When you think of young female starlets from Boca Raton, a certain Nickelodeon-actress-turned-pop-star – with a penchant for high ponytails – likely comes to mind.
But there’s another homegrown talent who’s hot on her heels and on the fast track to fame.
Ronni Hawk, who was born and raised in Boca Raton, has enjoyed an impressive amount of success in her 19 years. In addition to starring in the first season of “On My Block,” a Netflix coming-of-age series, in 2018, she played a leading role on the Disney Channel’s “Stuck in the Middle,” a family comedy that was one of the network’s top shows from 2016 to 2018.
“It was a great gateway to get into this business,” she says. “I learned a lot of things on that show.”
From the age of 5, Hawk showed great promise in the performing arts. She took ballet lessons at Boca Ballet Theatre in Boca Raton and, when she was 12, danced with the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. Acting classes at Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach further prepared Hawk, and, at 12, she began doing modeling; voiceovers; and print ads and TV commercials for brands like Target, Kohl’s and Bank of America. She also landed roles in several movies, including “Oak Hill Silence,” “The Dancer & the Boy” and “Found.”
To have a better chance in the incredibly competitive world of show business, Hawk has made huge sacrifices. At 14, with her mother and grandmother alternating taking care of her, she moved to Los Angeles, where she still resides and was schooled on set.
“I wasn’t with my family and had no friends,” she says. “I had to start an entire new life. It was really hard because I did want to experience things in high school, but a lot of people wanted what I had. You always give up something.”
Hawk approached acting as a consummate professional from day one. As soon as she moved to California, she started training with a coach. It was hard at first because she was uncomfortable working closely with someone she didn’t know.
“But now [the coach is] family,” she says. “I trust her completely and consider her a mentor to me in many ways. She’s the best!”
Comedy comes naturally to the teen actress, who explains that, as long as you can read the rhythm, comedy is easy to do.
“I like drama because it’s harder to do than finding a rhythm and telling a joke,” she adds.
Hawk is currently a freshman at Santa Monica College, where she’s majoring in broadcast journalism. Finding time for her education required stepping away from “On My Block,” but she hasn’t given up on her acting career.
“Right now, I’m trying to find another job,” she says. “There are a lot of opportunities in this business. It depends on where I am led.”
Hawk tends to be a night owl and studies late, allowing time to spend with her friends and boyfriend. She jokes that her menagerie – a cat, a dog, a lizard and a fish tank – demands ample attention, too.
Clearly, the starlet’s days are never boring.
“This business is very erratic and goes day-to-day,” she says. “It really depends. I may have three auditions one day and be talking to a network another day, depending on what’s happening that week.”
From morning to night, Hawk’s life revolves around work – starting with looking good, which means dieting to maintain her slender silhouette. She also works out.
“To look tighter, I’ll eat fruit for breakfast and a large lunch and then skip dinner unless I have plans or I’m craving something,” she says. “I eat a lot of meat when I’m not dieting. Naturally, I love carbs and potatoes in any shape or form.”
As exciting as show business looks, it involves long hours on the set and memorizing copious lines.
“You can’t fully get into a character if you’re busy reading,” Hawk says. “Memorizing lines is different every day because it depends on the scenes. For the most part, I start memorizing them after the table read. It could be anywhere from a few sentences to many pages.”
The time she needs to be on set changes daily, depending on the scenes being filmed and how many people are in them. Some days, she works for four hours; others, it’s 16.
When not shooting, Hawk can chill in her trailer or grab some coffee, but, for the most part, she remains on the set. Fortunately, she finds it a fun and lively place to be – although it can get boring or even frustrating, the same as with any job.
“Everyone understands how tired you are, and they give you space or the humor you didn’t know you needed,” she says. “Naturally, there are certain people who don’t play nicely, but there are many others, so it doesn’t matter.”
Busy as she is, the self-proclaimed animal lover volunteers at Wildlife Waystation, a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary in Los Angeles.
“It’s a really nice place for animals that have been dropped off or are injured or sick,” she says.
She also volunteers with the Thirst Project, a nonprofit working with young people to end the global water crisis, and the Young Storytellers, a program that helps low-income students develop creative writing skills with the aid of mentors.
For those who may be interested in pursuing an acting career, Hawk suggests gaining some recognition before going to L.A. – and cultivating a huge social media following.
“It looks like a lot of glitz and glamour, but it’s pretty rugged,” she says of the biz. “There is a lot of rejection, and you can’t take it personally. You might be too tall. Your eyes may be wrong. There’s so much other than just acting. And you can’t seem [inexperienced]. They are paying for every minute, and they make sure it is well spent.”
Although some celebrities complain about fans coming up to them to talk or take photos, Hawk loves it, she says: “You can see they’re excited, and it makes me happy to know I can impact people like that.”
One thing the ingénue is adamant about is that, when she eventually becomes a mother, she won’t encourage her child to go into show business.
“I would never push my child to go into the business,” she says. “If they kept asking, I would put it off for a while until I saw they truly wanted it, because you grow up extremely fast. You also have to learn to deal with a lot of rejection. Yes, I would allow it, but I’d definitely not push it in any way.”
Family is paramount to Hawk, who has four siblings, and she returns to Boca Raton to spend time with her family four or five times a year.
So keep your eyes peeled – you might just spot this homegrown heroine out on the town one of these days. If you do, feel free to ask for a selfie. O