Elia.

DETROIT — When metro Detroit native Paul Elia moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting he inspired others to follow their passions. 

Elia, a Chaldean American, is often approached by people asking for advice about taking risks and pursuing their dreams. 

It is not common for Chaldeans to go after careers in the entertainment industry. Most in the community feel pressured to go into fields with more promising futures, such as engineering, medicine, law and pharmacy. 

“I have received a lot of emails from Chaldean people asking me for advice about pursuing their dreams and I tell them to go after them if they are really serious about it, and want it really bad,” Elia said, recalling the day somebody asked him about going into fashion. 

It wasn’t easy for the Southfield native to move away and leave the close-knit community he grew up in to pursue a career with an uncertain future, which his family questioned. 

 “My brother is an attorney,” Elia said. “He said ‘stay here in Michigan, why do you want to struggle?’” Elia said. “I didn’t let anything get in my way.”  

Another brother is pursing a career as a physician.  

The 25-year-old Elia majored in English at Wayne State University and initially planned on attending law school after graduation. 

He has experienced a great deal of success in such a short period of time. The actor and comedian, who was nominated for “Breakout Action Star – Male – Feature” for “Bad to the Bone” in 2011, was one of 20 applicants out of 7,000 to win the ABC diversity showcase. There is concern about the lack of representation of minorities in Hollywood and other areas of the entertainment industry. 

He has starred in many television shows and movies including, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, “Mistresses”, “Mixology”, “2 Broke Girls”, “Vegas”, “Detroit 187”, “Holly’s Holiday”, “Love In The Time of Monsters”, “The Finalist”, “Divorce Invitation” and “Cornerstone.” He also recently worked on the film “Dirty.”

Elia’s success as an up and coming actor in such a short period wasn’t an easy achievement. He admits to having taken the risks associated with the profession. 

“You have to take big risks. The people who take big risks are the ones who make it,” Elia said. “Of course you’re going to be scared, but what you do with that defines you as a human being. In this profession the failure rate is really high.”

He admitted that when he first moved to Los Angeles he struggled financially. Despite the challenges he never let go of his dreams. 

“I couldn’t let it go,” he said. He has also made a lot of sacrifices along the way. 

“I missed a lot of weddings and birthdays,” he said. “Chaldeans are very family oriented.” Elia also tours the country doing stand-up comedy for large crowds. He has begun pairing comedy with his culture.  He offered advice to others who are uncertain about following their dreams: “Just ask, can you see yourself doing anything else?”