INPERSON
Athena of Suburbia
USC graduate makes a name for herself as author / actress in ‘ Greek Goddess .’
BY PAUL GLASSER
When Eleni Romanias discovered she was being typecast as an actress , she wrote a script for the kind of character she really wanted to play — a Greek goddess .
Romanias , a 2010 graduate of Upper St . Clair High School , plans to release a trailer for her movie “ Greek Goddess ” soon . She began acting in middle school after a friend asked her to participate in a musical theater class . Romanias discovered she loved acting and continued to perform in high school and college . She studied at the Community College of Allegheny County and experienced an epiphany while performing in a play called “ Wonder of the World .” Romanias describes herself as “ bubbly ” and says the play was a challenge because her character was grittier than any role she ’ d ever had before .
“ It was so different from my personality ,” she explains , “ but it was fun because it really showed me what I was capable of .”
She transferred to Penn State and moved to Los Angeles after she graduated in 2013 . “ It ’ s a whole new atmosphere out there ,” Romanias says . “ You have to figure out how to navigate it and find the best route for yourself . There are so many different workshops and agencies — it can be overwhelming . It was very eyeopening .”
She knew there would be a lot of competition for roles but also felt frustrated when she was typecast as the comedic best friend because she ’ s a “ plussized ” actress . Most of the roles called for older actresses , so Romanias decided to write a script for her own film instead of waiting until she was the right age for the roles casting directors expected her to play .
When writing the first draft of the script , Romanias drew on her Greek heritage and her experience as a member of the color guard in high school . “ What ’ s easier to play than yourself ?” she jokes .
The script of “ Greek Goddess ” tells the story of an awkward female band geek who discovers she ’ s inherited the spirit of Athena , the Greek warrior goddess . She then goes on to save the world from Ares , the god of war .
“ I used the color guard flag aspect to transition to a spear wielder ,” Romanias explains . “ It all seemed to fall into place .”
After completing the script , she rewrote the story into a storyboard for a graphic novel . Romanias found an artist to illustrate the story and they finished the graphic novel in a few months . She ’ s a fan of Japanese animation , such as in the show “ Sailor Moon ,” which influenced the design . The experience taught her the importance of finding a collaborator with whom she had a very good relationship .
“ I gave him a lot of artistic license ,” Romanias notes . “ In a creative project you have to connect with your partner .”
The graphic novel was published in 2016 and is available on Amazon and at Barnes
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