Ever since Erin Robinson was a little girl, the 19-year-old has always known she wanted to be a performer. The Grapevine native started out as a competitive dancer and transitioned into acting.
“I was like, ‘Mom, I want to do this,’ and I started doing commercials and print work, and then I got into acting,” explained Robinson.
She said she attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas as a freshman, but a year later, she left Texas for Hollywood.
“That’s why I only went to Booker T. for one year. It’s a lovely school with amazing people—staff and students, everyone is so wonderful. I just had the opportunity to move to L.A. a year later, and I think that school really helped shape that for me because I saw all the creatives there and how willing they were to take risks at such a young age. So when I had the opportunity, I was like, ‘I’ve got to do this,’” said Robinson.
After she and her mother moved to the West Coast, Robinson earned her GED, General Education Development, and dove headfirst into acting and auditioning for roles.
She most recently landed her biggest gig yet.
“I had to audition, and they gave me a fake name for the show, so I couldn’t look it up or be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to get this part.’ Then I got a callback and had a chemistry read, and when I met one of the cast members, I thought, ‘Oh, okay—I know what show this is.’ A few days later, they said, ‘Okay, you need to be in New York, we’re dyeing your hair, and the part is yours,’” said Robinson.
She was cast in the second season of the popular Apple TV drama series, ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ starring Jon Hamm and a host of other A-list actors.
‘My on-set dad is James Marsden. He’s so talented, an amazing actor,” said Robinson, who plays his character’s daughter, Delilah.
“Delilah is a guarded girl. Her father has been shipping her off to boarding school throughout her life, so when he decides to move to this new neighborhood that you see in the first season, she kind of has to make herself known because he’s not really making her a priority. She’s just trying to fit into this town and adjust to this new life. She’s very fashionable, and she comes across as a little guarded, so I feel like people could see her as a mean girl. But she’s very mature for her age, and she’s done putting up with stuff,” described Robinson.
She said working alongside the seasoned actors was like a real-life master class.
“You don’t really know until you experience it. I would say the best way to learn, even just acting, is being on set and being there, no matter how many classes you take. Watching those actors work is something that I can’t even explain. It’s so incredible,” expressed Robinson.
As she continues to hit the ground running on her journey, she hopes her story inspires others, especially fellow North Texans, to pursue their dreams.
“I would just say be who you are, love where you’re from, and you can make anything possible if you put your mind to it,” said Robinson.
She said she wouldn’t be where she is today if it weren’t for her parents’ support and encouragement.