We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dina Najjar. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dina below.

Dina, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I am always learning whether it be taking classes, reading books, watching/studying films and TV, reading scripts, and learning from others. As an actor, I believe you should study with many people and make your own process that works for you. I also believe you learn best by doing, at least I do. Classes are great, but there’s nothing like actually being on set and making movies.

My advice:
You have to be your own biggest cheerleader in this industry. Support is great, however everything you need you have within yourself. My boyfriend got me a Cameo from comedian Louie Anderson a few years ago, and he gave me some really good advice that I will share: “Working in show business is like standing in line at Disneyland, as long as you don’t get out of the line, you’ll get to work. But if you get out of the line, you’ll have to go all the way back to the beginning.”
For screenwriters and filmmakers: Write what you know and share your own stories. Write multi-faceted characters, not stereotypes. Don’t try to emulate someone else’s work. Stay true to your own voice and the stories you want to tell. You are enough and only you can tell your stories. And it’s okay if it takes you a while to find your voice, you will. And most importantly, you have to create what you want to be a part of.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Being daughter to a mother born in Bethlehem (and who grew up in Jordan) and a father from Nazareth; I am a first generation Arab American born on 8 Mile to immigrant parents. I did theatre from elementary through high school. My parents wanted me to go to school for business, and so that’s what I did. I put acting on the backburner and obtained a Marketing degree from The University of Central Florida followed by an MBA from Rollins College: Crummer Graduate School of Business. But I really missed acting, and it kept calling to me. So in 2011, I started studying film acting and haven’t stopped since. I believe it was Matt Damon who said something like “If you can do anything else and be happy, do that”. And I can’t, so here I am. 😊

Acting is and always will be my first passion. Stories are what connect us, educate us, and make us feel like part of something. My mission is to bring diversity without stereotypes to the screen and stage and to tell important stories that inspire, empower, and include. I create art for the little girls like me who desperately want to see someone like them on screen, to feel like they aren’t alone.
In 2015, in an effort to start creating opportunities for myself and my fellow actors, I started making my own films under my production company, TN Productions. I strive to portray and write interesting and multifaceted female characters who overcome adversity and trauma. I want to see people depicted as multidimensional characters. not as predetermined stereotypes of an ethnicity. My through line is belonging, and I always aim to leave my viewers with a sense of hope. I have never felt like I truly belong, so telling the stories of the underdog that perseveres, the traumas that shape us, and searching for our place in the world — those are the stories I connect to and wish to tell.

A few years ago, I started Reel Style, my styling business where I provide styling for actors for headshots, auditions, etc. I love creating characters, and I believe wardrobe is incredibility important. As actors, headshots are our calling cards, and how you stand out is by being specific and bringing YOU to your looks. I see many generic headshots where actors are trying to fit into a mold of what they think their headshots should look like, and as a result, their headshots don’t represent what makes them unique. I wanted to help change this. In addition, most of our auditions are via self tape, and so casting directors really need to be able too see you in the role and wardrobe is a large part of this. I noticed there was a need for this kind of service, and it’s something I’m passionate about and can lend my talents to.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My journey has not been easy to say the least. A career in the arts is not generally supported in our culture. In addition, it has been difficult breaking into an industry with few roles for Middle Eastern actors. Our representation is one of the lowest of any ethnicity. Even when we are represented, it is often in a negative light or in a stereotypical and one dimensional way. I hope this is changing, however the progress has been very slow partly due to the lack of Middle Eastern executives in positions of power to make these changes. That is also one of the reasons I started making my own films, in order to tell the stories I want to tell. I also created the United Colors of Femme photo project which features female actors of various ethnicities sharing visual representations illustrating what they are ethnically stereotyped as in the entertainment industry vs. what they are actually like. They also share answers to questions to better get to know each of them. The mission of this project is the same as my own: To bring awareness to the importance of diversity without stereotypes for the screen and stage. Hopefully, we can even inspire writers to rethink their characters and provide inspiration for new ones. I invite you to learn more about these women and what makes them unique at www.unitedcolorsoffemme.com.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Support your friends! Go see their shows, attend their screenings at film festivals, share their wins. We’re in this together.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dinanajjar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createwithdina
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/createwithdina
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DinaNajjar
• Other: https://www.flowcode.com/page/createwithdina https://www.flowcode.com/page/filmsbytnproductions https://www.facebook.com/reelstylewithdina

Image Credits
Headshot by Headshots by Scott Dentinger Damaged Poster by Fred Zara Amy Winehouse in “Close to Black” photo by Wayne Sysock The Women in Film Project photo by Eli Dreyfuss