We recently connected with Tori Griffith and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tori thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Being of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, the topic of the Holocaust has always been extremely important to me. While I’ve always wanted to contribute to a Holocaust story, there have already been so many stories about this dark history and I didn’t just want to be part of another depressing and tragic story. When the opportunity arose to be a part of the project BAU: ARTIST AT WAR, an incredible true story of survival and triumph amid the Holocaust, I felt like fate’s hand was at play as this was the perfect story that I wanted to be a part of. BAU: ARTIST AT WAR is the perfect mix of positive messaging that love really does conquer all even amidst one of the darkest chapters of human history. It was a dream to work on this project and have the chance to work alongside other industry creatives that I have looked up to for years. I learned so much from working this project and I cannot wait for the film to be released and for the world to see what we created.
Tori , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Despite growing up in a family involved with the film industry and my passion for acting at a young age, my parents didn’t want me anywhere near the industry due to the unpredictability of success. At just 10 years old I visited the set of my favorite TV show VICTORIOUS on Nickelodeon, and I had the chance to ask the lead actress Victoria Justice about acting. Once I learned that she started acting at the same age I was, it flipped a switch in me, and I realized that if she could be an actor so could I. Acting became a complete obsession for me, going as far as to steal my mother’s laptop to Google local LA auditions and inadvertently signing my mother up for a bunch of scams. This degree of obsession was enough to convince my mother that acting wasn’t just a passing fancy of mine and she finally relented, signing me up for acting classes. I started performing in local theatre productions before finally jumping into the world of television and film at 13.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Nothing is more rewarding than shedding light on stories and issues through a project I work on and seeing it genuinely resonate with viewers. For instance, in the film WAKE UP we highlighted human trafficking problems and their connection to the foster system. In preparing for the film, I was shocked to learn that 60% of child sex trafficking victims have been within the foster care system that and I was moved to learn that many viewers of the film were enlightened to the cause and became involved with charities and organizations that help to nurture foster youth fight human trafficking. Seeing that my work and art can have a real lasting impact means the world to me.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I definitely had to fight against the basic human tendency to compare myself to other actors. So much energy and jealousy can be needlessly expended by looking at other actors’ work and feeling jealous that they got opportunities that I hadn’t. Once I realized that all these negative thoughts were wasted energy, I decided to put all that effort into instead focusing on myself and my craft as an actor. The truth of the matter is that each actor is a unique individual and that is a beautiful thing to be. By focusing on my unique individuality, my craft completely changed as I could better focus on bringing my worldview into each one of the characters I’ve portrayed. 
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @torigriffith
- Other: IMDB: www.imdb.me/ToriGriffith
Image Credits
Portraits by Johnny Buzzerio Wake Up production stills by Mike Yuen