With a resume including a film with Eminem, training at the Purple Rose Theatre, and awards from Oakland University’s short film contest junior Courtney Zimmer is an OU student who plans on making her way to Hollywood.

While her big break was playing alongside Eminem in the MTV short film, “Eminem, Where Have You Been?” Zimmer got her start acting in the fifth grade as the lead in her school’s play, “Louis and Clark.”

“I really liked doing it,” Zimmer said. “It was always really easy for me. I never really got nervous in front of a crowd. But it wasn’t until eighth grade that my mom told me I had a real talent for acting.”

Zimmer has been working professionally since her debut in the eighth grade ,when she started working with her first professional theatre company, the Jewish Ensemble Theatre in West Bloomfield. Her debut play was “Fiddler on the Roof.”

“Courtney has a very unique look, strong definitive features, not a ‘classic’ beauty…better, more character … simply beautiful,” Christopher Bondy, Zimmer’s acting for the camera teacher at the Dramatic Arts Studio in Michigan and the founder and director of education at the studio, said. “Working with her is a complete joy. She understands the role of the actor and the director, and is completely respectful of that interdependent relationship. She is really easy to direct and is very rewarding in her final performance. On top of all that she is a simply lovely young lady in every way.”

A 2008 graduate from West Bloomfield High School, Zimmer was highly involved with her school’s drama club program.

Zimmer was also involved with the International Thespian Society, where she served as an officer her junior and senior years, and worked for her school’s film festival. Zimmer worked with the Michigan Interscholastic Forensics Association as well.

Zimmer’s father was also involved with forensics in high school, which encouraged her in her own pursuits.

“I just like to do a bunch of different things and if I fail at it, whatever,” Zimmer said.

Zimmer has also done film work at OU. She is a member of Student Video Productions and has also done work for the OU television station, OUTV.

Zimmer also competed, and won first place, in last years first OU YouTube contest. The film, which was by Steve Kanter, won the group a $500 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.

“When we turned it in, it was so different from everyone else’s,” Zimmer said. “Everybody else’s was more informative and ours was like a little story. I guess that’s the creative risk you take. Winning it was really awesome, though.”

She met fellow OU student, Domonique Evan while filming the short movie with Eminem, which was featured on the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

“My scene, which is like a second, maybe two, was filmed at 2:30 in the morning,” Zimmer said. “It was really fun and since we were the last ones filmed, we got to spend some more time with the director and he was really cool. It was a good experience.”

In her first leading role in a feature film, Zimmer starred in “The Jinn.” Unfortunately, the film was cut due to a lack of funding. She also starred in the short “Patient 239” and “Red Dawn.”

Zimmer’s awards include everything from OUs Short Film Contest, a 48-hour film project and multiple awards from the MIFA, one of which took first place.

Right now, Zimmer is involved with three acting agencies. She works with The Eye Group, The Talent Shop, and Charlie’s Talent Agency, which are all Screen Actor’s Guild franchised.

Zimmer has also trained with a number of acting coaches from all over.

“I’ve never really studied with one teacher,” Zimmer said. “I’ve always done different coaches. It’s good actually to do that because then you get different perspectives and how other people view what an actor should be like. You learn what to do with that and how to improve.”

In addition to her YouTube and Twitter pages, Zimmer has her own Internet movie database page where her resume, as well as some of her short films, is featured.

“Courtney is one of those really wonderful young people who seems to always have a smile on her delightful face,” Christopher Bondy said. “As a young actress I am impressed with her confidence to take chances’with her performances and her ability to move from a stage performance to a more subtle “film” performance. It is something that we, as Michigan actors, all need to strive for.”

While she has a passion for acting, Zimmer is concerned about her future career as an actor and her education plans have altered because of that.

Zimmer was a theatre major her first year at OU but changed her major to French with a minor in English after her first year.

“There really is no film acting program here, or anywhere for that matter,” Zimmer said. “I still do SVP and OUTV, but I wanted to choose something that was a more stable job, so I went with teaching. I’m majoring in French and minoring in English. I’ve taken French since high school and I love it.”

Right now, Zimmer is just thinking about the future.

“For now, my plan is to graduate with a teaching certificate and then do acting for a couple of years, move to California and audition all the time,” Zimmer said.

Zimmer is currently working with media relations assistant director Michelle Moser on an admissions video for next year.