From Ville Platte to Hollywood

33-year-old Elaina Guidry came from humble beginnings in Ville Platte. Now, she's a rising star, heading to Hollywood.

Guidry is an American actress and a 2009 graduate of Mamou High School. Growing up, she said she was determined to chase her dreams, despite the lack of performing arts resources in her community.

"I could remember watching television when I was nine or 10 years old," Guidry said. "I think my exact words were, 'I am going to be a star!' I didn’t know exactly why in the moment, but I was naturally drawn to it."

It was the lights, cameras and action. While many children Guidry's age were into toys and the outdoors, Guidry was determined to work on TV.

"I always knew that I wanted to be an actress," Guidry said. "I kind of got into the modeling industry because people were always like you’re so pretty, you should be a model."

From the runway to the television set, Guidry learned to network, perfect her craft and welcome new opportunities.

"I was a manager, working at McDonalds," Guidry said. "I was about 20 years old. I was working and I would save up money so that I could take some acting classes."

Now, many people recognize Guidry, who was once a small-town girl as a familiar face in television.

So far, she has starred in films like Rumble Through the Dark, Big Shark and some national commercials.

You can find some of her work on TUBI or, stay tuned for her debut in The Desk, a comedy that will be released soon.

Guidry's 14-year-old son, Zaybrien Anderson is following in his mother's footsteps and is a child actor too.

He said he enjoys working with his mom.

"I’m very happy that I moved out of a small town to come here," Anderson said.

The actress and actor-duo book roles together and told KATC they're just getting started.

"We’re going to move to Georgia for even more opportunities," Anderson said.

Guidry said she'll be visiting Southern University in Baton Rouge on Wednesday for a back-to-school event and looks forward to visiting her hometown, Ville Platte in September.