AEW's Renee Paquette On The 'Harsh Reality' She Met When Moving To LA At Age 19

Before she graced the screens of WWE and AEW, Renee Paquette was an ambitious 19-year-old looking to make her mark as a comedic actress. Upon moving to Los Angeles, though, Paquette realized the path to get there was more challenging than she initially anticipated.

"It was all kind of like a last-minute thing," Paquette told the "Wilde On" podcast. "I didn't really have that much of a plan. I had not even really worked very much prior to moving there. I had maybe done a couple music videos, maybe some commercials. I didn't really have like a resume to speak for, so I just very blindly moved to Los Angeles being like, 'Well, if you want to be in this world, that's where you have to go to do it.'"

"I just kind of like packed up and moved out there," Paquette continued, "but you quickly get met with the harsh realities of, it's not just packing up and moving there, especially as a Canadian. I didn't have a work visa. I didn't have a green card. I had nothing. I couldn't work."

Without a work visa or green card, Paquette says she was routinely overlooked by talent agencies as she sought out potential gigs. She was also unable to secure health insurance.

Paquette eventually found a stroke of luck at The Mint bar, where she was offered a job under the table. Paquette revealed she only made about $50 a night there, though. Eventually, Paquette determined that there were too many obstacles facing her in L.A., so she packed up and headed back home to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where her efforts were greeted with much greater success.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Wilde On" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.