TAEM- The Arts and Entertainment Magazine is always searching for new talent to reveal to our readers. A good portion of our readership consists of Students of the Arts who follow our publication in hopes of better learning about their chosen profession.
One new actor that we would like to introduce is Yuriy Turchyn who originally hailed from Ukraine. Yuriy, tell our readers about your life before coming to our country, and the how you adjusted to your new surroundings.
YT- It was great. Most of my days were enjoyed outside with my friends playing soccer, riding bikes, hide and seek (my favorite), or making campfires (also my favorite). Those were the good ol’ days. When I first moved here, I was really excited to start my new life. Though I studied English back home, it was barely enough to help me get through a conversation. Fortunately I was able to absorb most of the language within my first year. From that point on it was all smooth sailing.
TAEM- Tell us about your initial interest before you entered the field of acting.
YT- When I first moved here, I discovered WWE. It was amazing! I loved it. Though I wasn’t allowed to watch it, I didn’t care. That’s what I loved and quickly realized that that’s what I want to do when I grow up. I knew all the moves, all the wrestlers, everything there was to know about it. So from 5th grade until 10th grade, I was sure that that’s what I wanted to do. Then one day I accidentally tuned it to Criss Angel Mindfreak and overnight I became a magician. Wrestling was dead to me, and magic was my future. I took out the camera and got my friends to film me doing magic for other friends. One day I jumped into my buddy’s pool while wearing real police handcuffs, thumb cuffs, and being tied with a rope. I managed to escape from it in less than thirty seconds. To me, there was no greater feeling then seeing the people’s reactions after performing an amazing trick that mystified them. I became the talk of the school. Everyone suddenly knew who I was. People would come up to me during lunch, people’s I’ve never met before, and asked if I could do that trick that someone told them about. So I said to myself: “I could get used to this.”
TAEM- Tell us what changed your path to acting from these original directions that you initially chose.
YT- Acting was something that was always on my mind, but never in the foreground. Even during my wrestling days, I always wanted to do acting at some point. Seeing as how some of the wrestlers would come out with a crappy action flick every now and then, I figured I could do the same. When I switched to magic, acting was still there. But as I watched more and more movies, I realized that the real magic was what the actors were doing on screen. Embodying another human being and portraying them as if that character is truly them. Feeling what the character is feeling, making us cry with them or laugh with them. It captivated me unlike any trick I’ve ever seen. One night a voice in my head told me that acting is what I really want to do. I was a bit hesitant to believe it because I really wanted to be a magician, but at the same time I didn’t have the same passion for it anymore. The constant pressure to “do a trick” wherever I went became overwhelming and too stressful. It wore me out and unfortunately made me lose the passion for it. So I allowed myself to explore acting and before long, I fell in love with it. And fortunately for me, no one asks an actor to “do a monologue” out of nowhere in the middle of a street.
TAEM- This year you landed a role in the film Absolutely ‘A’ List. Tell our readers about this new project and how you landed a part in it.
YT- It’s truly interesting how the universe works. Marianne Mills, who is my co-star on the show, was browsing through my old photographer’s website when she stumbled upon my headshot. She was at the time looking for someone with my look to play Thomas Trent, an a-list Hollywood actor. She got in touch with him, who then put us in touch with one another. I met with her and the director/creator/main lead actor named Craig Zucchero. They both felt that I was a great fit for the show and they loved my demo reel, so they decided to give me the part without having to audition. I loved their energy and their passion for the project when we first met, so it was a no-brainer for me to take the part.
TAEM- Can you describe this production for us and the inspiration behind it ?
YT- The inspiration for the project comes from the closed curtains of Hollywood, the harsh truth that no one knows about. The scandals, the screw jobs, and the desire to get to the top by whatever means necessary. I’ve had a great ton of fun filming the pilot episode with these guys. They are all so talented. Craig is a very talented actor who has been around in the game for quite some time. He’s done so much work in the past and has acted with some of the best guys in the industry. For me, who is a fresh out-of-college actor, this was an amazing experience. We both had so much fun filming. Marianne Mills is our co-star as well, who plays our agent on the show. Acting with her was just as much fun. She brings a great level of energy to the set and she loves what she does. When you act with people who love what they do, it makes you want to be at your best not just for your own sake, but for them as well. The production team is a very talented group of guys as well who have had a lot of experience in the field. They were always on top and ready to go. I look forward to working with them again!
TAEM- We also understand that you are a singer and poet as well. Please tell us about this aspect of your life and how you intend to grow in it.
YT- Poetry is a very close love of mine. It’s something I’ve been doing for over ten years now. I’ve always referred to it as the one woman who will always stay with me. I find it amazing how I came to this country with little knowledge of the language and managed to become such an intricate writer. I don’t mean to blow my own horn, but I have to give myself a lot of credit here. I went from writing poems about how much I hated my teacher’s homework assignments to writing about the complexity of being alive while simultaneously not existing, as time hasn’t caught up with our death. I’m a big fan of coming up with concepts, but I also love to write about whatever I am feeling. Love is probably the best thing for me to write about. Anything that can be felt or thought of has already been written. It’s a postmodernist world, no doubt about it. But it hasn’t been written by my standards. Poetry and music are a huge part of my life. They helped me out so much in moments when it seemed like there was no solution. So I would write and I would sing until whatever I was feeling would go away. It allowed me to take all that I was feeling and transfer it from myself on paper, thus making me feel better. Truthfully, I don’t know where I would be today if it wasn’t for poetry. One day I will publish those poems but it won’t be any time soon.
TAEM- Tell us about the next steps in your career and where you see yourself going in the next five years.
YT- I see myself getting out of debt. Seriously. I do. I would love to pay off all my student loans and credit cards and carry on with my life. But in all honesty, the older I get the more I realize that I just want to be happy. So for starters, no matter what I am doing, I just wish to have happiness, health, and my family. However, I will also like to go ahead and say that I would love to finally get my name out there. It would be a dream come true to book a role on a TV series or a sitcom. Comedy is a strongpoint of mine, as I love to make people laugh, so I would gladly love to do that. I’ve also been writing several screenplays, all ranging from comedy to drama, so hopefully I could get some deals made and sell them. I’ve also been really into fitness and nutrition these days, and I’m aiming for a career in print modeling as well. Lastly, I would love to get into a band and record some stuff, maybe tour for a little bit with some of my favorite bands, and see how that goes. I have a whole life ahead of me, so this isn’t just for the next five years. By then I’ll be 27, which barely gives me enough credit for experiencing the true meaning of life. I will continue to act for the rest of my life that is for sure. I’m getting back into a class soon to further progress my skillset. I’m auditioning almost every week for something that my manager or agent find for me. And like I said, as long I am happy then I’m living the best life I can. And if I’m not, I just grab a piece of paper and a pencil and write away until I find that happiness again.
TAEM- Yuriy, it sounds like you have a great start in your career and possess many hidden talents as well. We want to thank you for your time with our interview and we are sure that we will hear many good things about you in the years to come.
TAEM
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