Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Eveline Tainio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Eveline, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

It wasn’t one big lightning-bolt moment — more like a quiet knowing that kept getting louder over time. I feel like it’s such a cliché to say “I always wanted to perform,” but it’s true. I grew up wanting to be seen, to express something. In Finland, we don’t have school theatre programs the same way they do in the U.S., but every time I had the chance to act, sing, or play in a school band, I took it. And I went for the lead.

For the longest time, my main form of expression was figure skating. I started synchronized skating, which is basically team ice skating (think cheerleading on ice), when I was three years old. I skated for 20 years, five of them as part of one of Finland’s national teams. I loved the discipline, the beauty, the stories behind the routines. It wasn’t just about the competition — it was the music, the emotion, the way you could say something without saying anything.

I think deep down, I always knew I’d end up in New York. I literally had the NYC skyline taped to my childhood bedroom wall. In 2018, my parents and I flew to New York for a one-week acting workshop at NYFA — and I fell completely in love. A year later, I got accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Then COVID hit. But in 2021, while the world was still trying to piece itself back together, I packed up my life and moved to New York to study acting.

Before the move, I also had the chance to work on a few professional sets in Finland. Those were short shoots — just a few days here and there — but they lit something up in me. That fast-paced, creative energy on set — someone cueing your lines, and the next moment it’s “Quiet on set!”. I remember walking away after long days completely charged, like I had energy to spare for weeks. I knew: this is what I’m meant to do.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Eveline, a working actress and model from Helsinki, Finland. I moved to New York in 2021 to study acting, and somehow, even after spending hours pretending to be a squirrel, a fire, and who knows what else, I still wanted to keep going.

After graduating, I was invited into their audition-based theater company, where we worked on fully staged productions with some incredible directors. It really shaped me, not just as a performer, but as a collaborator. Since then, I’ve been working in both theater and film here in the city, while also staying connected to the Finnish and Scandinavian markets – one of my biggest goals is to keep building a career that moves between both worlds.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, it’s those small moments where something clicks — in you, or in someone watching. Maybe it’s a line that lands in an unexpected way, or a stranger comes up after a performance and says, “That made me feel something,” or that it reminded them of something they’ve gone through. That kind of connection, that shared moment, is what I live for.

And honestly, there’s nothing better than hugging your castmates after a show, or grabbing a drink together once the cameras stop rolling. Or when you finally see the finished product on a screen or at a festival, and it hits you just how much heart and effort went into it, and how many incredible, talented people you met along the way.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There have been quite a few — because honestly, choosing a creative path, especially in another country and another language, is already an act of resilience, ha. There are so many no’s. So many moments where you doubt yourself. Like most of us, I’ve been rejected from roles I poured myself into, had projects fall apart, and navigated the maze of immigration paperwork just to be allowed to work in the industry I love.

When I was 16, I was in a serious accident. I broke my right shoulder and arm, and for a while, I couldn’t use my arm at all. I had to completely relearn how to move it, from something as basic as lifting it, to holding things, to writing. It was frustrating, painful, and honestly, really scary.

But that experience taught me something early on about rebuilding, and about showing up, even when you feel like you’re starting from zero. I went to physical therapy, stayed consistent, and eventually regained my strength and mobility. After an eight-month break, I was able to return to skating.

That experience has stayed with me. I truly believe anything is possible — and that hard work always pays off.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.evelinetainio.com/
• Instagram: evysi