Meet Sarkis Bakalyan | Actor/Screenwriter/Comedian

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

Hi Sarkis, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was a kid, I would marvel at the idea of going to the movies. It was, and still is, a magical experience when seeing a fictional world come to life and permeate throughout the auditorium with awe-inspiring praise. To me, entertainment is a gold mine of dreams becoming reality. Whether it’s movies, tv shows, video-games, or books, imagination has a strong grasp on all of us. And it can be very exciting to see where imagination can take us. It has always been my passion to collaborate with like-minded people and create content through stories and characters that I would love to see on screen. I am committed to fulfilling my purpose in life by continuing to act, write, and one day direct. It brings me immense joy when working with a creative mindset.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I discovered the performing arts while being the class clown in middle school. I began training classically from the age of 13 and proceeded to star in several theatrical productions growing up. After graduating from California State University – Northridge in 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts, I made the effort to transition my career to film and television. Although theatre will always be at the forefront of my gratitude when it comes to performance, I felt the need for something new and wanted to challenge myself further.

I made my television debut as an actor on “NCIS: Los Angeles” for an episode. Most recently, I had the honor of playing the main character of the feature film “Pride Jewel”, which released on most popular streaming sites and is available to watch now. Other credits include doing voice-over work for animated productions and audiobooks. Aside from acting, I have also written multiple episodes of the mockumentary web series “Real Acting”. I am currently working on a few different projects, one of which is my very own animated series called “Ninja Survive”. I am co-creating it with a friend of mine, Brandon Swofford.

It hasn’t been the easiest journey by any means. I’ve been the biggest advocate of myself, as well as the biggest critic. It can be discouraging when others tell you to try something different because it’s not guaranteed that you’ll be successful in this line of work. Success to most people in entertainment is becoming famous. Success to me is to be a consistently working actor and screenwriter. I can care less about the fame, to be honest. If I can do what I love and make a living while doing it, I will forever be happy.

I think the thing that sets me apart from others is my particular brand of humor. Some people may know me for my physical comedy and sketches that I post online. I love making sketch comedy videos. It’s one way for me to express some of my writing in short bursts.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First and foremost, if you’re visiting Los Angeles and you don’t go to one of the countless beaches, that’s a sin. I highly recommend Malibu since the beaches there are breathtaking to look at. You can also visit the Santa Monica Pier for some carnival action at Pacific Park. Always a breath of fresh air and it includes some fun rides. Visiting the Griffith Observatory is also really cool if you’re interested in astronomy. Most of us LA locals might consider Hollywood Boulevard to be somewhat of a tourist trap, but it is worth a visit to see all the celebrity stars and some of the most random attractions (i.e. Ripley’s Museum or Wax Museum). One of my favorite amusement parks has to be Universal Studios Hollywood. It has some of the most iconic rides, especially considering that they make movies, as well. There are a handful of museums to go to. From the Getty to LACMA, you can’t go wrong with any of them. As for food, you have to try one of the several taco trucks that are parked and serving daily. You can’t say that you’ve been to Los Angeles without trying a street taco. Most of them are good. My personal favorite is the tostada taco. When done right, they’re crispy and seasoned to perfection. If you want a good quality burger, you can’t go wrong with In N Out, a West Coast staple. If you’re into Japanese Curry as I am, Curry Up Cafe is your go-to. Get the DJ Meal. You won’t regret it. But overall, there are so many places to choose from and it can be difficult to think of all of them. Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities with so many bustling activities. There’s never a shortage of things to do or food to eat.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without question, I have to thank my family for supporting me on my journey into the unknown. A career in entertainment can be scary, especially when first starting out. Success is never guaranteed as you audition in front of countless people and hope that you did something the casting director was looking for. Hundreds of auditions later, I don’t get upset anymore for not landing a role. If anything, I’m almost always never expecting to get cast. I know it sounds pessimistic, but in fact I’m more pleasantly surprised when hearing news of me getting a role. It’s best to keep expectations realistic in this industry.

I would also like to give a shoutout to my mentor/teacher in high school, Scott Ryden. It was he who believed in me and pushed me to aim higher when I would doubt myself. I’ll never forget when he convinced me to audition for the main role in our high school musical, “Quack”. I’m so glad I took that leap of faith because it made me more confidant in my abilities as a performer. Thank you, Ryden! I’m forever grateful to everything I learned from you. You’re the best!

Another teacher I definitely have to thank is Chris Coddington. I continued my study of Theatre Arts in college with one of the most interesting assignments I’ve ever had. I had to learn how to juggle. It was quite challenging, but also rewarding once you can do it. For an acting class, I didn’t quite understand why we would need to learn how to juggle. I thought to myself, “How is juggling going to better my performance?” It wasn’t until years later when I realized that any given character that I take on will have inner thoughts, dialogue, and actions that an actor must convey while sometimes “juggling” all three simultaneously. Aside from that very valuable lesson, I also appreciated working with Chris on a few productions with his perceptive insight. Thank you, Chris! You are appreciated!

Within the past several years, I got to meet some amazing people. One of them is Bron Theron, who I am happy to call not just a friend but a person I constantly learn from. Anytime I work with Bron, I get that giddy feeling of wanting to create cinematic goodness. And the best part is that I get to work with a person that is as hungry and imaginative as I am. It was such a great experience working on “Half Dead Fred” (now streaming) and I’m looking forward to continue working on “Pancake Man” (a feature film currently in the works) and whatever else comes afterwards. Much love, brother!

I also have to say how endlessly grateful I am to Bron for sometimes sending me character breakdowns/auditions for roles he thinks I would fit. One role in particular was for a feature film titled “Pride Jewel” (now streaming). I was fortunate enough to play the main character. Along the way, I got to meet Armen Dilanchian, the writer and producer of said film. I am so happy I got to meet Armen because of our immediate Armenian connection. Sometimes I have enlightening discussions with Armen regarding where the industry is headed and what we can do to approach it differently. I want to say thank you so much to Armen for taking a chance on an unknown Armenian guy like me. I’m hoping I was able to play the character of Andre to your liking and hope we can work together again in the future. Thank you for always being so considerate.

I will continually cherish meeting new people in my life. There are so many individuals that I have met and I am indebted to every single one for sharing their stories with me. They shape my journey for the better because I get to understand where someone else comes from and how they’ve gotten to their current situation. To be perceptive of others’ experiences is a remarkable joy to me. People are the lifeline to a social coexistence. Human interaction is of utmost importance to me, especially after witnessing firsthand the devastations of the recent pandemic. I’m looking forward to meeting more talented and insightful people for years to come.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6885449/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarcastic_circus/?hl=en

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sarkis-bakalyan-68308b204

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarcasticircus?lang=en Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/sarcastic_circus

Image Credit:
Stills from Pride Jewel – Courtesy of 4D Legacy Studios