Introducing Emma Malouff! This Los Angeles based actress is a star on the rise. She developed a love for being on stage at an early age when she began dancing Ballet at the age of three. After seeing the “Nutcracker”, she knew immediately that she wanted to be a performer and continued her passion for dance until she was 15 years old. She left dance to pursue her love of acting and move to Los Angeles. With a passion for acting from a young age, at only 18 years old, she is taking on her first recurring co-star role is “Impeachment: American Crime Story”. Beyond her passion for acting, Emma is an advocate for human trafficking awareness. Please continue reading below to learn more about Emma Malouff, and how she is helping to make the world a better place!

Where are you based?
I was born in beautiful Seattle, Washington. When I was ten years old, my family and I moved to Austin, Texas, to start a church. When I was 15, I moved to Los Angeles with my incredible grandparents to pursue a career in acting. Los Angeles has been my base since, and having just turned 18, I moved in with two of my best friends. I am enjoying making this city my home.

How did you get interested in acting? At what point did you discover this was your passion?
Ever since I can remember, I have found myself drawn to acting and the beauty of filmmaking. From a young age, I would retreat into my imagination and create other worlds where I transformed myself into different characters who I connected with from films and shows. I would make films on my mom's iPad with my friends, and run away to the imaginary worlds that swirled in my mind, loving to live in a daydream. For 12 years, I studied ballet while taking acting classes on the side. I chased the thrill that came with performing on stage, and finally, I realized that it was the acting side of ballet that I adored so much. So, I moved to Los Angeles for pilot season and never left, falling more and more in love with the art of acting and storytelling.

Can you tell us a little bit about your first recurring co-star role in “Impeachment: American Crime Story”? How excited are you for this show?
In all honesty, the audition process was one big whirlwind. When I first auditioned for the show, it was February 2020. Then, COVID-19 happened, and the industry completely shut down, postponing the audition process for over nine months. In October 2020, casting reached out requesting that I send in some more self-tapes, and those self-tapes turned into several zoom auditions, which turned into a hold for the show. I had gone back home to Austin because of the pandemic, but in a matter of six hours, I was on a plane, headed back to LA. Missing my family and questioning my decision to pursue acting, I waited to hear from casting for three weeks (which felt like a lifetime), and just when I thought I wanted to give up, I got the call telling me I had booked the role. Needless to say, many tears of joy were cried that day, and I began filming the following January. The whole experience of filming Impeachment was one of the most exciting and memorable of my career thus far, and though the journey was a little crazy getting there, it was worth it!

This is an exciting series to be part of and, at the age of 18, you have stepped into the shoes of Allison Tripp, daughter of Linda Tripp. Since you were not born when the scandal took place, how do you approach embodying this character?
Allison was my age when she went through all of this with her family. Her life suddenly changed forever. Upon auditioning for the role, my mom and I sat down and researched the whole story together. To truly empathize with Allison, I had to step back and acknowledge how she must have felt in those moments where she had to witness her mother be degraded and ridiculed by the public. How would I feel if my mom was receiving death threats and every inch of her life criticized? How would I feel if my privacy and the privacy of my family was taken away in an instant? I had to create those experiences and emotions for myself, and imagine the thoughts she must have had running through her head at the time.

What are your thoughts on the Clinton scandal?
I am fortunate to have had this project come across my path. As soon as I knew what the project was about, the prospect of being part of telling this version of events really excited me. Impeachment is bringing to light a new perspective on the women of this narrative who were so mistreated and misunderstood by millions, and I am honored to contribute to this retelling. Working on this project furthered my resolve that the world could use more kindness and compassion, especially for those from whom our opinions might differ.

How do you think people would react to this scandal these days?
Impeachment: American Crime Story is an updated narrative of a story everyone thinks they already know. It highlights the voices and lives of the women involved, what they experienced, and how they were silenced, controlled, and ridiculed by the public and media. It is a project that I hope will evoke empathy and compassion from the audience and allow a space for them to view some of the women central to this story in a different light.

What does taking on this role mean to you?
This cast and crew were nothing short of brilliant. It was a joy to work with and create this story alongside them. I am so thankful for not only having the opportunity to do what I love, but get to know the beautiful individuals behind the scenes.

Jejune loves that your passions extend outside of acting, how did you begin your work with human trafficking organizations? Why is this issue so important to you?
When I was 13, I competed in a pageant called National American Miss and won the junior state title for Texas. National American Miss is an incredible pageant system that teaches girls how to step out into the world with self-confidence, empowered to make a difference in the lives of those around them. In the year that I was crowned, I had the opportunity to select a charity I wanted to use as my platform and bring awareness to their work.

When researching different nonprofit organizations to support, I stumbled across the A21 campaign and their work to abolish Human Trafficking. Human Trafficking is the abuse of children, women, and men for their bodies and labor, and to my horror, I discovered that the most common age of young girls and boys brought into trafficking is between the ages of 12-14, which was my age at the time.

Can you tell us a little bit about your work with A21 and Exodus Cry? Can you tell us a bit about these organizations?
Human trafficking comes in the forms of both labor and sex trafficking. A21 and Exodus Cry are two organizations leading the charge in fighting for the freedom of those enslaved by human trafficking. I had the privilege of raising money for the A21 Campaign by hosting tea parties for young girls and their moms. At these tea parties, I would educate these girls on the pitfalls of human trafficking and how to recognize the signs of trafficking in others. We made bracelets as conversation starters to raise awareness among our peers. Exodus Cry is another incredible organization taking a stance against the large system of violence, injustice, and exploitation in the commercial sex industry. They empower, assist, and help bring freedom to those who have been victimized. Now, I try my best to shed a light on their mission via my social media platforms.

What would you like the population to know about human trafficking?
In our modern world, human trafficking is tantamount to slavery. By some estimates there are over 40.3 million men, women, and children illegally exploited for their bodies and labor. These staggering numbers mean there are more people enslaved today than any other time in history. What is really insidious is that it can happen in your neighborhood, or to someone at your school. It is an industry where injustice and violence flourish, and it is a problem that needs to be solved.

What steps do you think need to be done to stop human trafficking?
Through awareness and education, I believe we can all rally together to put a stop to human trafficking. I like to say, “Don't ignore something because it feels uncomfortable, because one message of awareness could spare a life.” It is possible to look for clues that identify a possible victim of trafficking and report it to authorities. People interested in helping can also donate their time or finances to organizations dedicated to fighting human trafficking. We can do this together!

Has the pandemic impacted human trafficking in anyway? For the better or the worse?
The Pandemic has unfortunately impacted the trafficking industry in a very negative way. Due to the stay-at-home orders and social distancing mandates, minors’ screen time has increased, resulting in their susceptibility to being targeted and groomed by traffickers, who often make first contact through dating apps, video games, chat rooms, social media etc. Traffickers can now more easily rely on the internet and social media platforms to find and exploit their victims than they did before. This is why it is so important to raise awareness about both the problem and organizations fighting for a solution, because there is hope to bringing an end to human trafficking.

How have you been staying positive during shelter in place? Are you back to normal now?
I was fortunate enough to move back to Austin for eight months to be with my family during the shelter-in-place orders. It was such a special time to connect with them, and I could not be more grateful for it. I am back in Los Angeles now, and excited for what is to come next!

What is your motto in life?
My motto in life is “kindness must win.” Our world is filled with hate and comparison, so I am very interested in turning that tide and promoting a culture of kindness. Everywhere I go, I try to see those around me through the lens of love and kindness. You never know what someone is walking through. We are all human, and we are all experiencing something unique at any given moment, whether it is good or bad. Taking two seconds out of my day to compliment a stranger, forgive a friend, or simply look outward instead of in, has allowed me to see that my kindness can affect change for the better. Kindness must win today and every day.

To keep up with Emma, please follow her via her Instagram:
You can follow me and my adventures on Instagram @emmamalouff.

Photography credit: Dylan Perlot

Emma Malouff: Leading With Love And Kindness