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

Leila, 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 was clear quite early on that my path would be a creative one, as I was constantly immersed in all things arts. My musician parents often had big jam sessions at our house, and I was always drawn to artistic environments and hobbies. Having a childhood filled with dance, singing, violin, piano, and painting classes eventually led me down a specific path. What I loved the most about dancing and singing turned out to be, at the root of it, that I really loved telling stories and conveying emotions. I began acting in my teens and gradually started to book paying roles in theatre. Within a few months of starting my professional acting career on the stage, I got offered representation by a top agent who saw me in a play. That opportunity cemented my feeling that I was on the right path.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

One of my favorite quotes is “Love the art in yourself; not yourself in the art” by Konstantin Stanislavski. This quote has helped me remain grounded and aware of the bigger picture. As a performer, I’ve had incredible opportunities in theatre, film, and television, including some fun national commercials. I’ve also played dream roles as a live performer at Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. Over the past several years, I found myself only saying ‘yes’ to projects that I truly connected with. I want to be part of stories that mean something and work with people I am excited to collaborate with. Instead of wanting to accumulating a lot of credits or wanting to be the center of attention, I want to utilize the artistic talent within me when and how I see fit. I’m a huge believer in quality over quantity.

During my journey as an actress, I also got into producing and ghost producing films. I learned so much about the business side of the entertainment industry — from script development to casting to production to distribution — and it allowed me to understand the industry as a whole. It takes thick skin to be an artist, and thicker skin to stay an artist after hearing what executives say about artists behind closed doors.

The relationships I made on the business side fed back into the artistic side and allowed ed me help other artists in various career stages. I co-founded Presence Acting Studio to empower artists and to help them navigate the business. It began as referral-only, with executives, agents, and managers sending clients to me. My amazing team and I provide career coaching and portraiture. It is so important for artists to be in tune with themselves so that they don’t get lost in all the noise out there. It is important for each person to find their purpose, their unique voice, and their confidence — that’s a recipe for having presence as you walk through a door. We love taking headshots that exude a person’s essence and brand, and we’ve helped dozens of artists package their materials. Their wins are our wins too! We get so happy when a client gets an audition from a headshot we took, or when they book a gig, or when our career coaching leads to an agent/manager signing them.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Of course through Presence Acting Studio, I’ve been able to help other artists. I also have goals to help non-artists and to better the world. It is important to me to take part in projects that can inspire at least one person. Sometimes watching a character in a story can inspire someone to go fix a broken relationship or to look into why they have a certain P.O.V. on a certain topic. If someone watches a play or a movie and gets inspired to become a nurse or to help people who have PTSD, or if a person decides they want to become an actor to use it for positive change in the world, that’s great. I’ve worked with organizations that utilize drama therapy to help kids heal their traumas, and that was incredibly moving. Knowing that I can leave a long-lasting, positive impact on at least one person definitely drives my creative journey.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It always warms my heart to hear a “thank you”…knowing that I’ve helped someone on their journey, whether it be through Presence Acting Studio or through having a conversation that reinvigorates someone. I’ve also received fan mail and messages from random strangers who’ve seen me in a play, tv show, or movie and were inspired by one of the characters or even just learned something new from watching the final product that the cast and crew worked so hard to make. It’s rewarding to know that the arts can provide a positive social impact. Reflecting back on the Stanislavski quote, I think real artists understand that it’s not about them and it’s not about awards; there is a responsibility to use your talent to create conversation and inspire positive changes within people and communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3420781/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilaalmasrose/
• Other: https://presenceactingstudio.mypixieset.com/

Image Credits

Justin Clynes. Kevin Boot.