It Girl?

Autumn Johnson did the practical thing after graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts in 2000: went to college, got a degree, and entered the "real world." But, in a few years she realized her true calling was acting. The 25-year-old Ashburton resident packed up her car this summer and headed for Hollywood. Before she left, she contacted a prospective agent and arranged to move in with three friends. Her priorities are to get a night job and audition as much as possible. Her long-term goal, she says, is to land "the ultimate role that really allows me to showcase my skills, that speaks to people, and that's meaningful to me." Johnson was in several plays at BSA, performed in The Vagina Monologues and I Have a Dream at Frostburg State University, and was an extra in David Simon's The Corner. BSA teacher Denise Diggs, who taught both Johnson and Jada Pinkett Smith, compares her to the famous actress, saying they have the "same no-nonsense, kick-ass attitude." We can't wait to say we knew her when.