Meet Christine Viviers | An Actor

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

Hi Christine, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I love this question because I would not be where I am today without taking risks. In 2016 I was studying PPE (Politics, Philosophy, and Economics) at Stellenbosch University and during my break, I did a 6-week Acting Course at NYFA (New York Film Academy) in New York. I was scared to follow my heart and pursue acting after school as it was choosing a path of uncertainty. I however overlooked the most important point of choosing this path which was choosing love. I wrote a letter throughout each year that will perfectly depict my journey of taking risks:

Dear 2016

I finished my first year in College and gained a lot of academic knowledge but in the process lost my lust for life. I held on to hope because I knew that if I put my head down and work hard maybe I can get what I always dreamt of, a chance to study what I wanted amongst the best and therefore become the best. PPE you were a beautiful distraction, I want nothing more than to lose myself in work that I love.

Dear 2017

I just decided to pursue Acting and move to America, this marks the day of freedom. I have a vulnerable canvas and I’m ready to paint. I feel free because I broke down walls of expectations given by myself and the society that the world produces. I was brave enough to leave the security and follow the path of instability of acting. I feel proud of myself, I honestly do. For the first time, I have an undivided heart and mind and I cannot tell you how freeing that feels. As the wise Lumineers” say: “I wasn’t born to drown”. Take this majestic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and FLY.

Dear 2018

I’m in New York City busy living my dream by studying acting and I hoped that by this time I would be saying “Now I made it, I’m happy!” However, life is never what it seems and I must say I’m impressed by New York for how tough you are. If you know your “Why” you’ll endure any “How”. I’m not regretting my decision for one second for choosing a path that I love. Thank you Acting for being my best friend in a city of 8.5 million people. I say this with great thought that there is nothing in this world that I would rather be doing.

Thus reflecting on the golden thread of those past three years, taking the risk changed my life and I will encourage anyone to take the leap of what scares them the most because the payoff is most certainly worth it.

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’m a South African, native Afrikaans actress and my story starts with a little girl fueled with a lion spirit of wanting to make this world a better place, with a dream as big as the sky and a heart full of love. I’ve been acting, singing and dancing since I was 3 years old and have been blessed to make my passion my career. I graduated from AMDA New York/Los Angeles with honors in my BFA in Acting. The thing I am most proud of right now are the projects that I have been able to participate in. ‘Mother Grace’ is one of them. It’s a play written by Aditya Putcha that performed really well in the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival and was selected for Encores.
In terms of what sets me apart, besides being an International and having a South African accent it had to be my unique perspective on life due to my upbringing. I was raised in Kayamandi, a township in South Africa and was the first and only white family to live in a black community. I don’t need to give a history lesson about Apartheid, but it was bad. My parents fought for reconciliation and equality. One day a local man told my father, “You come here with your nice car and tell us we are all created equal, but in an hour you’ll drive back to your safe house with running water, warm bed, food, and forget about us suffering here.” And that is how I came to live and grow up in Kayamandi, a township situated just outside Stellenbosch, the most affluent town in South Africa. This move was and still is regarded as a very dangerous thing to do. The difference in class was not the only evident distinction, it was the vast separation of two dominant cultures and mindsets. However, this experience taught me the “helicopter view”: to be objective. I learned how to extract myself from a situation and see what is truly happening. In my case, as a little girl, I developed the perception that when we fall, we all bleed the same blood. I learned to see souls and not bodies of color, race, or class.

I think the biggest challenge in my acting career only arose when I got older. When I was young, I had so much fun working hours on a project yet still balancing school and my social life. In 2017 when I moved to America to pursue acting full time I had the disadvantage of knowing the market and acting techniques of America. I remember in my first Acting Class at HB Studio we were given scenes from American plays to work on and I had never seen or heard of them. The rest of my class grew up knowing about all the different playwrights and working on them at school. In South Africa, I mostly worked on Original work or Classical Playwrights such as Chekhov and Shakespeare. I had to buckle down and work twice as hard, so I spent most of my time in The Drama Book Shop in Times Square reading and learning about this world of playwrights I was only now exposed to. Fast forward to 2022, I have a large bookshelf in my living room with 100-plus plays that are organized by color that I adore and aspire to be in.
The story I’d love the world to know is that you are worthy of every dream you dream. Trevor Noah is such a beautiful example. I grew up in a township just like he did although not in the same circumstances. Knowing the world, to achieve what he has done is unimaginable yet he still did it. Your story, aspirations, and feelings are valuable. There is only one of you and that makes you invaluable. Do the things that you would be proud of in the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First thing when I pick them up at LAX I would give them the longest hug ever. After that, I would take them to The Grove Mall and have a meal at La Piazza next to the fountain. Then I would take them to the Santa Monica pier for a sunset Zumba class and head over to Blue Plate Oysterette for dinner. Own your morning, seize the day – for sunrise at 5 am I would take them to Malibu beach paired with a coffee from Bluebottle at the Civic Center Way Malibu. The next few days I would take them for a hike at Runyon to see the Hollywood sign, and then for an overpriced smoothie at Erewhon. I would take them to The Blending Lab for a blending class to create our own wine and then for dancing at No Vacancy. On Sunday I would definitely take them to my church, Mosaic in Hollywood, and afterward for a Sunday Lunch at Laurel Hardware in West Hollywood. Hopefully, we have time for a road trip to Vegas, Joshua Tree, and San Francisco. Lastly, if they’re up for it skydiving at Lake Elsinore.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A man is not an island and there is no way that I would have been able to achieve my goals, live where I do, and go to a Performing Arts School (AMDA and HB Studio) as an international student, if it was not for God, and my parents. As it is through God that I got my talent and why I am where I am in life. My parents have supported my dreams ever since I can remember and even to this day fly out from South Africa to support me when they can. They have taught me to treat others how you’d like to be treated and always stand up once more than you have fallen. My parents raised me with the idea that no dream is too big, and have sacrificed so much for me. I just want to make them proud, which is why I always push myself as hard as I can and give my all in everything I do. I would not be where I am today or who I am today if it wasn’t for them.

Website: https://www.christineviviers.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-viviers/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristineViv07

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.viviers

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nkyUBKoh2Hymjmiu1awsQ

Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christineviviers?lang=en

Image Credits
Gabriella Amerth: https://www.amerth.com/