Meet Lola Darzens | Actress & Writer

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

Hi Lola, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Art has always been a pillar of my life. My childhood was full of music, movies, writing, dancing, theater. And even though I brought most of these activities to my adult life, I had always considered them a passion rather than a possible career. I went a more traditional route after high school and entered business school. But after facing the reality that my eventual work life would barely have any kind of artistic creativity, I decided it was time to drastically change. I wanted a career with which I would go to bed every Sunday with a big smile on my face because a new week was starting. It was life changing moment to really ask myself without judgement or prejudices on what I could or could not do : “what makes me truly happy?” I started to remember that in every job interview I have ever had, my favorite question was always “What are your best qualities?” Inevitably, I would answer : creativity. And now I know why that was my answer. I needed more space to explore my creativity, a career in which I could fully be myself and use the world around me to tell stories. Being a storyteller through acting and writing, that is the outlet I needed to be fully myself.

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.
When I was in elementary school, in writing class and we were demanded a one page story about our day or our dream, I would always be the kid to go to the teacher’s desk and ask for more pages to write on. I remember one teacher in particular who would rip pages from his own notebook to give them to me. The fact that it has stuck with me almost twenty years later tells you alot about how such a small gesture ad always convinced me that writing was something I should pursue. Around that same time, I remember saying to myself that acting was the best job in the world. I don’t recall a particular performance that started my calling but I remember that thought as if it had went through my brain yesterday because the next thing that happened was me convincing myself that because it was the best job in the world, then everybody must have wanted to do it, therefore why me ? What did I have that other people didn’t ? I later started theater to overcome my shyness and my low self-confidence. It was as if a whole new world had opened in front of me. Yes, I still struggle with my confidence sometimes but I now know that the path I’m on is the one that I chose, not the one that other people made for me. And if I have come this far, then, I must be good at it.

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 definitely take them to the Grove, to bathe in that European feel and then have a picnic at Pan Pacific Park. I would have to take them to the Griffith Observatory as well because the hikes are amazing and for every level. I would of course go to the Academy Museum of Dramatic Arts and of course, take them to the theater. Movie and live. I would also find bars where they play good music and cook them a nice dinner with food from the Grove or from other Farmer’s Market.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am very lucky to be a part of the Earthlings Ensemble, a Los Angeles-based ensemble committed to cultivating multi-hyphenate artists. Run entirely by ensemble members, we strive to create an inclusive and diverse artistic community within and beyond the ensemble. It really is a beautiful thing to be a part of a group with so many diverse backgrounds but determined to tell stories to and about the world. We hold community workshops, creativity workshops and plan to expand to other areas in the future years.

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?trk=onboarding-landing

Other: Earthlings Ensemble Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/earthlingsensemble/

Image Credits
Cristy Gonzalez