We were lucky to catch up with Heba Toulan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Heba, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
I try to take things as they go; I used to dwell on things but as I get older, I find that I want to “live in the present” as in appreciate what is coming my way. I think with age and experience, I am able to navigate through this journey with careful and logical choices. I think if I’ve started sooner, I was bound to make mistakes and meet poor choices along the way.
So, it’s important to me that I work as much as possible while living in the present and appreciating what I’ve got.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an actor and a model; recently starred as Mother Mary of Jesus in Deaf Missions’ JESUS film which is on Amazon Prime and Apple, with many short films under my belt: SENSES, Reverse, The Window Washer, Compromised Experiment, and more. My stage credits include The Laramie Project, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, and ZACH’s Cinderella. Training resume include MoMo Holt, Joshua Castille, Joey Caverly, Garrett Zuercher, and performed in RENT at the Lincoln Center in NYC.
I also work for multiple brands as a model such as Kymareo, Negris LeBrum, Danny Nguyen, Shadia Styles, Alexandria Lee Designs, LUSID, House of Zanellii, Mini’s Collection and more. I’ve worked with many photographers in expanding my repertoire as a model. I’ve trained with multiple acting and modeling agencies such as Core of the Runway, The Models Lab, and The Movement LA.
As a model with a disability, I aim to bridge that gap where people with disabilities are often overlooked and put in the background. I’m most proud that I am able to continue working as long as I have.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I don’t have a specific mission in my journey; I have many goals. That helps me push my creativity and look for people who are of similar mindset: to create art.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I received a call from a director through a sign language interpreter (video relay service). The director kept asking me questions about my ability to perform even though I do not use my voice. When the conversation became uncomfortable for me, I straightout asked the director why the questions if it was clear that he was apprehensive about using my acting in his film. Finally, I wished him the best in his project and hung up on him when he said, wait! (The interpreter signed that while hanging up on him) I felt empowered, I wasn’t about to let anyone push me away from my passion.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hebatoulan.com
- Instagram: @hebatoulan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HebaToulan
Image Credits
Kameereo Crisp, Neha Balachandran, Raj Nitro, Crystal Smiley Photography