Meet Anuradha Seneviratne

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

Hi Anuradha, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

At an early age I had to learn not to let the harshest of conditions get to me. We had a great childhood and means our parents provided us with but me and my two sisters were mostly growing up with either one parent or none because of their work abroad. One of my earliest memories as kid was when we had to evacuate the invasion of Kuwait. They separated the women and children from the men to give us safe passage out of the war zone. That fear, I might never see my father again was a shrieking, devastating pain. We were reunited back in Sri Lanka but after the war was over, they had to leave us with our uncle and aunt. There was that familiar feeling again. I believe this changes you. I say this because when I started to grow up and understand things a bit more, I realized that there was an undeniable strength in me, an unwavering confidence to overcome things. Persistence combined with confidence is how you get to where you wanna be.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am Sri Lankan by heritage but I was born in Kuwait and now have lived in America for the past 18 years. When I was just a child we had to evacuate Kuwait because of the invasion by the Saddam Hussein. There were no working airports in Kuwait. We had to take buses from place to place through the desert to get to Jordan to catch a flight. This was a very scary period for me as a kid to say the least. We finally got settled in Sri Lanka but even back then I knew I was always gonna end up in United States. I feel Kuwait’s liberation by the American forces had something to do with this. My father had kept a painting I had done of American forces coming in with tanks, stealth bombers and fighter jets to save us. I have a strong memory of feeling very near and dear for here and that love story continues to this day. My uncle, who lived in Los Angeles at the time, helped me with the move and I attended Los Angeles City College to study computer science or some form of mechanical engineering. I was getting straight A’s and was on the Dean’s list but I had no interest in learning any of this. I loved the physics bits but despised the math. I wanted to make movies. So, I switched my major to theater and film. After a year there, I didn’t feel like I was getting what I was looking for and I found Lee Strasburg Theatre and film Institute. Here I felt like I was at home. I met the most important teacher I would meet in my life. Marc Marno, old school New Yorker and Italian! It’s the master we all need when you’re embarking on a new journey but by no means was the student ready nor did the master appear before me. I had to seek him out. He guided me well and I took what I have learnt from him out there into the world. I have had many great teachers in my life since and I pick up something new along the way with each one of them because you will never stop learning this craft.

Since then I have been in two TV shows and in a hand full of award winning short films and two features films are in the works.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I have an extensive knowledge of old Hollywood. The real Movie Stars and the Legendary film makers from the golden era of Hollywood. If you are pursuing anything, I believe it’s very important to know the history of your field, inside and out. No matter what area of expertise you seek, there will be a time you will need to draw from history to solve a problem. Things do go in cycles in the universe. Follow the roots and you will reach the branches.
I believe we’re at the precipice of “THE” Hollywood as we know it. Streaming services, limited series’s and superheroes movies have changed the industry so much. Some people like it – according to box offices and viewer counts – some don’t. There’s no reason why we can’t find balance in things. Christopher Nolan made The Dark Knight and we got one of the best movies ever made with one of the best works of acting ever done by Heath Ledger as the Joker, in a superhero movie. Streamers have great shows. Limited series’s can be a good thing, if you can make more of it, so everyone gets more work. Then there’s AI. Before there was CGI. Can we fight it? I couldn’t say. What I can say is, if you don’t adapt to change you’ll be out of a job and Yes “I do mean extinct”.
Anyhow, if it’s not Ai it will be the next thing or the other. You have to decide whether you’re gonna let it stand in your way. That’s it! we can only work with what we have and keep moving forward, believe in yourself and your abilities. Doesn’t matter what machine is learning. Do not attempt to fight things that’s out of your control, as It is a waste of your time and energy. Instead, focus on what you can control. Watch movies, a lot of movies, old and new. Read new books, take classes, keep horning your craft, learn new skills and stay ready. Keep your mind clear on where you are heading and the rest will fall into place.
Last but not least, stay humble. No matter how high above the clouds you can soar, do not ever forget where you began. Humility is an essential asset not many possess. It helps you help someone, who’s in your shoes when you started out and the cycle shall continue.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

It is going to be your fellow artists who’s gonna lift you up. So, it’s important to find your tribe. Go to events and connect with like minded people. Find people who are happy for your success and who wants to help you get better. Film things at home, practice. I have a lot of great actor/director friends in my life who I get to do this with on a daily basis. They help me learn and grow. Without whom I would be nowhere. There will be times that life is gonna be very hard for you with no bookings and multiple rejections. Not knowing where the next job is gonna come from. The only solace you will have are your friends. So check in on a friend from time to time and help each other out.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: AnuradhaSenevi
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12572198/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits

Radomir Jordanovic
Tom Gander
Scott/Vera Myers