Ilana Kohanchi shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Ilana, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
I would 100% hire me, because I think it’s clear from my letters and e-mails and for anyone who has ever worked with me, that I care SO much. Because my career is everything to me, the producer or showrunner or director knows, I will care as much about the project as they do, so I will always be putting in 110% effort and we WILL create something beautiful together on a set when every single person cares about the final result. Team work makes the dream work 🙂
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a professional actress. I work in film and TV. Some shows you might recognize me from are Marvel’s “WandaVision” or NBC’s “Chicago P.D.” or Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, etc…
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a limitless child, who believed anything was possible. That is largely still true about me as an adult, but now I know there are rules and institutions in place and structure to follow for reaching those goals. Though sometimes I wish I could just skip all those and throw myself into things like a child. The one place I still do that is when I’m acting, but only for my characters, not always for the business side of the industry, in which, for better or worse, I should behave professionally.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
There was one specific instance I remember doing this. Many years ago, I was doing a month long acting class, by the fabulous “Jo Kelly” (who I still coach with today). It was a 33 day reset journey that we had to participate in everyday and it was meant to reset your instrument, ultimately leading to freedom and truth for actors. During this time, my dog, who was the love of my life at the time, suddenly passed away. The next day, I still had to do the class, so I did, and I brought whatever I was feeling in the moment, (which anyone who has ever taken a class with Jo knows, is exactly what you are meant to bring). In my case, it was unbearable grief, and I just surrendered to it. I understood the power in that moment, as an actress, of that freedom of never hiding your pain. And I heard later that other people in the class responded positively to my “switch” some saying that they suddenly noticed other positive things about me, my “beauty”, my “personality”, etc… Things that previously went unnoticed for them suddenly began to shine.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
“I can do anything.” That belief is so foundational that I rely on it for every instance in my career and personal life, when I get scared or anxious, and just do it anyway. I don’t articulate it, because, well, it can sound arrogant, but I believe it for all my friends and family as well. I think it’s that blind (perhaps delusional) confidence, that has gotten me places I would not have otherwise been able to get to, many times in my life. Because if you think you can, you’re right, and if you think you can’t, you’re right.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m very fortunate to say that I am doing exactly what I was born to do. It took a lot of disappointing a lot of people, but following my dreams about my acting career, was the only thing I ever did against all advice and wishes of others. I was told to do literally anything else, but I didn’t, and I’m infinitely happier for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.IMDB.me/ilanaKohanchi
- Instagram: ilana_kohanchi
- Facebook: ilana kohanchi, actress
Image Credits
Michael Vieyra, Stephanie Girard, Joanna Degeneres
