Meet Romy Bavli | Actor & Writer

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

Hi Romy, what’s your definition for success?
Success, to me, doesn’t mean: Check. I got this done. SUCCESS. I think success comes in layers and you, in any given circumstance, can decide to put a last, ending layer to success…or not. What I mean by that (for example) is, I wrote a feature film screenplay: Check. Success. Finishing the first draft of my screenplay, 107 pages long, my story all transposed onto the page. Success for sure. FInishing every further draft? Also successes, of course. But is that where I want to end? It could be. And if for you it is or it would be, that’s fine. But no, personally, I don’t want it to end there. Getting my script to management or a studio or something? That will definitely be a success. But is that the end? Probably not. I probably, (let’s not lie), DEFINITELY would then want to make it into an actual feature. An actual feature made = success. DUH. Is that it? Would you want your Oscar nods, etc.? Personally IDGAF, that’s all bs anyway. But someone else would say yes, I want my fucking Oscar nods. Success is a personal feat and can come in any shape or size. Like listen: sometimes it’s also a success to get out of bed in the morning or find a quarter on the street or eat a bomb ass piece of pizza. Like acting, like writing, like many things and basically all things art, success is pretty damn subjective so make it whatever the fuck you want it to be.

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?
I always wanted to be an actor. In my mind I don’t think there was ever really another career path that I actually wanted to take or entertain. I don’t think it was until high school, when I started training at Stella Adler Studio in NYC, that I had the confidence to actually go for it. I think this was also the time where I was like “Yep…no one’s recruiting you off the street…it’s just not magically going to happen.” Adler is where I learned everything. Then Adler led to two shows on Theatre Rowe in Times Square and that led to making the college audition rounds and eventually choosing to attend UCLA’s school of Theater, Film and Television for acting. During this time I performed in around ten shows at UCLA (this is including the actually cool MainStage shows and the not as cool cabarets, student productions, etc. and in the 24 hour National Plays for another return to Theatre Rowe. Then BOOM, the class of 2020 got plucked out of school before our last quarter and before graduation and then, before we knew it, school was over forever. (No, I refuse to go to grad school but yes, I know it exists.) However, never performing in Gruesome Playground Injuries for my capstone, turned into me reopening the screenplay I had written during the spring of my Junior year and re-working it. Like 100 times. And still forever polishing it 2.5 years later. My screenplay, “Growing Up Girl” tells the story of a girl who really struggles to come to terms with her sexuality during college and during the Trump administration. Inspired by the true story of (shocker) MY college experience! It started as something fun. And then turned into…wait, why are there not many stories, especially films, that really focus on the self-hatred some experience in the lgbtq community? Why aren’t there many college films period that aren’t like ridiculous comedies? This generations voice hasn’t really been captured by someone actually from our generation in a film. And as always, we forever need more female centric films and writers (hello?!?) I’m very proud of “Growing Up Girl” and I will always continue to make it the best it can be, stand behind it as a film and fight for her to thrive.

Sometimes I don’t want to work on my script or start new ideas for screenplays that I have. And sometimes I’m over the dozens of self-tapes I get done during COVID that get sent to the faces that I don’t get to meet. And I can guarantee that I wasn’t always having the greatest time working on every show or working on the way too many college applications I submitted or staying in the theater building for over 12 hours. The industry is EXHAUSTING and draining and really nothing about it is easy. But, I think it’s important to remind yourself of your worth, to believe in yourself and remember why you chose this path in the first place. To have fun, to enjoy yourself and to give yourself time and the luxury of fuckin patience. And hell, remind yourself how you want to prove all of the assholes you’ve come across wrong.

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.
Honestly, all I can say is if you are in California during these COVID times, find a friend and go to Sequoia National Park or somewhere similar. If you have dogs, for sure, bring them. My best friend and I went to Sequoia with three dogs. Mine made me eat shit down a cliff but it was still worth it. Also go to Dome Rock.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people and things in my life have had a huge impact on me. With that being said: Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in my story? My mom, my sister, my dogs, Teddy and Olive, my friends, rest of my fam (who I like, uk), UCLA, Stella Adler Studio of Acting NYC, teachers who took me through my journey during those times, basically all actors, movies, TV shows and plays/musicals, Miley for being my forever queen, Naya Rivera for being a forever icon, inspiration and talented powerhouse. RIP queen. Also shoutout to my team at Authentic Talent & Literary Management.

Website: romybavli.com

Instagram: romybavli

Image Credits
headshots: Kenneth Dolin rest unsure