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

Alright, Gayathri thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I was 3 years old and there was a song playing on TV in which the actress was dancing, singing, and acting at the same time. I hopped on and did the same thing as the actress because I thought that was so cool and fun. That’s the first of my first moments to realize that I want to be an actress. My mom said ‘I learned to dance before I learned to walk’. That’s when she put me in dance classes and I started training after school hours. Training led to performances at cultural centers and competitions. Honestly, I did it because I enjoyed dancing and had fun telling a story to the audience through my dance. Even as a kid, I stared at a mirror and posed as if I was being photographed.

I just turned 17, knew something was not right, and didn’t feel like it. At that time I denied all my dreams to be an actress as I was too scared to say it out to my family who at that time said ‘ It is dishonorable and not respectable for a girl in a society to act in films ‘ and it was my first day to computer science engineering classes. It’s like when you get two choices, one being to turn against my whole family and pursue a path in acting which I then had no clue of and the other being to go in the footsteps of every other person around me. I chose the one that I thought would make everyone happy and thus make my life easier. Oh boy, was I wrong and there were no backsies. I chose wrong to realize what exactly is right for me.

I held on to it and after 4 years of practicing my craft after college hours by acting in short films, YouTube videos, and dance videos, I joined acting schools and theatre classes and finally took a big risk coming to the United States from India to study acting at the University of California Los Angeles. It’s the biggest risk I’ve taken and it’s worth it.

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 an actress, dancer, and yoga teacher. I’m an actress, dancer, and yoga teacher. I’m represented by Avant Artists, the team is amazing there. I graduated from UCLA in acting for film & TV. I believe and am told by many that I’m great at playing dramatic roles and comedic roles whether it was for films or commercials. I have taken improv at UCLA and I’m planning on taking more improv classes. My dream roles would be to play Nina Sayers from the movie Black Swan and The Bride from the movie Kill Bill. I’m working on films, commercials, music videos, and dance videos. I’ve played from an angsty teen to tech-savvy GenZ, from a yoga teacher to a mermaid, from an entrepreneur to a party girl. I have recently worked for a Google commercial. I have acted as a mermaid in M.I.A Yung Daril’s Music Video, it was fun and exciting to do. I’ve played Robin in Tag Team film. I’m so proud of my work in the theatrical plays in Silence Please play where I’ve played Rangamma, in Keerthisheshulu play where I’ve played Janaki both of which are educating and enthralling. I’m so thankful for the opportunities given to me to play in films No means No, Iddarammayilatho and Ismaart Girlfriend. I danced in the Euphoria festivals of my college in which I choreographed dance for a few songs and directed/produced/organised/ led as a model/dancer for a themed Fashion Show. I have a YouTube channel where I produce/write/act in those films. I’m looking forward to and super excited to play the lead actress in the feature film, which is in pre-production. I’m getting roles as a dancer in commercials and music videos. I have written a script I’m passionate about and I’m super thrilled to act in it soon. I’m so proud of it. It is my dream project. My first project in LA was Consumption film and it was great shooting. I also got to work on big production sets like Dr. Phil, Press Your Luck, America’s Funniest Home Videos and brands such as Honda, Sephora.

It is a great time being trilingual as I’m translating films and dubbing for them. I’m working on a commercial where I play a yoga teacher and I can’t wait for the commercial to be released. It is an amazing time to be a hip-hop dancer as I’m working on dance videos, music videos, and commercials. I’m so excited to be working in the industry and can’t wait to explore more with the projects. I teach yoga every week and you know what’s the best thing about it? It gives me peace. I’m a gymnast and I have been trained in parkour. I can’t wait to get the opportunity to get trained to do my own stunts.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There was a time when I was studying acting for Theatre and was going to classes but I had to lie and say that they were yoga classes to everyone for straight up 4 months because of the judgment and the “advices” I got in the past. I’d travel for miles and lie about it to make it seem easy so that my family wouldn’t think I was serious about acting and not see it as a threat to the career they thought would make me happy. If I look back, I thank myself for going through all of it but also get saddened that I had to go through all of it and sometimes give myself a little bit of serotonin thinking what if society deemed the arts as mainstream and gave it the same support and love?

Even now, I came to the United States to study acting with an F1 Visa and all I get is 1 year to have the opportunity to work here. I just wish it’d be longer than that, especially considering that for an actress auditioning is the job and booking a paid project is a bonus but it might take a while to actually be on the set and get booked frequently. It’s like pursuing an artistic career is already a big challenge so why make it more difficult?

I’ve recently been thinking about how social media can add and take away from creativity. As an artist, your audience’s tone is a cherry on top giving you the appreciation you deserve but when it comes to social media sometimes it doesn’t work. You might be a really good artist but if your Instagram doesn’t say so it might not land you a role.

If you find an actress, actor, artist, or creative you think is great, give them a follow, give them a like, and tell them that they’re great at what they do. It doesn’t cost you anything and it’ll mean so much to them than you think.

Also, please pay your actors and if you can’t, at least compensate them with an IMDB credit. It’s really helpful and makes us not want to stop chasing our dreams.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up seeing talented and beautiful women in films I thought I had to become like that and then be worthy of pursuing my dream. I pushed myself to lose a few pounds with lots of exercise and a particular diet. I did shed some and after a while, I moved to Los Angeles. Things went downhill when I was overwhelmed with homesickness, stress, and anxiety. They got the best of me by feeding me food. I was so disappointed in myself that I halted my career and romanticized a fresh start which I now think is overrated because there isn’t going to be a new or certain type of me. It’s going to be me taking the steps in pursuing my career and also working on things that I think would make me feel better.

The lesson I learned is that there’s no right way or perfect plan to do things. I’d rather improvise, roll with the punches, and make stuff up to go through my career and life. So wear the dress you kept aside , planning to wear it after you become a certain type. It’s okay to love yourself and work on yourself. Post that selfie and most importantly own yourself. Embrace the unique you and carry it like you would a valuable handbag.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13829141/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
• Instagram: instagram.com/gayathripusuluri
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@gayathripusuluri?si=jFZOOnP_8bbVuFW1

Image Credits
Matt Marcheski, Lena Lee, Sonya Katarina, Snvps