection of who she has always been-a girl in love with academia and acting. "It's a weird place to be," the Oregon native says of her current circumstances. "I'm here and loving it... but at the same time I know what I want to do with my life, and that's act and be involved in the entertainment industry."
Porterfield has put her acting career on hold in favor of getting a degree. The starlet filmed her last project, Sugar, the summer before her freshman year. Although she missed Orientation Week because of her filming obligations, she hasn't missed much at Duke since. Porterfield notes that she feels a certain responsibility to dedicate herself to school because of the intensity and prestige of a Duke education.
Although Porterfield admits that she sometimes becomes restless, she hasn't had any regrets about going to college-a decision she made entirely on her own. "Duke has done a lot to strengthen me and I've met people I would've never met otherwise that have changed my life," she says of her experience so far.
That strength, along with her natural maturity, shows in the way Porterfield speaks about herself and her goals. She knows that her education will help her both personally and in her acting profession, noting her desire to be a well-rounded individual. Her academic choices so far also reflect this philosophy. She's majoring in International Comparative Studies and plans to complete the certificate in Film/Video/Digital Studies. Next year, Porterfield will study abroad in the Duke in France program, and plans to apply to the Duke in Los Angeles program for the spring.
With her focus on academia, though, Porterfield has hesitated to use her acting talent at Duke. The budding actress has starred in a number of campus productions and is a member of the Antic Shakespeare Company at Duke.
But whatever variety of things she may be trying and learning, Porterfield knows she'll be heading down I-40 to Hollywood the minute she graduates. "I'm just itching to go to L.A.," she says, "and delve into what I want to do with both feet-and nothing holding me back."
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