We were lucky to catch up with Marili Kateri recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marili , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I believe when you’re an artist or creative, all of your projects are important to you. Your work matures along with you which that in and of itself is special. But for me its hard to pick and choose which one project means more because they all have shaped who I am. I learn something different each time and I’m grateful for the growth resulting from it. Even the films that were not necessarily received well by viewers or got bad ratings – they’re still very special and pride inducing for me. There’s always that risk of people not liking what you do, how you do it or what you look like. But if you love what you do and you do it well, more will love you. It’s our job as artists to connect and provoke thoughts and feelings in others. I would even go as far as saying our job is to heal. You can’t do that without putting yourself and your work out there. It will touch someone and they’ll be grateful that you did.

Marili , 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?

I don’t have the typical artist story. You know, the one where the person is like “I knew I was meant to be an artist/actor when I was a little child.” Not necesarily. I think with me, I’ve always wanted to be expressive and I always knew I wanted to be a performer in some way, but acting came in the picture well into my high school years and later became a career choice while I was in college.

I come from an artistic family. We experienced art, dance, instruments and music in the household growing up. I’m pretty sure that’s where the spark came from.

Acting was a natural progression from dancing which was my first love.. I did theater, art, dance & step team in high school. Then I did some film and theatre in college which is where acting sort of claimed me while taking an acting 101 class. From there, I just took the steps. I signed up for Meisner acting classes, I got headshots, I put a resume together. I already knew an agent from the area so I started working with her and been with her ever since.

I think my first big non union commercial was a Yingling Beer commercial and my first SAG job was a Baltimore Ravens Megatron commercial. I got to dance and do an L kick in that one which was pretty cool. Both commercials are floating around on youtube somewhere, I’m sure.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

When your art changes the lives of other people, or touches their heart and soul, that does something to you. It makes you feel purposeful. I believe we are all connected by invisible threads that are vibrating constantly. When you inspire someone, that thread vibrates even stronger and you feel the warmth of it. I like to think that warmth is pride, honor and joy. I believe our main purpose in life is to inspire each other constantly.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Digital art collecting. Hey, whatever floats your boat and gets your art bought. I just don’t understand paying thousands of dollars for an illustration of a bored ape or stick figure smoking weed while listening to music on a laptop or a pixelated cat.. What do you do with that? Asking for a friend.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marilikateri.wixsite.com/actress
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marili.kateri/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActressMariliKateri/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/marili_kateri?lang=en
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3670777/

Image Credits
Brian Jones