Ann Owens Pierce is a star.

Ann has had to face criticism from the very beginning of her career—her first on-stage bow came in musical theater, despite her dream of singing opera.

“I wanted to be an opera singer,” she says, “but I was told I was not good enough for opera.”

Since then, Ann has continued to act—on the stage, on the small screen, and in films. She has a recurring role in the new series, “The Riches,” in its second season on FX, but she has also appeared in award-winning movies including “The Prince of Tides.” And yet, even with such a hefty resume, Ann sometimes has to fight to practice her craft.

“Every year, aging for a woman as an actor, there’s less work, and less work, and less work,” she says, but Ann keeps it in perspective. “Life is more than acting,” she says. “Thank goodness.” Ann prefers the interactivity of acting stage to filming—she cites the arduous task of playing Emily Dickinson in “The Belle of Amherst.” “I was on stage for two hours,” she says. “I had to make it work.”