Meet Yulia Safiulina | Actor & Filmmaker

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

Hi Yulia, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
The most difficult decision in my life did not seem as life changing at that moment but almost 10 years later I realize the impact it has made on me. I was 15 years old when I decided to come to the US. I had a dream of working in the film industry but frankly had no real understanding of how to achieve it or what difficulties it would come with. I was alone when I came and didn’t speak English very well. I had no family or friends in the US and the isolation hit me quick. I remember coming home from school and falling asleep by 4pm just so the days would pass faster and I can go home to Russia sooner. My dream of becoming an actor got pushed to the background by the difficulty of being a lonely teenager separated by miles and a whole ocean from everything I knew. As of today, I have been in the US for 9 years and reflecting back, I am realizing how difficult this journey has been for me just so I can get to the start line of my acting and film career in Los Angeles. I realized that pursuing dreams requires sacrifices we are not always ready for. I know I’m pursuing a dream I always wanted to achieve but it saddens me that I’m missing out on experiencing life with my family and friends back home.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always wanted to work in film. I watched a lot of Jackie Chan movies as a kid and I wanted my life to be exciting and full of adventures. However, acting is not something people want to hear you say when asked “who you want to be in the future”. So it was hard to overcome the feelings of worthlessness as confidence does not come easy to me. Growing up, I did not have many opportunities to do acting for film, but I always searched for ways to get involved with filming. My friends and I would make videos and little short films using my small digital soap camera – it is fun to look back at how we did not know what we were doing, but we had so much fun in the process and experimenting allowed us to learn and discover filming on our own rather than following a textbook guidelines. I love how filming has room for curiosity. In general, I think being truly curious is the most exciting trait one can have in life. That’s why I always wanted to do acting – it allows you to explore in depth various topics and various experiences of others. I don’t think I could ever commit to one specific profession for the rest of my life. But with acting, I can dedicate months to dive deep into something specific and learn from it. For example, if I would play a role of a archeologist, I can learn so much about archeology as a science and the history of it as well as the practices used in the field. It fascinates me. There is so much to learn in this world. Acting is about constant learning and growth.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve been dreaming of my friends coming over to the US to visit me. For the first two days, I would probably give them the most touristy LA itinerary one can imagine – Hollywood sign, Santa Monica Pier, Warner Bros, Universal Studios. We would definitely dress up as movie characters before going to Universal – it is more fun that way. Then, I want them to experience a more relaxed vacation. We would go to the beach, get an Acai bowl, and I would show them how to do boogie boarding. California is known for surfing but when I first came here, I was shown how to boogie board and I thought it was so much fun! For food, I would take them to the coolest vegan burger place my friend showed me – Monty’s burgers. The burger tastes amazing and the place itself has a very cute design. Honestly, there is so much to do in the area and I love making itineraries so I can go on and on. But I would definitely make them come for a month so we can go on a road trip and explore California as there is so many different sights to see.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Without thinking, first people that come to mind are my family. I’m grateful they have given me a supportive environment to pursue my wild dreams. But I 100% agree that we can’t be fully who we are without the people we meet in our lives – there is a long list of people who have contributed to me being where I am today. Some of them I met briefly for a week or two, others I have known my whole life. But each of them have said or done something that added a new puzzle piece to my life. So I definitely own a lot of credit to people surrounding me, people I worked with, my teachers, my classmates.