Meet Vivien Soraya | Actor

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

Hi Vivien, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
To me art is an act of creation and nothing makes me feel as alive as creating with people. The passion and sheer willpower that goes into creating a story, a character and making it come alive so that you can share your understanding of who you are, of how you experience the world is so expansive. Especially with a whole team it becomes something bigger than just a job. It’s everyone pushing forward together and holding each others space, simply to tell their truth and inspire. I’m in love with it. As a kid I’ve always wanted to do as much as possible, to actively take in life and participate in it and so acting has always been my playground. Living out different sides of myself, also putting myself into somebody else’s shoes who I thought I’d never even be friends with and all of a sudden understanding where that character is coming from, why they’re doing what they’re doing. A constant revelation of the life itself.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Many might be able to relate, I have extremely high expectations of myself. As an artist that’s good and bad. Good because there are no rules in the Arts and it definitely gave me the drive to do something instead of just waiting around for a big break. The bad/hard part about it is that having expectations as an actor will mess with your performance. You won’t be able to live in the moment and react truthfully to what you’re experiencing because you want a specific outcome. The biggest challenge for me has been to let go of that control. Messing up is terrifying but that’s what I had to allow myself to understand my instincts and impulses. In a way acting is a revelation of your being. Showing my true self, the self I’ve been hiding even from myself because of all the hardships life has given each of us, To demand to be seen and heard, to give voice to my insides, that was a whole earth shaking process for me. I had to take ownership of who I am and that is a constant process but it allows me to show up on set ready to play and be free in my expression. Acting was my inner self’s life saver. I don’t know if I would have ever faced myself if it hadn’t been for my passion.

To me authenticity is the only way I feel satisfied but to get there is another story. Through the space and knowledge my teachers and specifically my mentor have shared with me I have learned to get out of my head and into my body. To literally just move and the character will fall out of me if I trust myself and did the work. I’m also very purposeful with the characters I play. I always look for the higher meaning in who they are, what my interpretation of them serves the story and ultimately the audience. I want people to feel themselves watching my work, recognize themselves, feel seen or provoked.
I’m very grateful for the productions I’ve been lucky enough to be part of, especially the extremely talented people I’ve gotten to work with and I’m very excited about my future projects, one specifically because the character is so very juicy.

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.
Oh we would go on so many hikes! Pacific Palisades, Mugu peak trail, Griffith park, etc. I’d definitely take them to some crystal shops in Los Feliz before heading to the Philosophical Research Society Library for some mind blowing reads. Somewhere during the week we’d have a beach day at El Matador Beach. Obviously, we’d go watch a sunset at the Griffith Observatory. Friday we bowl at Highland Park Bowl and walk over to the Lodge Room to dance some Salsa after. Definitely some roller skating at Moonlight Rollerway Inc.

Food wise Niko Niko Sushi in Burbank is my favorite spot. Midici’s for Pizza in Sherman Oaks and we’d go grab in-n-out because it’s the best. Porto’s for snacks and goodies and the only fancy restaurant I’m going to say is Inko Nito in Downtown.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family and friends, my mentor Dana Martin and my previous teachers at the Art of Acting Studio and the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute

Website: imdb.me/viviensaidler

Instagram: @viviensoraya

Image Credits
Jared Hawkley