Meet Ashwath Ram | Actor & Artist

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

Hi Ashwath, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
Switching from a probably stable career of engineering to a soul filling but volatile profession of acting will probably be one of the biggest decisions that I would make in this lifetime of mine. It was during the period of covid, the time of due stress and a lot of mental congestion that people were collectively experiencing, that I ironically found a certain clarity on what path I should take. After a lot of introspection and pondering about this life changing factor, I needed to bring this news to my parents which I was terrified to do so. Typically, Indian parents are often very resistant towards alternative career paths but on the contrary after I had explained my case and a bit more of a persistent convincing my father got on board. My mother on the other hand was still worried, since I would be the first one to be undertaking acting as a career, she wouldn’t be able to help me that much other than offering mental support. She eventually understood that she needed to let me walk the thorny roads by myself. Thus, a new me was born that night after all the heartfelt confessions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am Someone who is trying to embody depth, ambition, and sophistication, moving beyond the stereotypical roles we’ve been forced into. More than that, I want to serve as a beacon of hope for anyone who looks like me, anybody who feels they’ve been defined by what society thinks they should be. My ultimate goal is to make the audience forget themselves and be completely immersed in the art that I create. I find Joy when they are entertained.

Making the leap and switching careers was hard, but deciding to shift to a different country was harder. When I realized that I was going to get into this industry and acting, I felt that I needed to learn, practice and hone my craft. I was very grateful to be accepted into the MFA acting program at CalArts. This opened me up into an entirely different world that I was previously unfamiliar with. being exposed to committed and driven folk has in turn let me imbibe these qualities myself. The struggle was to adapt to a completely new and different environment that you’ve been accustomed to. culturally and colloquially, I needed to learn how to express myself in a different way. Eventually I found my people and friends. Trusting them and knowing that I can wholeheartedly trust them gives me so much peace and joy. Trust is something that I’ve learnt through my experiences is a tool to build a very strong connection with people. I’ve also realized that there are different levels of trust that you put into people, putting the wrong amounts to certain people can often lead to devastating consequences. I will love them all the same, but I wouldn’t be able to give them the same amounts of trust that I had given them previously.

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?
Oh, there is a lot to do out here! The mornings are fresh and so we would probably be clarified with a hike up in the many valleys and trails in LA county! The food spots in LA are quite the bangers, K-town, little Tokyo and Artesia in particular are on top of my long list. Taking them to the natural history museum, Griffith observatory and the Getty villa are mandatory for an LA visit. I am a cinephile and a big movie buff, so the trip would be incomplete without a visit to the Academy Museum and Watching a screening at the TCL! The evenings would be so wonderful if we could catch the sunset at Venice beach along the cold shoreline. This is just an appetizer, there’s so much more to explore as we go!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate all of my progress in life to my family, peers and my teachers. At the end of the day success to me is the community I build. I would like to specifically thank my mother who discovered that I had some sort of inclination towards the arts, my father who enforced it however he could and my sister who always acts as my support system.

Website: https://www.actorashwathram.com

Instagram: @ashwathram23

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashwath-ram-saravanan-32b966157/