Meet Shiva Negar | Actress & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shiva Negar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shiva, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Persistence and perseverance! Pursuing an artistic / creative career as an Actor I believe is one of the most challenging, competitive and difficult fields to be in. I don’t say that because of the actual work that goes into a performance and portraying characters and telling stories. Yes that can also at times be draining, physically, emotionally and psychologically. However I think that is in fact the best and the fun part of it all, where you get to play and dive into your roles and immerse yourself in the stories you tell.
The difficulty is the unknown, the inconsistencies, and the rejections. It takes a lot of time, money, pitching and teamwork for a Film or TV project to get off the ground and once it does, it’s not guaranteed how successful it will be. As an actor when you are casted on a project, you’re not sure whether that will continue and for how long. A film can be just a one off with no sequels and a tv show can get cancelled after one or a number of seasons. Therefore at times you really may not know when or where your next paycheck is going to come from. In despite of all that, you just have to keep going, keep auditioning, read scripts, take meetings, keep the hope and not give up.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your career, can you tell us more?
I am a Middle Eastern Actress. I come from a diverse background and my journey included quite a bit of migrating. Born in Iran, raised in Turkey, then Canada and now living in U.S. The career I decided to pursue is very uncommon in my culture. Performing arts is not quite considered a career in most middle eastern cultures and views, but rather a hobby and it’s certainly not encouraged. I had to fight really hard for what I wanted to do and overcome many obstacles including the opinions of my family, the traditional beliefs and not being taken seriously as a young woman determined to make it.
What got me to where I am today as I mentioned before was the perseverance and not giving up no matter how hard and out of reach my goals may have seemed.
What I also learned in my spiritual journey is that the universe has my back and I feel like I am serving my purpose and becoming the best version of myself along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love nature and that’s my favorite part of Los Angeles. The beauty of the hills, the palm trees and the beach. So I would definitely take them hiking on various trails in Hollywood with city views and Malibu with ocean views. I like some of the cafes and restaurants on Melrose (West Hollywood) such as Urth Cafe, Catch LA, Cecconi’s. I would definitely take them to one of those if not all. I also like wine bars such as Wally’s in Beverly Hills.
The Grove, Americana and Third Street Promenade are my favorite outdoor walking places with shops and restaurants.
I also like the private members club such as Soho House which has great food and great city view as well.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to all the young actors and people in the Performing Arts field. I know how hard things can be at times but if this is your passion and/or you feel like it’s your calling, then you have to just keep moving forward and don’t be discouraged by anything or anyone. Follow your heart. It knows where to go.

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Website: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3078532/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshivanegar/

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj_gEgrJjEO0VarekfLTFTQ

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theshivanegar

Image Credits
Getty Images