We recently connected with Ilana Kohanchi and have shared our conversation below.
Ilana, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I was born in Russia and raised in the US. Coming from a Russian-Jewish background, that immigrant mentality was pervasive growing up. Besides creating a strong work ethic and “Push for what you want” mindset, that combined with my natural optimism, created this internal confidence. That and growing up, my mother always told me I was the best, prettiest, and brightest at everything, and for better or worse, I believed her. I still believe that “if you think you can, you’re right, and if you think you can’t, you’re right.” I live by that. It has helped me more in my career to have an almost delusional unwavering belief in myself, than to be my own nay-sayer.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m an actress, so it is definitely an artistic career. I work in film and TV and I am focused on jumping to the next level, booking a series regular, hopefully on an amazing hit show with a 10 season run. I would love to develop a character and stay with the same one and she goes through so many stages in life. With a film, or short arc on a tv show, we tend to jump through different characters quickly, which is exciting, but staying with one and really getting to know her for a long time is a dream for me. That, and of course, consistent work, which is what every actor strives for.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1.) Confidence in your decision to do this. This one is crucial if you are starting out in this industry, because people will try to “talk sense into you” from all areas of your life, even those who love you most. And the truth is, if you can be happy doing something else, your life will likely be easier for it. But if you are certain beyond any doubts, that you must be an actor, then take that with you and protect it like a fire at your core that nobody can take away.
2.) freedom and truth
From an artistic standpoint, you have to dive in and commit entirely to your choices. That means risking failure, over and over again. But satisfying yourself is the only way to satisfy your audience. So, leave the people-pleasing at the door and defend your character. That is hard to do, (I still work on it to this day) but once you realize it really goes hand-in-hand with results, it gets easier.
3.) No fears in the business
You have to hustle and do it in a way that is not off-putting or over-eager. But certainly, you cannot just sit and wait for the phone to ring, because chances are, it won’t. Creating opportunities means constantly approaching yourself as a business that you are trying to grow, and always searching for new ways of getting in front of your “buyers”.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I definitely think it is better to go all in our strengths. I threw myself into acting as a child, because I loved it, but also because I could feel that I had a natural talent that could be developed. The same was true of dancing, and languages. I competed in latin ballroom growing up and joined various salsa teams. I learned to speak 6 languages because as a child, those things came naturally to me. Many others, however, did not. I can’t sing, like, at all. Even in the shower, I turn the hot water cold. So I never invested time into it. Rather than try hard to become at best mediocre at singing, I could spend that time becoming great at acting. It is important to work hard in school and the classes we have to take, but choosing your extra-curricular activity and eventually your major, and your career should go (in my opinion) towards your natural abilities. Talents can be developed into skills. So can starting from scratch with anything, but a leg up is always beneficial.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.IMDB.me/ilanaKohanchi
- Instagram: @ilana_Kohanchi
- Facebook: ilana Kohanchi_actress
- Other: www.ilanaKohanchi.com
Image Credits
Stephanie Girard Joanna DeGeneres Michael Viyera
