Meet Lina Kefi | Actress, Writer and Singer

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

Hi Lina, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I love this question. The scary thing about risk taking is the unknown. The discomfort of not knowing what will happen next. People who are scared of taking risks happen to also have a binary approach to results: success vs failure.

As someone who likes to have a general road map for my life and some sense of control in what happens next, the idea of taking risks used to be extremely scary to me (and sometimes still is). I have learned few things though:

-Not everything is within our control and it’s unrealistic and humanly impossible to control every single aspect of what happens in life. Not to mention that, expecting oneself to do that is extremely anxiety inducing.

-Sometimes having tunnel vision about something specific makes us pass on other beautiful things or great opportunities that we couldn’t see because we were so focused on what was right in front of us.

-Failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s part of its journey. Any experience in life can be at the very least, a teachable moment. And there’s no better teacher than making mistakes. I never regret mistakes, I only regret not trying. Having this mindset lowers the stakes of any risk.

I also learned to see risk as opportunity. The chance to discover something new, enrich my life and maybe learn something in the process. It’s also a way of surrendering that control to the universe and saying “I’m eager to discover what you give me and enjoy the experience.” This is a much healthier approach I think.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
When I was about four years old, I was asked by one of my parents’ friends that we were visiting, what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’ve never been asked that before so I thought about it. The idea of having one job, every day, at the same place, seemed boring. A lot of the jobs that came to mind sounded exciting but the thought that one day, as an adult, I would have to choose just one job for the rest of my life, seemed like it would be too much pressure, so I said “Everything!”. Props to four-year-old me for having a logical thought process at least, even though she didn’t know “everything” wasn’t a job. Or was it? There IS a profession where you can work different things, in different places, where you can even be different people, a profession that transcends space and even time. It was called Acting. And as soon as I was able to put a name to what I wanted, it was how I answered that question ever since.

Although I didn’t have access to theater clubs or acting classes growing up, I did what I could with what I had. I would memorize speeches (monologues) from my favorite tv shows or books and I would act them, by myself, in my room. I did have two chances to act and perform when I was five and eleven years old respectively that solidified how much I liked acting. At five, it was the end of pre-school at the graduation ceremony where kids who wanted to perform were given the chance to do so. I, of course, signed up and was given a role in a short kid-friendly play.

At eleven years old, in my elementary school graduation ceremony, I had much more freedom to do more creative things. I was part of a dance group at the school so we did perform two choreographies. But I also wanted to sing and act and there weren’t any groups for that. So my teacher, who happened to be the one organizing the event, reluctantly gave me a song to learn and I ended up performing it during that ceremony. As for acting, she said I couldn’t perform by myself so there’s nothing she can do about that. Rebellious as I was, (especially about limiting rules) I managed to gather a group of three other students that were also graduating and the four of us went to her for a chance to be able to act in that ceremony. She was very annoyed but agreed and said, if we wanted to do this, we shouldn’t bother her and should do everything by ourselves and that included rehearsing on our time and not in school etc. and to just come to her with the final version so she could allow it or shut it down. We were happy to just get a chance so we agreed to the terms and had so much fun collaborating on the project and credit here to everyone involved because our unsupervised eleven year old group did absolutely amazing and the end result was hilarious and just perfect. When we performed, in front of the entire school and all the parents, the audience’s laughter to many of our lines, was the best sound I ever heard in my life up to that point.

My next “official” theater performance (with the blessings of a teacher this time, and where things were done “the right way”) was thanks to a creative project in a high-school class when I was sixteen. We were told we had the freedom to do anything we wanted to showcase a specific subject that we were given. The only rule was to collaborate with at least two other classmates. That was my green light to finally do something acting-related. So I went home, I wrote a script for a short play, surrounding the subject material, I also wrote a song (because I wanted the play to somehow start with a song, since we could do whatever we wanted and I wanted to also sing) and the next day I started recruiting the cast. To my surprise, a lot of my classmates were excited to be part of my project. The next step was to find the costumes so I went thrift shopping with my mother. I set my play in the European Medieval Ages, because I’ve always been fascinated by that time-period. Finding those costumes in Tunisia (a small country in North Africa) definitely was a challenge so I had to get creative. We ended up buying different items that I, later used my extremely amateur sewing skills to make them look time-period appropriate. The play was about young poor children with difficult working conditions so the bad sewing job I did, and the mismatched different materials and pieces sewn together, turned out to fit right in to complement the story. We did a few rehearsals and then came “performance day”. Our performance was everything I imagined it to be. It was rewarding to see the audience moved by my singing. To bring to our “boring and ordinary” classroom, a story from a different time and a different place and live it, in the moment. A story the audience was moved by and the subject that the teacher wanted showcased, became part of a conversation that later extended for days beyond the class. To also have classmates come up to me at the end and say that next time they get the chance they would do a play too because I inspired them. Others that were part of the cast, thanked me for choosing them. The teacher was extremely impressed and said that no one has ever done that in her class before. All this was extremely rewarding and well worth all the years I waited and all the effort I put into making this, even though none of those reactions were expected. I wrote the play because I wanted to act in front of an audience and no opportunity was available to me. Everything that came out of that performance and after was just the cherry on top.

Unfortunately, because of many complications, struggles and limited resources, it would be many many years later until I get the actual opportunity to finally take acting classes in a proper acting school, in the capital of tv and film, Los Angeles. By that time, I was an adult, with a boring career working every day in the same boring place. But when I finally got the opportunity and the resources to make a change, and wondered if I should make this big life change and risk everything, and for what. I heard little four-year-old me say “everything”. And the choice was then easy.

So to answer your question, were there challenges? I think I’ve had my share of those! Now I get to unapologetically act and perform and write and sing and I couldn’t be happier!

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?
I would start by taking them to a hike in Runyon Canyon Park, that’s what I used to do almost every Sunday morning when I lived in the area. Then because I’d want to share with them, significant places that had an impact in my life, I would take them for a tour at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where I both did The Summer Program and The full program.

Inside the Academy, I’d definitely show them the library, one of my all time happy places and where I was a library worker and where, even not at work, I spent most of my time, basically all day long. I would also show them the small piano room that I booked all the time at lunch to practice piano or to work on songs for class. The reception desk, where I also worked, the Styles classroom that always excited me because of all the costumes (and how fun that class was) and finally the Dance classroom that I also booked constantly to rehearse or just have some time alone singing or dancing or for some down time between classes.

Then I would take them to lunch in one of my two favorite places in that area: Thai food at Weho Thai Noodle & Rice or Greek food at Daphne’s. Then I would take them for a fun afternoon at The Grove. Another happy place there is Barnes & Nobles where I’d spend many Sundays. Then we’d go to The Farmers Markets and have our pick from all the International and delicious cuisines. I usually buy food then go to the Pan Pacific Park to eat it there, like a picnic. That park is also another happy place. Dogs can run free there which is something I like.

And we would end the day by watching a movie in my favorite movie theater AMC at CityWalk Hollywood. I like taking the little transportation train-like shuttle that takes you there, it’s part of the fun.

And the next day would definitely be at the beach!

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?
So many people! So let me start at the beginning. It takes special people and true friends to respond to “I’m quitting my stable job, traveling across the globe, going back to school at 30 years old and pursuing my dreams” to be not only be extremely supportive but actually excited for you. So to my friends from Tunisia, Zahed Mehdi, Sofien Mani and May Rais: you are three wonderful gems!

To the friend I have met only three days after arriving to LA and we have become inseparable ever since, Guto Carvalho: I wouldn’t be where I am without you. Your support and kindness keep amazing me every day.

To the two friends I coincidentally met in my LA happy place: The library of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Kara Christensen and Paulina Colucci: You are two beautiful souls and the most wonderful support system anyone could hope for.

To the wonderful Shay Samuels that I met in NY and became one of my closest friends: Thank you. I’m lucky and grateful to have you be part of my life.

I would like to shoutout and thank the teachers that not only helped me develop my skills for my acting career but also were a key point in helping me be the person I am today: Tyler Townsend, my first ever Acting teacher. Erin Coleman, my Sitcom teacher. Brenda Beck, my Voice and Speech teacher. Perry Hart, my Voice Production teacher and last but not least: Judith Bohannon, who left us way too soon, and I can’t summarize how much she has done for me.. Her impact continues to resonate.

I also want to thank my manager Matt Roberts, whose continuous unwavering support for my acting career is heartwarming and has absolutely been instrumental in my growth.

I would like to also thank anyone I ever collaborated with, on any project, big or small. Collaborating is always an exciting process for me, it keeps me motivated and I love learning from you.

I’d like to also extend my appreciation to my parents for their support in various ways throughout my journey. While our relationship has had its challenges, I acknowledge the positive moments that have contributed to my growth. Thank you for the aspects of encouragement and help that have played a role in shaping my career.

As this is getting long I’ll try to wrap it up quickly with a few names: Cathy Debuono, Linda Brennan, Lynda Goodfriend, Monica Cancian, Rabiah Rowther, Ana Moreno, Sylvie Tonarelli, Grant Luecke, Chris Velásquez, Carolina Violette, Darren Williams, Khouloud Fakhreddine, Bryan Nelson.

Finally, a heartfelt shoutout to everyone who believed in me, supported my work, or simply took the time to read this. Your encouragement means the world, and I genuinely appreciate it. Thank you.

Instagram: @lina_kefi_ig

Youtube: youtube.com/@Linakefi