We were lucky to catch up with Kseniya Janyan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kseniya , 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 was very young. My deda (grandfather) was going through the unmerciful trials of colon cancer and it was very evidently taking its toll. His English was never good but he did enjoy American movies. The memory is a bit blurry but we were at home in Cairo, it was late into the night. I remember hearing a man’s laughter coming from downstairs. Not my deda’s, someone else. It was the most wonderful sound, I’ll never forget it. I crept down the steps and found that he had the tv on. I wasn’t supposed to be up but I made my way over and sat on the floor next to his chair. We shared some sort of silent acknowledgement that this secret was ours to keep. I turned to the screen and saw this man. He was magnetic. I couldn’t look away. He filled the room with this kind of replenishment, this kind of energy. It was unparalleled. It was Good Morning Vietnam. My deda felt it too. I remember the wet glare in his eyes, the tears built up behind his laughter. It had been months since I’d seen him experience any semblance of joy. We sat there for a while in that state and all I knew was that I wanted it to continue. For as long as I could keep it, as long as I could bottle that feeling. I wanted to create something, give something, help someone in this way, in the way Robin did–for so many of us. The immense love and respect I had for him continued as I grew older and he became a staple of what was possible to me. I owe him a great deal and I’m sure I’m not alone in this debt.

Kseniya , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kseniya Janyan, I’m an Armenian/Egyptian/Russian queer actor + writer currently based in Brooklyn, NY.

I immigrated to the states when I was a kid, and then started pursuing my independence around the age of 16. It was bumpy, but I did make an effort to always be involved in some way. Elementary school pageants, high school productions (Pirates of Penzance/Rehearsal For Murder), college blackbox series (Macbeth/About Michael), community theatre (Troilus & Cressida/InDependent: A Heroin Project) and so forth. Life outside of the work was a bit chaotic so at times the two worlds merged and not always to the benefit of the other. I bounced around a lot. I’ve lived in I think somewhere like 11 states, then eventually made my way to NY about 7 years back. It’s been a wild ride and I’m still going through the loops but I think a big part of me is thankful my life wasn’t easy. The immigrant experience, having to grow up young, always having to fight for what you have, every failure, every win, both big and small have in their own significant way influenced how I approach the work. The people I choose/want to play, the stories I need to tell. They come from a very real place. I’m not someone who enjoys talking about themselves, I find it very self-indulgent and I never quite feel like I’ve gotten my point across–but I am proud of my resilience. If you don’t tell your story, who will?

As far as what I’d like to do… Well, every artist has their little, tiny, black book of names–I’m no exception. There are directors, producers, writers I’d love to collaborate with one day. I tend to skew my interests into indie cinema, female/queer/immigrant theater and documentary-adjacent projects. Anything forgotten, anything nuanced, anything with a backbone placed in reality. That’s what I gravitate towards. It’s a tricky playing field nowadays. Trying to maneuver all the red tape while making sure your casting is honest to who you are and where you’re wanting to go. We’ve all had to take on roles or bend a little here and there to work our way up to the juicy stuff. It’s finding a healthy balance between your worth and your compromises that jumbles a lot of us up. But with age and experience comes the understanding that I’m exactly where I need to be.

Recent work includes Gents Can’t Measure: An Adaptation by Helen Romeu Coombes & Eloise Carter Walne @ The Tank, Pinkies by Marcus Quinn, & The M.I.C.E in The Wall by Jimmy Naples/Naples ENT (Best Supporting Actress IndieX Film Festival + LA Independent Film Short Awards)

Have you ever had to pivot?

I dropped out of college during the beginning of my junior year. The decision came from multiple places but frankly, if I had to go back and do it all over, I’d have done it again. I just remember sitting in these classrooms, going over the same things I could’ve searched on Youtube or read up at the library and mentally clocking the amount of money and time was spent spooning into the idea that without that piece of paper–I couldn’t be an actor. It was a farce. A scheme. And although I’m sure for some it could be a wonderful experience, I’m just the kind of person that doesn’t believe you need to go to school to be an artist. You can train, you can attend workshops, you can find mentors, there are so many different avenues to this thing and I just think the educational route has become a bit archaic. It also proved itself true once I left, I started working almost instantly. Sure, not every gig was THE gig, but I was gaining knowledge and experience of what the business was about and I was doing it with the freedom of choice. Maybe one day, if I’ve got the leisure and liquidity it takes to go back to school–I’ll entertain it. But for now, I know I made the right decision.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

God yes. There’s a clique-like aspect to this industry that really makes an ugly mess of things. Especially the lower down the food chain you go. It’s always who you know, where you were, who you spoke to, what you were wearing. It’s upsetting to say the least. However, in a lot of arenas over the past 5 years or so, I’ve been seeing a large shift of accessibility. Of the way castings are advertised and opened up in communities that otherwise would not have been aware. Creative programming in juvenile facilities, social media castings, community funded/volunteered/self-made productions, flyer and mass email send-outs, among others. I know that speaking for myself, I would’ve benefited from a bit more outreach. Someone telling me it was okay to ask questions. It’s that notion that those before you have fought to open the door, so we should all collectively be working together to keep it open–for everyone.

A few of these: your local drama bookshop/theater library, a lot of cities will have project newsletters (if you’re in Ohio I suggest signing up for NEohioPAL), Facebook forums, for New Yorkers (Rattlestick Theater, The Tank, The Heights Players), The Listings Project, visit your local college theater/film department and check the bulletin boards!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kseniyajanyan.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kseniyajanyan/?hl=en
• Other: https://linktr.ee/kseniyajanyan

Image Credits
David Payne, Alex Belisle, Rhyz, Zac Popik