A woman who was a victim of child abuse has managed to turn her entire life around and become an award-winning film director.
Chrys Phillips, who splits her time between Australia and Los Angeles, had no support when she decided to move herself and her young daughter to the US.
While friends and family doubted her, Chrys’s career has since flourished and she’s worked on shows like Revenge, Teen Wolf and The Vampire Diaries.
She’s also rubbed shoulders with the likes of actors Madeleine Stowe, Dylan O’Brien, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Fran Drescher, Chevy Chase, Billy Zane and veteran actor Ray Liotta.
While people may be envious of her glitzy life, Chrys previously suffered from abuse after her grandparents died.
She told Daily Star: “My grandparents took care of me from when I was an infant. It was a wonderful part of my childhood as they loved me very much.
“My non-biological mother had abandoned me to them after her husband died. I was around two years old and I recall my grandmother told me that this woman, who disappeared after the funeral, wasn’t my real mother and one day she’d tell me who was.
“Sadly, she died and I never found out all the details. I still don’t know who my real DNA parents are as no one has officially spoken to me about them.”
Chrys said the identity of her biological mother has been a taboo subject her entire life.
As a teenager, she continued to live with extended family members and moved from one place to another for a few years, during which she suffered abuse.
“When my grandmother died, this began a long string of abuse from others I lived with. I lived in constant fear and I was alone and neglected," she said.
“I tried telling people but it wasn’t anything anyone wanted to know, it was easier to ignore it and focus on their own lives and not get involved.
“This acting parent figure was physically and emotionally abusive and she had her many, twisted own issues and this is what fell onto me. It was a fearful and controlled childhood.”
The abuse Chrys experienced has had a lifelong effect on her.
As an adult, she felt like she lost her childhood and it took her forever to understand that she was worthy.
“When being lied to and abused over many years, it does most undeniably have an impact on your self-worth,” she explained.
“It also made it very difficult to know how to accept love or find love as an adult. This emotional impact stole my childhood and never gave me the opportunity to know what a family home feels like.”
Chrys used books and movies to escape when she was a child, which helped her nurture her passion from a young age.
It wasn’t until she enrolled in university, found a job and a flat to live in that she was finally able to escape.
Years later, when Chrys became a single mother, she began a youth community theatre group where she wrote, directed and produced full-scale theatre productions.
She eventually expanded into TV work and became an established scriptwriter and author.
“From here I diligently and passionately kept writing and did many book signings for my Magic Wars Saga series, chatting to book lovers and fans of the series,” Chrys said.
“This took me overseas to comic cons, bookstore signings and expanding my career as a writer. I sold everything I owned in Australia to attend these events.”
When her daughter was 16, Chrys decided to bite the bullet and chase her dreams and move the two of them to America.
They flogged their belongings at a garage sale before leaving Melbourne for the bright lights of the US, eventually selling their house too.
“I actually took a very big risk, many told me it was foolish but I had to try. I sold everything I owned, even my car, to go to LA,” Chrys said.
“Many people doubted us. My entire neighbourhood that my daughter grew up literally stopped talking to us and people close to us told me every day what a fool I was and that I wouldn’t succeed.
“I sacrificed the security of a home and its trimmings to go to a nomad living lifestyle with no home or guarantees. The security was the sacrifice and it wasn’t easy but we went for it.”
The transition could have been disastrous, and it was difficult at first, with both of them couch surfing and sleeping in a rental car.
But the mother-daughter duo successfully made it into the film and television industry, making all of their hardships worthwhile.
Chrys added: "It was difficult. I had a young teen daughter trusting me in this decision and we knew no one in Los Angeles. It was scary but I was determined to succeed.”
While Chrys found most people to be friendly, she did meet people who tried to steal her projects.
She also lost an entire book she had written and scripts along the way. This quickly taught her to protect her materials and to keep their circle small.
Chrys’s determination and grit helped to carry her far and this foundation of writing and directing lead her to produce her own TV series, Counter Play, which was streamed on Amazon Prime worldwide and Channel 9 Australia.
From here she joined many American sets as well as two movies filmed in Australia.
Her show, Madison and the Happiness Jar, is currently streaming on Amazon and Apple TV and premiering in Australia this year. Her other feature, The Rise of Billy Jones, is currently in post-production.
“When people stole my work and when bills loomed and pay was non-existent it was scary and I thought why did you bring your child into this dream of goals,” Chrys said.
“But, I always say never allow anyone or anything to, define you and I diligently kept trying and then everything started to fall into place. You just cannot give up.”
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