Check Out Ilana Kohanchi’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ilana Kohanchi.

Hi Ilana, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Russia, raised in San Francisco and moved to LA after graduating early with a Master’s degree (at 22) in communication from UC Davis (a small town where I was in school with ten farmers and a cow) to be allowed to move away and pursue acting (terrible choice where I come from but I did it anyway). I taught public speaking to the undergrads to pay for my master’s degree, handed it to my overbearing mother, and packed my bags for Los Angeles, expecting red carpets to be rolled out in welcome, thinking my many years of training and no credits would be enough. Needless to say, I got no such thing, but after a decade of hustle and some great tv shows and movies under my belt, I feel confident that I am doing exactly what I should be.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would love to meet the actor who (without nepotism) had a smooth road in this industry. I don’t think that exists. By definition, going in, you are attempting to work in an industry that has hundreds of thousands of applicants for about five jobs. The odds are clearly against you, and at least in my case, I was very aware of that going in. I just knew I was so passionate that I couldn’t be happy doing anything else, and I needed to try. The only definite thing you know is that if you don’t try, you will not succeed. A small chance is better than no chance. The biggest struggle was in the first couple of years, getting people to consider me or take a chance on me when they didn’t know who I was and I didn’t have the credits to give me clout. After getting some auditions and delivering consistent work, some casting directors started to trust me, and I got more opportunities and as I built credits and more people knew me, it became easier to get opportunities and therefore work, over the years. It never became easy, just easier.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Well I’m an actress, so I specialize in bringing life to words that writers put on paper ;)> I guess I am known for the more popular tv shows I have been lucky enough to work on, the names of which I cannot mention due to the ongoing strike… I am proud of the less famous work too, the independent films that I just loved working on, and the characters have stayed with me: like Katy in Nowhere Girl, Carmen in Tijuana, etc…and of course, the movie I am currently filming ‘The Second Coming of John Cooper.’ What sets me apart from others? Hmm, I think every actor has something special, and by being uniquely yourself, you will always be set apart from the next person. But in terms of what has helped me in the past, I’m Russian and Jewish, and I grew up in a French school, and my best friends were Latina. I was always surrounded by different cultures, which helped me understand different people, and I’m fluent in 6 languages, which also helped. Certain agents also noticed a dichotomy between my look and my essence. I was told that I was both bubbly and sexy, and the idea of being intelligent, without necessarily looking like you would be, was interesting to people. That and the unreasonable, don’t take no for an answer thing made a unique mix that some were fond of.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Have a very strong core idea of why you want to do this. Keep your purpose to yourself and hold onto it for dear life so that every time people try to discourage you, or you don’t hear anything about the role of your dreams that you finally got to audition for, or an agent passes on you, or even when you just get basic criticism, you can always have that to go back to. If you have internal strength and passion, nobody can take it away. And also, for every rule there is an exception. So don’t be scared to take risks, both in the business and the art. Put your characters first, and defend their objectives. Believe in yourself and find the best acting class or coach that you resonate with, and train and don’t quit. Try to think outside of the box for marketing yourself. Make a schedule and be in charge of your accountability. It is a full-time career and should be treated as such. The hustle is most of it, so be aware of that and always be looking for ways to increase the likelihood of opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ilanakohanchi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilana_kohanchi/

Image Credits
Dana Patrick, Tony Adams, Michael Viyera