We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andreea Lazar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Andreea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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 was fortunate enough to be born into a family of artists, starting with my dad who massively influenced my love for art. He is a director and editor and he introduced me to theatre when I was seven years old, when he was recording live theatre performances. I, in my favorite velour tracksuit, would accompany him and love to spend my time running around on stage, while actors tried to rehearse. Before I enrolled in a vocational high school at fourteen, I occupied my time taking dance, singing, and piano classes per my parent’s request. During my time studying dramatic arts in high school, I consider myself to have spent the most quality time learning what the craft of acting is, learning the different techniques I was doing without even knowing, the history of it, and the fun of playing theatre games. I went on to study Acting at UCLA and I got the opportunity to gather on-set experience, which truly shaped me as a performer. I love being on set and connecting with other artists, enjoying the process. I believe I will spend my entire life learning how to honor my craft, so I wouldn’t necessarily think of ways to speed up the process. I would say the most essential skills in this art are creativity, vulnerability, and openness to the idea that you have to put your mind and body in places you might not want to go. It is a great life to live as an artist, living actually multiple lives. Outside of the pandemic, where all our lives stagnated for a minute, I don’t think I had any obstacle in learning more, as with every opportunity I got as a performer I obtained some sort of knowledge.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an actress born and raised in Bucharest, Romania. I spent my childhood running from one artistic class to another, starting to perform on little stages as early as five years old. I filmed my first commercial when I was seven, and even though all I did was throw a bit of artificial snow in the air, I was the pride of my family. Then, my little sister started walking and I lost the title. I remember being so upset as a kid, having no time to play with other kids because I was always filming, rehearsing, or training. I am glad now that I trained for so many years because that gave me confidence and a sense of professionalism as a performer. I went on and studied some more, graduating from a vocational high school and ultimately from UCLA in 2023. Relocating to LA after making a name for myself in the industry of my home country was a risk I wasn’t aware I was taking. I knew remaining in my country would mean I would never have the career I dreamt of- because opportunities were extremely limited. Just to put it into perspective, in the span of four years while I was in high school, I only auditioned for four projects, out of which two were just commercials. Nonetheless, it was a great decision. I unlocked so many opportunities I only dreamt of having, met so many creatives, and worked on so many projects I am proud to mention on my resume. I am quite selective with projects because I want to ensure a high level of quality for my work. One of my upcoming projects is a film that has a Cannes Film Festival nominated crew and it tells a folkloric story from Eastern Europe. My director is Ukrainian, so the authenticity of the project is secured. I am also working on my own projects, writing multiple scripts, and investing my time training to be a better performer each day.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
In my opinion, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is getting to step in someone else’s shoes and see the world through their eyes. When the imaginary circumstances become so real, it doesn’t even feel like acting anymore, but rather being. It is such a cathartic moment. Also, having fun creating characters, building an imaginary person from ground zero, getting to choose how they speak, what they wear, whether they have an accent or not, or what type of childhood they had. Filmmaking is a teamwork process, and when every member involved is giving it their all, it feels very gratifying and makes you feel proud of being an actor.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Being an artist comes with a great sense of loss, with a sacrifice you make as a person to not live a simple, comfortable life, but to live a life where you gear shift into a myriad of emotions every day, much like an emotional athlete. Where whatever broke you apart you must not try to forget, but try to always carry with you in case your character goes through that sort of pain. Where you must always do something related to art to remind yourself you’re an artist, because you are unemployed most of the time. Being a creative means having a passion, drive, and determination for art despite the rules of society which force you to stay in your box. It is a difficult road, where you’ll meet many who will reject you, doubt you or outright wish you the worst things, but you’ll get to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And for as long as you see that light, you must keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm10266080?s=e8c67247-5d50-7825-c376-6ed08dc4ef0e&site_preference=normal
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreealazarworld?igsh=bzhqYTZuZHkxdWF1&utm_source=qr
- Twitter: @andreealzr28
Image Credits
Joshua Shelton.