Freedom of Expression

“It was definitely something that was always inside of me,” Elizabeth Faith Ludlow says of acting. “A part of me, a desire to express myself creatively and emotionally through performing.” Growing up in Savannah, Georgia, she was constantly singing, dancing, and acting around the house with her friends, and pursued that path throughout middle school and high school, eventually earning a minor in theatre and booking her first network television role on The Vampire Diaries in 2013. From there, she went on to appear in The Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Since 2019, Ludlow has starred on Netflix’s Another Life as Cas Isakovic, a fierce second-in-command filled with courage and moral conviction. Ludlow says she was attracted to the strength of the character and her ability to take control of a situation as she understands the power of representation and strives to take roles that show women in power for the sake of “future generations of females.”

Success didn’t always come easy for Ludlow, though. “I grew up in the Deep South, and there were no outlets for this line of work for me. It was unheard-of to do something like this, and I didn’t know how I was going to go about doing it. Growing up in the South and being a female, and being a woman of color, there’s a lot that you have to deal with,” she shares. “It’s an ongoing struggle, and it will continue to be. Hollywood and the world in general aren’t really made for women or people of color. I have made so much progress, and I want women and people in my position to see that – this is possible, you can do it.”

Moreover, Ludlow actively supports A Sense of Home, a non-profit that creates homes for foster youth aging out of the foster-care system. “I was in foster care briefly, but I have been so blessed by the family that chose me. I want to work with foster kids and bring them hope, and let them know it doesn’t matter where you came from – your dreams are possible to reach if you just put in the work and continue to better yourself and educate yourself,” she affirms.

Eventually, Ludlow is hoping to get behind the camera and start directing – and to create more roles for women of color and “open people’s minds and keep educating people.” Additionally, she has been heavily inspired by her adoptive mother and wants to direct a feature about her journey as a South African immigrant. “Her experiences are, on one hand, horrific, but on the other hand, they’re very necessary for people to understand what it takes and what it’s taken for women of color to make it anywhere,” she adds. “I just want to find as many ways as I can to bring hope for people and women and children. The world we live in can be disheartening at times, and I think people need hope, things to look up to, and things to look forward to, so whatever way I can do that is what I’m trying to do. I just want to find a way to bring hope to people.”

Writer: Lydee Striplin

Photographer: KAT

Digital Technician: Brandon David Roth

Stylist: Jennifer Austin

Hair: Carina Tafulu (using amika)

Makeup: Dillon Peña (for TheOnly.Agency - using Lancôme)

Videographer: Nick Horne

Editor: Eiko Watanabe

Special thanks to Sanook Soi 38 (@sanook_soi38 - www.sanooksoi38.com) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)