Meet Karo Kozak

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karo Kozak.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Karo. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am Polish but I have lived in Denmark for most of my life. I have always been immensely fond of performing. The performing arts in general are so close to my heart. I have been dancing since I was four years old and I still do to this day. Besides that, I would always make my little sister and cousins perform sketches for our parents when we were little. There was nothing that made me feel so alive and happy as performing did. I was also in a band at my middle school where I sang. I would take any little chance I had to perform in front of an audience. Then after 9th grade, here in Denmark a lot of children don’t just go directly to high school but they take a year off of some sort. Many go to like a boarding school but there’s also few that decide to go on an exchange year to a foreign country, which is what I did. I was so lucky to be placed in my dream state of California, where I lived in San Diego, lived with a host family and went to a high school there. At my high school, I took drama for the first time, which I had been wanting to take my whole life. I fell in love with it and knew immediately it was something I wanted to pursue.

Additionally, during my exchange year I found an acting studio, where I took some private lessons with a coach. That studio also gave me an opportunity to perform at a showcase in front of some of LA’s top agents and managers. I got a lot of great feedback from many of and some were even interested in working with me. At that time, however I was only 16 and wasn’t allowed to work in the US, as I was only there on a student visa. That experience gave me so much hope and really made me feel like I could pursue this. I did a lot of research on how I could get a chance to work as an actor in the US, which after speaking to a lawyer in LA, was finishing an American college. Therefore, when I went back to Denmark I decided to do a year of online American high school, where I did classes from 10th and 12th grade in one year, as I wanted to come back to LA as fast as possible. If I had decided to stay in Denmark, I would’ve had to do three years of school to get my high school diploma. Luckily I was able to use the credits that I got on my exchange year and my online school was amazing with helping me to make personalized plans for me that would give me the opportunity to finish high school faster. I would work from 8 AM to 7 PM every day for a year to finish everything on time. I was able to finish everything and flew over to LA for my graduation because I had always wanted to experience an American high school graduation.

Before flying to California, I had been researching some acting schools that I was interested in and I found one that I really wanted to audition for. I got some coaching prior at my old acting studio and I finally felt ready to audition for my dream school. A couple of days after auditioning, I found out that I had gotten in. I had gotten into American Academy of Dramatic Arts. I couldn’t believe it but I also couldn’t believe how expensive everything was gonna be. I decided to defer a year and I went back to Denmark and took a gap year, where I worked three jobs to be able to afford at least some of it on my own. Most education is free in Denmark so having to pay so much money for school was a lot and also very sudden. Denmark does not really financially support international study either, so that made it even harder. Without my mom’s support, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it. My mom has been the biggest supporter in making all my dreams come true and I hope that one day I will be able to provide her with the life she deserves after everything she has sacrificed for my sister and I. I now live in LA and I am attending my dream acting school. I get to dance at some of the world’s best dance studios and I have gotten some of the most passionate, hardworking, talented and amazing friends that motivate more than anything. I have never been happier and I can’t wait for what the future has to bring.

Great, 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 definitely not been a smooth road. It has been an extreme financial burden for me and my family. My mom, sister and I have all sacrificed so much for me to be where I am today. Also, something that I don’t think many realize is that my social life has also been sacrificed tremendously. The year that I did online school, I barely left the house and I almost did not see any friends or people my age for that sake because I had so much schoolwork to finish. The same thing happened the following year when I had my gap year, as I worked three jobs and had absolutely no free time for anything because saving up for my acting school in LA was my number one priority. That’s why when I got to LA, I felt so free and felt like I could finally be a “real” teenager again and live life to the fullest.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I believe my huge passion sets me apart from other actors. I live and breathe acting and honestly, all most performing arts. I work really hard every day in making my in my dreams come true and not one day goes by where I don’t think about what I can do to become a better actor! Acting truly means the world to me and nothing, besides my family of course, makes me feel happier or more fulfilled.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I would have to say in the begging of this year, where I booked my first part in a Danish feature film.

Contact Info:

• Email: karolina4800@gmail.com
• Instagram: karokozak

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