Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Paczynska.
Hi Anna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I think it all started a long time ago when I was a little girl. I always imagined myself on stage. I used to play fantasizing to be different characters from the movies or TV shows I watched. I could spend hours in my room dressing up, putting on make-up, and pretend to be one of them. I would use every possibility to perform during my school years. From singing and dancing groups through poetry recitation competitions and the school theaters.
Then, when I was about 15 years old, I started to work as a model. It helped me feel comfortable in front of the camera and made me more independent. It also opened the door to traveling, getting to know foreign cultures, learning languages, and most importantly it allowed me to have big dreams.
I’ve always known that one day I wanted to study acting in Los Angeles and I knew I would not give up until I found a way to make it happen.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Each path to success is a path full of obstacles. I never felt like my life was easy and I always felt quite lonely. Moving to foreign countries where I didn’t know anyone, working in places where I had to speak a foreign language, saving money, getting a visa, and the industry itself. I can list endlessly. But it was never something that could stop me. I treated each obstacle as another challenge. The question was not whether I would be able to overcome it, but how to do it and how long it would take me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Modeling was always a big part of my life, but I feel like that was just a way for me to get where I wanted to be. Photoshoots, fashion shows, dressing up, cameras… It all felt like my little movie set. I was lucky to work with talented photographers around the world, being featured in magazines and television. I am still represented by a model agency here in Los Angeles, but I feel like this period is a little bit behind me.
Acting was something I always wanted to do, and I truly loved. I came to study at The Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in West Hollywood, and I graduated in 2020 finishing a 2-year method acting program.
That was a life-changing experience for me. It was a total metamorphosis as an artist and also as a person. It helped me to open up, to be truthful to myself, and to live the moment accepting it as it is.
My craft has also become much stronger of course and it allows me to feel more comfortable in the industry.
At the Institute, I had the pleasure of working with one of the best acting teachers but even after graduating from Strasberg, I still come back to various workshops led by great actors or acting coaches.
One of the workshops I attended was about writing and developing a script. At the same time, I was undergoing stage combat training. One led to the other and I decided to write a short action movie where I could showcase my film fighting skills.
Not so long ago, I finished working on this project that I produced and performed in. Soon it will be available at film festivals.
What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am mainly proud of the person I am. My ethics, ambition and respect for others and for myself. I never stop pushing myself to new challenges and goals and I work hard to achieve them. Taking care of myself is also an important part of my life. People or things can come and go, but ultimately it is who we are that truly matters. Our mind and body will always be there for us, and one cannot escape from them either. I want to make sure that whether I look at myself in the mirror or stay alone with my thoughts I am proud of it.
What’s next?
I want to keep doing what I do and keep getting better. What is very important to me right now is finding a good representation in LA to access more projects and industry opportunities. This will be my main goal in the weeks to come. As for the projects, I would like to gain more experience working on a movie set. Period dramas are probably my favorite genre, and I am very interested in WWII history, so being part of a movie based on that period would be a dream job for me.
The musical is another thing on my bucket list. Singing and dancing are two of my other passions besides acting and I would like to try myself in a role that requires these type of skills.
With a little support from my lucky star, maybe I can make both of these dreams come true
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_paczynska/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZnQMWI-TKQ
- Other: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm10640007?ref_=hm_prof_name
