Today we’d like to introduce you to Jola Cora
Hi Jola, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started doing theatre in Warsaw, Poland, first in high school, at 15, then experimental theatre after university and then commercials and independent movies. I also wrote, directed and acted in a feature film and a couple of shorts in Poland.
I moved to Los Angeles 10 years ago and continued with more theatre and films, mostly independent but I also played in some big productions, such as, most recently, Antoine Fuqua’s biopic on Michael Jackson where I had the pleasure of appearing as Cher in a few scenes.
In Los Angeles I also pursued my own production on film as well as on stage; I wrote, directed and acted in two plays, of which one, Siren Call, won an Encore Award at the Hollywood Fringe and which I am trying to produce as a feature film. With one of my short films, Live Laugh Love, I had the immense pleasure of traveling to the Cannes Film Festival where my film was presented at the Short Film Corner.
I acted in three immersive, interactive plays in Los Angeles and am now working on a novel inspired by my experience as an actress in such productions.
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?
The biggest struggle was money and especially rent. After my friends and I lost the house we were renting it was really hard for me to find a place, the American system with credit scores is something I was completely foreign to and had to learn as I was trying to visit places to rent; some people even laughed at me on the phone when I told them I had never had a credit card before in my life.
Before I discovered how social services work (thanks to my accountant Sandra who was so helpful to me) I was struggling with sometimes shady jobs and learned about a whole underground of borderline illegal activities struggling actress sometimes tap into to survive. I based my short film Night Beauty on those experiences.
Another kind of struggle is transportation. Coming from Europe or New York (where I spent some time before settling in Los Angeles), you don’t realise how essential a car is in such a complicated city as Los Angeles. I was mostly using a bicycle and the metro for the first years of my life in Los Angeles, but because distances are so great in LA, it meant I sometimes had to chose which audition I had to skip that day. Then most auditions started being online but I would sometimes have to decline jobs because I couldn’t be sure even an uber would bring me there. Then, 3 years ago, I finally saved enough for a car, learned how to drive (which sometimes seemed unsurmountable in the beginning), passed my license and got a wonderful Fiat 500e which I adore.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actress, writer and director.
I specialise in magical realist and politically engaged stories.
I am most proud of Siren Call, my stage production I wrote, directed and acted in because of the audience’s incredible reaction to it, the wonderful reviews and the sold out performances.
I guess what sets me apart is I was lucky to live in very different places, born in Geneva, then living in Warsaw, Nice, New York and Los Angeles, I speak and use on a daily basis three languages (Polish, French and English), I also read some German and Italian and am bathed in three different cultures (Polish, Francophonia and Anglophonia). I also have a passion for history and for understanding the world and studied philosophy at the University of Nice.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I found that finding true friendship is a surer way to be protected and supported. Or working with someone more than once. I believe in deeper connections.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jolacora.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/jolacora
- Twitter: https://Twitter.com/jolacora
Image Credits
Magdalena Baczynska
48th Street Photography
Walczer
Erik Berry
