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

Hi Valeria, what do you attribute your success to?
Success is the thrill of seeing a seed you planted months ago finally sprout.

To really understand how I work, you have to look “under the hood” of my career. My drive actually comes from a place of deep curiosity, I think that’s the engineering in me speaking! (laughing) Yes, I’m a Master in Computer Engineering, so I tend to look at a film set as a complex, beautiful system where every component has to be elite for the whole thing to work.

A perfect example was filming SHTTL, our Oscar-shortlisted feature. SHTTL was executed as a single-take. I play a character speaking Yiddish, which would be fine if I actually spoke Yiddish! In a single-take environment, you can’t “fix it in post”. You have to be 100% present and 100% prepared.

When you’re the one on camera in a single-take, you aren’t just carrying your performance; you’re carrying the work of the 50 people behind the lens who can’t afford for you to blink at the wrong time.
Success isn’t just about my own spotlight; it’s about being a force multiplier on set.

That same demand for precision applies to my skills and training. I work across four languages – Ukrainian, English, Russian, and German. I maintain an athletic build and actively train in firearms and sword fighting. My dream role lives somewhere in the John Wick universe. Give me a well-tailored suit, a complex fight sequence, Keanu Reeves, and I am the happiest actress in Los Angeles.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am from Ukraine, and my journey to the U.S. wasn’t a calculated career move; it was a desperate flight from war. In the blink of an eye, I had to leave behind everything I loved: my home, the career I had established, and the only life I knew. Arriving in Los Angeles and having to rebuild all spheres of life from absolute zero has been the hardest challenge of my life. People often talk about the courage it takes to move to a new country, but there is a heartbreaking reality we have to face: there is a world of difference between packing your bags to chase a dream, and being forced from your home by violence, running blindly into the unknown just to survive.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A perfect tour is intellectual food and real food. I would take them to The Getty for the impressive art collection. Recently I’ve visited The Getty Villa. Surprisingly, not enough people go there, but walking through a first-century Roman recreation overlooking the Pacific is pure magic.
Another non-negotiable stop is the Griffith Observatory: the amazing sunsets, looking through the telescope, and their planetarium movies.
Italian cuisine has a special place in my heart! Madeo Restaurant has the absolute best pasta in the city, and finishing the night with their Napoleon dessert is practically a religious experience.

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?
If we’re talking about my journey, I have to talk about Donna Morong (CSA, ICDN). She is a highly respected casting director with over 30 years in business, but to me, she’s the person who literally opened her home to me. When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, she was the one who invited me to come to Los Angeles and stay with her. My gratitude for that is endless!

Donna is an incredibly empowered woman with strong moral values and impeccable taste. She runs her own studio and dedicates herself to the next generation of talent, but at the end of the day, I feel lucky to call her a close friend who I share great dinners and laughs with.

Website: https://talent.casting.com/us/valeria-shpak

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

Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12929636/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.