Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasha Rayzberg.
Hi Yasha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born to two Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union, specifically from Russia. Russians tend to be very fond of theatre, it’s an important part of their culture, and my parents wanted me to be exposed to theater and the arts as much as possible. Growing up in Pittsburgh, PA, my mother was constantly taking me to plays, operas, musicals, ballets… if it was on stage, my mom and I were in the audience. I found myself feeling jealous of the people who got to go up onstage, but was told that being in the spotlight wasn’t something that I should pursue. Even though my mom loved the arts, she always wanted me to go into a more stable field. The closest I ever got to acting as a child was when I auditioned for my seventh grade musical. I actually landed a role, but wasn’t allowed to participate because the rehearsals interfered with crew practice, which my parents thought was more important. I didn’t even think about getting onstage again until my junior year of high school, when some very supportive friends kept encouraging me to attend an open audition for a show of Monty Python sketches. I got a role, and I spent the next couple of months wetting my hair and clothes post-rehearsal to convince my parents that I had gone to crew. By the time the two-night performance came around, I had fallen in love with acting. I had felt something I hadn’t felt before: the adrenaline of performing. I was hooked (and my mom and dad did end up coming to see the show in the end).
Fast-forward a few years, to when I was a student at a small liberal arts school called Goucher College. I, of course, wanted to be a theatre major, but my parents strongly urged me to go into STEM. I met them halfway and majored in psychology. I considered pursuing acting on the side, but only mustered the courage to perform in two plays before I graduated. I didn’t have the education, the support, or the resources to give it my all. After earning my degree, I worked about seven different jobs in four different cities over the next few years, trying to forget about my love for performing in the interest of building a “real career”. In all honesty, I was in a really dark place during that time; I felt like I had no hope, no prospects, and no future. Right when I hit my absolute lowest, I got a call out of the blue from a childhood friend asking if I would want to move with him to L.A. I truly believe this call saved my life. I put in my two-week notice that day, packed everything I owned into a U-Haul, and was in Los Angeles within the month.
Unfortunately, three months after my big move, the world shut down due to the Covid pandemic. It was a difficult time for me personally and professionally, as it was for many people. Eventually things improved. I joined a theatre company, started taking classes to develop my acting technique, and took on the meat grinder that is auditioning in Hollywood.
My progress has been gradual, as all real progress tends to be, but it’s also been satisfying to know that I’m finally going after the dream that I’ve wanted to work towards since I was a kid. How many people get to say that they can do that, really? It’s been a long, weird road, but I’m in it for the long haul, and I can’t wait to find out what comes next.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are the regular, everyday constraints, which take a toll on almost everyone trying to make a living in the arts: making money, balancing side gigs, and finding opportunities. The funny thing about pursuing your dreams as an artist is even when you’re succeeding, you’re still scraping by. When I got my first lead role in a feature film, I had to take a month off of my retail job. Once I got back, my savings had run dry, and I was stuck eating Spaghettios and ramen for the next two months–a far cry from the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle.
My lack of confidence in myself has also been a major roadblock, and I’ve had to battle some pretty serious depression over the years. I’ve been putting in the work to improve on myself and my outlook, and it seems to be paying off, slowly but surely. Just how I’ll always continue working on becoming a better actor, I’ll always continue working on being a stronger, more self-assured person. I’m lucky to have some truly great cast mates, artists, and family alongside me for support.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My passion is and has always been performance: there’s nothing I love more than being on stage or on set. When it comes to what sets me apart from others, I approach the craft of acting with a certain open-mindedness and curiosity that I think is unique to me. I love getting to know other human beings: my interest in social investigation helped me during my time majoring in psych, and it helps my acting now. Studying my own character has never been enough. I need to understand everyone else’s character in the scene as well as I understand my own, regardless of how many coffee shop brainstorming sessions over matcha lattes it takes.
At this point, I can’t say that I have a specific genre or style that I prefer over others– I don’t want to risk pigeonholing myself when I still have so much more to explore. I’m honored to have gotten the chance to act in several productions with acclaimed filmmaker Lilton Stewart III, most recently in a feature entitled All Things Come to Night and forthcoming horror/adventure film Oswald: Down the Rabbit Hole, in which I’m going to be starring alongside professional Ghostbuster, Ernie Hudson. I’ve also begun building my career in voice acting, starting with the role of Dave in upcoming animated short film Get Yeast To It, written and produced by Elinor Keyes.
In addition to acting, I’ve been writing some of my own scripts, and am hoping to bring some of those projects to life soon. I just finished writing my first pilot. Apropos of nothing, does anyone have a spare forty thousand dollars lying around?
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I’m a hopeful person. I know the industry is in turmoil right now: there are variables and circumstances that seem designed to keep creatives from flourishing. I believe some sort of overhaul is imminent if we want to get things back on track. Ultimately, the way to improve as an industry is to put the power back in the hands of the artists, and allow new talent to develop and grow. Will we get there within the next five to ten years? Maybe. I like to think that we can get there, and I know that I would like to be a part of moving things forward when we do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasha.rayzberg/
- Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/YashaRayzbergActor
