Check Out Lara Kempbell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lara Kempbell.

Hi Lara, 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?
As a teenager, I was an avid reader and writer and often immersed myself into the alternate world of Hollywood films. We didn’t have Internet back then yet in the place I grew up in, so I went to a local library to rent them on VHS videocassettes. I watched Hollywood films to learn some new English vocabulary and expand my horizons, while I also dreamt of becoming a movie actress and doing cinema. My ancestry comes from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France and it’s where I spent most of my childhood years and teens. Later, when I started working in tech, I always missed being an artist and having a more creative life and was looking for an opportunity for it to come true. My love for Hollywood films and my dreams eventually brought me to the U.S., and that’s where my dreams started to become real.

In fact, I grew up with a single Mom providing for me and my older sister after my Dad’s tragic passing when I was 8, which caused an enormous financial struggle for us. But even in the hardest times, financially speaking, my Mom was a firm believer in artistic formation for me and my sibling and used all her savings to pay for my music, dance, and acting classes. After high school, I focused more on writing, and it has provided both for my income and for my inner soul.

After finally making my way to the City of Angels a few years ago, I started acting and screenplaywriting. This year, I’ve made my LA debut as a robotic virtual assistant named Alexa in Max Forzan’s and Anita Razzano’s film, currently in post-production. I was also lucky to be on set with younger innovative filmmakers, such as Nick Azzarro, Lauren Goetzman, and Dorrill Griffin. As for the current roles, I perform in Dorrill’s stage play and film A Royal Kingdom as Princess Elizabeth.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t, for sure, been smooth sailing for me. I combat and overcome challenges every day. First, getting to LA alone has been a great challenge; imagine that an idea I had as a teen of living in LA took 10+ years and lots of struggles to manifest. But it finally did, and I am immensely grateful for it.

Though always someone who communicates a lot, I was fearful of expressing my own opinion, even in writing. I still recall how, in my school days, in a literature class, my mates shamed me for sharing a different point of view, uncommon for standard essay topics we were supposed to write on. I was horrified as a teen to propose another ending to a story. It took me a lot of meditative activities such as yoga, to start creating from the depth of my soul, something that is more aligned with my true self, not what others want me to say. In fact, most of the stories I create come to me in deep sleep when I am completely alone.

Another struggle was putting myself first, to step in front of the cameras, to allow myself to be “naked” in of the cameras, metaphorically speaking, to show my soul. I am still on the verge of overcoming that fear of allowing myself be more real.

Finally, an accent is a source of great pain for me and other non-native actors who want to make in the industry here in Hollywood. Recently, one director turned me down as a lead actress as he was uncertain I would be able to deliver a clear American accent. This is discouraging, especially since we have so many new tech specs now, and we should be able to be more open to receiving voice messages from people that sound slightly different. Right now, I work with a coach and train every day to overcome this obstacle, and it also helps me grow as a person.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One area that I want to succeed in is helping myself and others heal and go through struggles in life in a fun way. I see myself most successful in doing it by being involved in filmmaking. I want to be able to convey a wide range of deep feelings and emotions on camera that help others. This longing has found its reflection in the two projects I’ve been working on most recently.

I just finished to write the three first episodes of a brand-new TV show that my crew pre-titled “Supernatural. Girls.” The show is based on the popular namesake, “Supernatural,” but unlike the original, it is told more from a feminine or neutral point of view. It is about two sisters, Kate and Em, traversing the Globe on their quest to resolve the family mysteries and patterns while they encounter supernatural elements and fight the evil. As of now, it’s in pre-production, we welcome collaborators who are aligned with our vision.

I also co-created a web reality show called “Art Retreat,” that we film with a few yoga and meditation coaches as well as art teachers, in some pristine spots on Planet Earth. This show should inspire people to become more creative and treat themselves better. It’s envisioned as a long-run project and is in production. Another project dear to me is “Artists&Angels,” it is also about connecting with yourself and healing through arts on a deep conscious level.

How do you think about luck?
Luck is extremely powerful in our life. Though I am positive that it is not just mere luck, but something of greater importance and divine in nature. Right now, I feel extremely fortunate to be able to create, share, and connect with other filmmakers, artists, and creative producers while living in LA and California. We are so lucky to be living in an era of relatively easy and cheap art and film creation, with all the tech available to us at a minimum cost. This is a luxury creators of the past could only dream of. Recently I traveled to Paris and Europe to model in some fashion runway shows, another big passion of mine, which makes me feel very lucky as well.

I am grateful to have the ability to express myself, not just to entertain others but also to inspire them and myself to reach for the stars. This is what I convey in my first poetry book, entitled The Little Sparkles of My Soul, coming out next year. I also just finished writing a novel, called Luminesca, that takes place in Los Angeles and shines light on various aspects of feminine and masculine and the higher divine guidance we obtain from above.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.larakempbell.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larakempbell/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laralev/
• Other: https://www.art-retreat.art            https://www.artistsangels.art 

Image Credits
@iamvasilenka Kristina Vasilenka