Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kiana Moattari. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kiana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I’ve honestly always wanted to pursue a creative path. When I was a kid I always wanted to be an actor, but as I got older I suppressed that dream and desire and completely buried it for years – to the point where I’m sure lots of people I used to know back then might be surprised to learn that I’m an actor! When I really decided to go for it was during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. I was taking my college classes online and I decided to start doing acting classes on zoom because I used to love acting as a kid, and this was my dream that I actively denied myself for so long. I really didn’t intend to stay in class for more than a month, I thought it would just be for fun, but I was immediately hooked and I couldn’t get enough. After about a year and a half, I graduated from college, was still taking zoom acting class and I knew there was no denying that I needed to do it as a career. As much as I tried to push the desire down and find a non-artistic career path, I just knew I would never be satisfied. I didn’t want to wake up one day, much older and wonder “what if?”.
Kiana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m an actor! Recently I’ve been learning more about the filmmaking industry as a whole because I’m becoming more and more interested in being involved in the entire storytelling process. So for now, I consider myself an actor but who knows, maybe down the line I’ll be more involved as a producer or someone else in the production process.
I started doing musicals when I was around 10 or 11, and through musicals I became really involved in dance and started training more intensely as a dancer. When I got to high school, I completely dropped acting from my life and was really only ever a dancer. I always had acting in the back of my mind as a “dream” but it seemed so unattainable to me at that point in my life. It wasn’t until the pandemic and everything went on zoom that I was able to take a step back from dance and be honest with myself that it wasn’t really what I wanted to pursue in terms of a career.
I hope as an actor I can help tell the story to the best of my ability. I don’t take it lightly that as actors we are there to give characters life and bring other people’s ideas and visions to life. I hope I can be whatever the audience needs me to be – whether that’s helping audiences connect to their emotions and vulnerability through dramatic stories or be entertaining enough in a comedic project that people can find joy after a long day at work.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, it’s the ability to connect with others. Whether that’s with your scene partners when you’re filming or working on a stage production, or connecting with people who watch your work. It’s so magical to connect with actors that you’re working with, and despite me being an extreme introvert in my personal life I find that part of the work so electric and energy-giving. It’s even more rewarding when someone watches your work and they feel something as well. I think that’s really our job – giving audiences something to connect with!
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
It might sound odd but books! Just read more books! When I first started acting again, it had been a while since I read anything for fun. I was only ever reading assigned readings for school. But in the last few years I have absolutely fallen back in love with reading. Non-fiction books and books about the craft are so valuable but honestly so are novels. I love reading or listening to fiction books and being taken through other people’s stories and connecting with other characters. It’s giving me so many more ideas as an actor of the types of characters I like or want to play, and it’s great fuel for future stories that I’d love to help tell.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kianamoattari/
Image Credits
Chris Jon Photography, Ava Lauren Grayson, Mickey West Photography