Shahrzad Jamali

Born and raised in Iran, I have experienced so many things in life, and that is one of the reasons I have chosen to become an actor, to be able to show those experiences in film and on screen. I was born into a family of performers, so even if I didn’t choose to be a performer, it is still in my blood. It was very hard (at the same time fortunate) growing up in a family of artists and performers and live in Iran. There were many restrictions and rules, no freedom to express, and there was a constant fear of being caught and punished for doing what we loved. But that didn’t stop my family, my dad kept on doing what he does best, sing, and my aunt became one of the best actresses in theater in Iran.

Then we moved to Paris where I could finally pursue my passion, dancing. I started modern ballet, jazz, and contemporary at the age of 16, and I was told that I was a natural. That’s when it all started, the rush of going on stage and performing in front of an audience. That, however, stopped when we moved to Vancouver. I was very confused when I arrived in Vancouver and wasn’t sure what it was I wanted to do. After a couple of years of searching, I decided to follow my other passion, art and got into school for graphic design. That didn’t go so well. I did finish school and got my degree but was never really interested in working as a graphic designer, I wanted something more, something that was closer to me and my personality. So I ended up working in coffee shops, mostly because I had no idea what I wanted to do at the time.

About two years ago my friend encouraged me to quit my job at the coffee shop and join the film industry, and I did. I started with some PA jobs here and there, then joined Iatse as a graphic designer. It was all going well, but something was still missing. I then decided to do background acting and see how it is; I found an agent and started getting a lot of work. And there it was, being on set and in front of the camera was what I have been looking for all these years. I started getting SAE and Picture Cast, which was even more fun, and that’s when I decided this is what I want to do, ACT! I'm not gonna lie, it’s tough at my age to get into this industry as an actress, but I’m going for it. And I know I will be faced with a lot of challenges, that however, will not stop me from following my dream. Because at the end of the day, I AM A PERFORMER!