We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tamara Abrosimova. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tamara below.

Tamara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I grew up in the small town of Kherson in the south of Ukraine. Due to poor upbringing, I didn’t pursue acting until I was in my twenties. And even in my twenties I had zero idea about the industry, how to find an agent and red flags I needed to avoid. Fast-forward a few years later, I booked my first co-star, have agents in four different markets, and I am definitely more informed on how the film industry works.

I often think how things could’ve been different, people I would meet, places I would get to see. If I started when I was ten I would’ve had more experience, hands down. I would’ve pursued theater more, since that’s the timeframe I began to take interest in it. I would get into university and pursue that career, have a regular job and probably live with my mom until I moved into a different city. I would definitely be married by the time I’m thirty and would have two kids.
Perhaps in a parallel universe I do have those things, but I am very happy where I’m at now.

I have my own business and I can take time off whenever I feel like it. I travel around the country and world, I learn new hobbies in between. Just a few days ago I learned how to fly a helicopter! Week prior to that I learned how to scuba dive.
The only kids I have are my two cats: Dexter and Draco named after two of my favorite fictional characters.
Of course there are sacrifices I have to make. Since I’m always on the go and do my own thing, I don’t date and am not ready to have kids yet. But there are good things as well. When I get booked for something, I go for it. I have money to work as a local all over the United States, I don’t have any responsibilities or mean bosses to deal with.

In conclusion, I don’t wish I would’ve started sooner or later. I believe that everything happens for a reason and I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Tamara, 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 am originally from Ukraine and I moved to the US when I was 12. I began to professionally pursue acting after I worked as an extra on the set of “The Righteous Gemstones” in Charleston, SC.

I am ambitious about my craft and what I do, and I try to learn about the industry as much as I can. I also love helping others. I offer business class and how to get started in this business. I help people get registered on Actor’s Access, IMDb and other important sites. I tell actors what they need to have for their actor’s portfolio, how to write a resume, what not to do during auditions and I really enjoy being a reader.
I offer photography services, private Zoom sessions and taping services.

What sets me apart from others is that I am a Ukrainian-Russian actor and there are not many of us in the industry. I have lots of acting experience and I’m taking classes. I pursue different hobbies that can help me book more jobs.
I am always working on improving my skills, promoting myself, and getting more material for my demo reel. I work even when I travel. I never take a break from acting. It’s not just a hobby for me, it’s a job, it’s my career.

Since I’m single, I don’t have to deal with planning a family vacation or a Sunday bbq. Those are fun things, but having a family can be a bit of a hassle, especially when you’re an actor.

I am most proud of accomplishing things, even when I was at my lowest. I am lucky to have supportive family and friends who know exactly what I go through every day. Audition after audition, constant rejections, not feeling good enough, feeling frustrated when someone with less experience books an amazing gig. But there is a time and place for everything, and I’m just patiently waiting for mine.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

A lot of non-creative people think that actors are always on the set, going to red carpet premieres and it’s a fabulous life with lots of partying. Hell no. Yes, we do work on sets, but not all the time. Unless you are an A-list actor, which I think the majority of the working actors are striving to be.

We are not on the set 365 days a year. We’re there when we get booked, and even then we have to sit in our trailer until a 1st Assistant Director tells us that it’s our time to shine. Actors tape audition after audition, day and night, and they only hear back from their agent ( or manager) when they booked the part. I wish I booked every TV show I auditioned for! My booking ratio is 5 out of 100, which means I don’t book 95 roles that I auditioned for.

Red carpet premieres and galas happen often, depending on your location. Small cities won’t have any unlike major markets like Los Angeles or Atlanta. You also have to network with other creatives and check where those fancy events are happening.

A lot of actors are hustlers who are pursuing one of the most difficult careers in the world. Being an actor today is like riding a rollercoaster 24/7. One day you book a national commercial, and the next day your boyfriend leaves you, because you can’t pay for rent and you’re barely home.

Most of the actors and filmmakers I know are single, because we keep moving from one city to another. I have friends who used to live in small towns, but they moved to Atlanta and New York to be closer to everything. It’s hard to keep relationships stable and social life can be crappy. Not a lot of people know what actors go through daily, or the excitement we get when our agent calls us saying we got a callback for a major Netflix show.

Civilians don’t understand the struggle when we have to cancel our plans or reschedule a get-together, because we have to tape a one-liner for a Hulu television show ASAP. They don’t understand that we work on this career for years. The only promotion we get is when we go from stand-in to a co-star, and from co-star to recurring character. Some of us give up after a few years, because we aren’t where we want to be. Few of us take a break from acting because we want to raise a family, or build a house or move across the country.

Actor’s life has its ups and downs, but it is very rewarding in the end.

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

My biggest and current goal at the moment is to book a recurring character on a popular television show, where I get to portray my brand. My brand and the types I audition for are sexy girls, spies and bad guys. Very few times I got an audition for a Russian girl. But I want to play a sexy, funny villain who just happens to be a spy, and she is from Russia. Kind of like Villanelle from “Killing Eve”.

I think it will be absolutely amazing if I can book my dream role on either Hulu, HBO Max, Starz or Netflix. Because no one watches television anymore, everyone has a subscription to the streaming platforms.

I also think that once I book the role on HBO, people who bullied and harassed me can see how far I’ve come, and that will make them very mad. Which I will absolutely enjoy :)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tamaraabrosimovaactor.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lifeoftamaraabrosimova
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamarageorgievnaabrosimova
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-abrosimova-747227198/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/abrosimovag?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLqvtnyg1E9UVI28TJMNwIw
• Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@tamara_abrosimova IMDB: imdb.me/tamarageorgievnaabrosimova https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm10993712?ref_=hm_nv_mp_profile Actor’s Access: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/tamaraabrosimova

Image Credits
Valeria Tanuzzi Chas Mills