Today we’d like to introduce you to Ari Derambakhsh.
Hi Ari, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My passion for performing has always been the core of my being. Through every stage of my life, its been there: whether in figure skating or the productions I would force my friends to participate in during recess- I loved self-expression. It was when I finally discovered my love for singing that it became a conscious passion. I’ve always loved and appreciated the presence of music. My parents exposed me to classic Disney movies, Tony Bennett, and field trips to the Hollywood Bowl at a young age. To this day, I’ll take waltz music over pop any day.
My love for singing led me to musical theatre, which led me to acting. It was at that point that I really knew it was what I was meant to pursue. There was never a concrete conscious moment of decision. I just felt like it was something God put deep in my heart, and I ran with it. I chose to train toward my BFA in Acting at Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, founded by William Esper. There, I trained intensively under the Meisner technique. I also got the opportunity of a lifetime to study and perform at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London for a year. I graduated magna cum laude last spring and found my way back to my home base – LA.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think it’s possible for a road in the arts to be smooth. I’m only at the infancy stage of my career (it’s literally been less than a year since I’ve graduated), and I’ve already become keenly aware of how truly difficult it is to pursue a career in the arts. It takes incredible amounts of faith, resilience, and patience. Constant rejection is really hard, especially when YOU are the product. To be in this industry means you must have a powerful sense of self and a lot of self-love. I am filled with so much admiration for all the other artists who are around me and who have come before me. I think it is incredibly important to have purpose and reason as to why you choose the life of an artist. Purpose grounds you and keeps you moving forward. Even in the moments where I struggle, my ambition and love for this craft keep me moving.
Aside from that, I think anyone who is navigating the beginnings of their career and life may find it very hard. I’m learning that being in your early 20s means you probably feel very lost (unless you’re one of the lucky ones). Honestly, I’m surprised it isn’t talked about more. We need some more coming-of-age movies and books about navigating your early 20s!
Something I love about this craft is that there is no finish line. There is always something new to discover or work on. That’s what is so beautiful about art: as long as humans have existed and as long as we are still here, art will exist. I mean, even without humans, we still have the art of nature. I believe that art is one of the most primal aspects of existence. What are we without it?
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am extremely lucky to be entering this industry when I am. Being an Iranian-American, my culture has always been one of the most significant parts of my identity. Especially when starting college, I knew that my ethnicity was something I wanted to consciously represent in my career. I remember feeling so frustrated trying to find characters in media that embodied my identity! I wanted so badly to see someone on screen that I could identify as my role model. In the past couple of years, I have started seeing sprinkles of representation in media, and it has felt more fulfilling than I ever thought possible. One of my greatest goals is to continue the positive representation of Middle Eastern people in media. I would love to witness and be a part of the growth of the Middle Eastern and Iranian community on screen and on stage. It is a dream of mine to play an intentionally first gen Iranian-American character. A character with a complex and unique arc specific to the upbringing of the Persian culture.
Through my time at college, I came to embrace and adore all mediums of performance: the cinematography and subtleties of Film and TV, the energetic connection of live theatre, the poetry and language of Shakespeare, the aesthetic and nonverbal storytelling of movement theatre, the invitation of immersive theatre, and the childlike joy of musical theatre. I’ve recently started discovering the joy of different angles of the industry, too. I’ve been loving working as a production assistant on set. I’ve even started playing with the concept of writing my own material and making my own concepts and stories tangible.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
My faith, determination, and resilience. In general, I’ve always been a very sensitive person. I’ve allowed that vulnerability and authenticity to make its way into my acting work. But there are two sides to acting: the art and the business. To balance the sensitivity, I have a deep sense of determination and resilience when it comes to my goals. But at the end of the day, I believe my most important characteristic is my faith in God. Sometimes, things don’t go our way, and we don’t know why. Sometimes, miracles happen and leave us confused and baffled. My faith gives me hope and trusts that everything is happening for a reason.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://arideram.com
- Instagram: @arideram
- Other: https://imdb.me/arideram
Image Credits
Stan Demidoff Chris Jon Photography Simon Purse Matt Pilsner
