Life & Work with Emile Aslan Lacheny

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emile Aslan Lacheny.

Hi Emile Aslan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a franco-turk actor, writer and director. Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to be a storyteller. So I started creating my own stories and observing the arts I was enjoying. It made me decide to go to the US to pursue my dreams. So I taught myself English by watching shows and copying the accent I would hear. I recently graduated from the Stella Adler Studio of acting, Sold a screenplay to an L.A. production company and living that immigrant life which is always very stressful. As a bisexual mixed person, I always find myself belonging nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Erasure of who I am is common and hurtful as my American dialect is so excellent that most believe I am American, where I am constantly worried my visa will run out, agents and managers are scared to sign me because I don’t have a green card. It’s a strange feeling of belonging and yet not belonging. I don’t think I also have to precise how bisexuality is erased often as well. But now I am hopeful, working hard and putting everything on my side to succeed. I recently had the inspiration to potentially start a Theatre company in L.A or NYC by immigrants for immigrants.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a ROUGH road. First, I grew up mostly in France where we did not have any form of art education that did not entail quitting school in order to pursue the arts. So under pressure from my family I followed the science way at school. Which went terrible, on top of that I had special needs but in France they did not have any schools that could accommodate that so I went to military school. Then I tested back into regular school and graduated two years late with a science degree. By then, my decision was made, I had learned English through media and worked with all my might to go to New York City to pursue a career in acting, writing and directing. That manifested in a BFA in Austin, Texas and my first foray with being an immigrant in the US. Where I could not work and could not stay unless I proved I was famous. So I left after my BFA but a year after, I got into Stella Adler so I came back but this time putting everything on my side to be able to stay. As a person who was never welcomed entirely anywhere because of my mixed status and my sexuality, being an immigrant in this country and seeing how much the system is fighting me despite all the successes I had (graduated from Stella, sold a screenplay, won awards for writing) is nothing short of frustrating.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart is my perspective. As a mixed baby and a bisexual man, I don’t really have deep roots to any groups which give me an outside perspective on most things and a very unique (strange and cool, I’ve been told) view of the world. I am an actor, I do Theatre, film and TV but was trained mostly in Theatre. I’ve been trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York.

My love ever since I was a boy was to create stories that resulted in me becoming a writer. I wrote the stories of the games we would play with my friends at recess. Then I created the rules as I liked to be in charge of HOW the story was told. And that gave me my drive to be a director. And finally, I wanted to tell the stories myself, I couldn’t stand aside and just watch. Giving me the fire for acting.

I wrote for theatre and film. A lot of high-end concepts, sci-fi, horror. Sold my first screenplay and am working to pitch my second and third and a concept for a TV show while auditioning, looking for representation and working hard to make my dreams come true.

What does success mean to you?
To me, success is in the eye of the beholder. Success is what you make of it. For me for example, success means achieving a level of fame and wealth high enough that I would be free to create the art I want to create without worrying about my financial situation, help others make the art I want to see and use that influence that would give me to fight for the causes that I believe matter intrinsically nowadays, notably climate change.

Contact Info:

• Email: chynelaslan@gmail.com
• Website: http://www.emilelacheny.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chynelaslan/?hl=fr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emile.lacheny/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmileLacheny

Image Credits:
Katie mollison of “KAMera Shoots” for the colorful ones Mari Uchida for the one in a tux Natalie Benson for the one in front of a wall with suspenders Joe Loper for the one where I’m a doctor Guido Venitucci for the ones in front of a one color backdrop I own the others