Meet Sasha Kerbel: Actress

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

Hi Sasha, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
I would say that people probably do not realize how much hard work goes into acting. It’s not just about being cute enough to be in front of the camera; in fact, it requires a tremendous amount of training and preparation, and most of that work is invisible to the audience. An actor must audition many times each week and usually wins few – if any – parts. So you are constantly busy with this work, yet you do not get paid for it, and you may not experience the fun and energy of being on set. Breaking down one’s part – and the entire script, for that matter, which is the process of analyzing the hidden motives and emotional beats of your character, as well as the morals and social mores of the time period, is a whole art unto itself. It takes a tremendous amount of time and usually requires a lot of research; it’s the equivalent of writing a college thesis every time you get cast. This is a complicated craft which you have to maintain every day throughout your career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets me apart from others is that I am Russian. I have a light accent, which allows me to play a wide range of exotic characters like aliens, fairies, witches, queens and of course Russians! Like aristocrats, spies, or mafia members. I am a method actress, and have been blessed with excellent professional training. As for the lessons that I’ve learnt along the way, perhaps the most important one is to try to maintain a balance between my career and the other sides of my life. It is easy to get carried away with the very fast-moving current of achieving success as quickly as possible, especially in a city where film and tv is the prevailing industry. And there are a lot of people – fellow actors, writers, agents, managers, entertainment lawyers, even headshot photographers – who cultivate an urgency of jumping higher than your height, and doing everything at once, all for the sake of your career. Faster, better, more…and sometimes it can become overwhelming. For example, you’ve just gotten new headshots that look terrific, and then immediately find out that you need a different headshot that might help you book a particular part! Or you’ve just landed an agent, but then people around you tell you you’ve got to have an agent in every city where there is production happening. Oh, and your showreel from three months ago? Too old. Time to pay an editor to recut it. So eventually, your life turns into this endless pursuit of trying to satisfy other people’s demands. And because all of this requires ongoing investments of time, energy, and money, it becomes easy to forget about your own needs. You never have days off, and you’re constantly stressed and busy, with no time for anything else. You end up deferring on other things going on in your life to some time in the future, and you forget to enjoy being in the here and now. That’s why the lesson that we all need to remember is that career, as much as it can be our biggest passion in life, is still just one part of what life offers. We need to savor just being, to enjoy the people who make us happiest, and to slow down and take breaks when necessary. Without that, it is easy to burn out. That’s the lesson that a lot of people ignore.

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’m going to imagine where I would take my sisters, both of whom live overseas and have never visited LA before. So obviously, first on the list would be breakfast in the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I absolutely love this place and it is one of my favorite spots. Then it’s off to go shopping on Melrose where there are many little shops selling all kinds of cute and unique clothes. I would definitely take them to the Botanical Gardens in Pasadena because it is a wonderful place where there is so much natural beauty, and it reminds me of European palace gardens. My sisters and I have long been fans of Jim Morrison and The Doors, so I would make sure to take them to the little bungalow in Laurel Canyon where he and Pam lived, and wrote many of his songs. We’d make sure to take a trip to Venice Beach to see all of the wild stuff going on there. Meanwhile, our family is steeped in art, so LACMA, The Autry, and The Getty would be excellent places to take them, but The Wende Museum in Culver City would be an especially meaningful place for us to visit, as it houses one of our dad’s works of art (he was the Soviet Union’s pre-eminent sculptor during the Cold War) – amongst many other nostalgic treasures from Eastern Europe. Russians always enjoy afternoon tea, so we’d hop over to Bottega Louie or Sinners & Saints because of their fantastic cakes and desserts. For dinner, I’d bring my sisters to Nobu Malibu, not just for the food, but for the people watching and the view. To cap it all off, The Groundlings on Melrose always puts on a hilarious show and is a terrific place to take guests after dinner! I could go on and on, but I think I’ll leave my other ideas for the next time!

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?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my family. My husband Andrew, who always supports me in everything I do, my son Erik, and my sisters, Katya and Julia, along with their families, for being my best friends and my team.

Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm5695770

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/realsashakerbel

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-kerbel-b021aaa4/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/realsashakerbel and www.Twitter.com/kerbelsasha

Facebook: www.facebook.com/realsashakerbel

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCCeJPa5LC9X8IBmQKWGq5rQ