Meet Ramsey Zeitouneh | Actor & Attorney

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

Hi Ramsey, why did you pursue a creative career?
I think the people who go into the arts do it because, on some level, they know they have no other choice. There’s something inside of us artists that cannot walk away from our creative selves, at least not fully. That’s how it was with me.

I was very artistic as a kid, but by the time I finished college, I felt like I had lost touch with that creative side of myself. I deeply missed it. And that’s what led me to my first acting class at the Everyman Theatre in Baltimore. It reawakened this creative energy in me that had been asleep for so long. Acting became my drug, my way of feeling alive and in touch with myself. And, honestly, there is nothing better than when you’re on stage or in front of a camera and you feel like you’re dancing on the edge of a cliff. It’s exciting is what I want to say.

So, I guess that’s why, a few years later, I finally worked up the courage to pursue it fully. Because I knew I had to at least give it the chance. I had to keep chasing that feeling that you only get when you’re making art.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m an actor and an attorney and I realize that that’s a very unconventional path, but I honestly couldn’t imagine my life being anything other than unconventional. Even from a young age, I knew I wanted to be both an artist and a scholar. I feel like I’m at least chasing after that goal.

It is definitely not easy. It’s a path filled with a lot of rejection. A lot of second-guessing. A lot of skepticism, both from others and yourself. Of course, I’m also proud of the work I’ve done. I recently was in an Off-Broadway play that, in many ways I think, legitimized the path I chose. We got some pretty good reviews all of my friends and family who saw it truly loved it. One person in particular (I won’t say who) actually did say to me “okay, NOW I believe in you.” Something I found both flattering and hilarious at the same time.

But really, what I am most proud of is the maturity that’s come with choosing the path of an artist. Because you’re FORCED in this line of work to develop a thick-skin or at least learn how to accept that, most of the time, it’d NOT about you. A lot of the time, we as humans think that we are 100% in control of everything around us or that, if we’re not, we should be. So we keep chasing that dragon of trying to shape and mold our environments to our liking. That’s especially true for the professional career paths. And honestly, I just really think that can be a mentality that, in the worst cases, prevents people from actually living. If you’re always chasing after what should be, you’re never allowing yourself to enjoy what is.

But artists have to learn how to accept that they don’t control a lot when it comes to their art or careers: we don’t control what is casting or when the right role will come along so we get cast or even when we get the inspiration to create anything at all. And then, on top of that, we don’t get to control how people REACT to the art we just created.

So, you have to adjust to the fact that you cannot really force anything in this life. And that stays with you. The outlook on life that being both an artist and a scholar has given me, it’s invaluable. Even if I still have to relearn those lessons every other week.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in New York. So, there’s a million choices, but (assuming we could easily get everywhere in a fraction of the time it’d actually take), this would be my ideal places to go in NYC:

– Strolling through the southern tip of Morningside Park and the farmer’s market that’s there on Saturday mornings.
– Brooklyn High Low in Prospect Heights for a lovely afternoon tea and a stroll through Prospect Park.
– Taking in an exhibit at either the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens or (obviously) the Met
– Hitting up Flushing for a bit Taiwanese shaved ice (a bit of dessert before dinner never hurt anyone)
– And then speaking of dinner, some killer Italian food at Lido in Harlem.
– Grabbing after-dinner drinks at Tanner Smith’s near Central Park South
– A nature hike through Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx

That would absolutely not be plausible to do all in one day, but it’s definitely some things I would definitely recommend.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Too many, but I would like to thank: my family and friends and everyone at T. Schreiber Studio, the first studio I took classes at and trained in New York.

Website: https://www.ramsey-zeitouneh.com

Instagram: @ramsey_zeitouneh

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramsey-zeitouneh-14290aab/

Image Credits
Headshots by Jessica Osber

PPTB Stage Photos by Ben Hider

Production Stills – N/A