Name: Niousha Noor
Job Title and Description: Actress and producer
College Name: San Diego State University
Instagram Handle: @_nioushaj
Tell us about working on Here and Now. Is there such a thing as a typical day?
NN: I love the whole process. The early call times, the coffee at dawn, the makeup and hair hour and of course the waiting. There is a lot of waiting, but I’m so excited for what is ahead that I feel like time flies by.
What is the best part of your role?
NN: I think the best part is that my character and this whole storyline are shrouded in so much mystery, and I love that. I’m just as equally intrigued as the viewer to explore the deeper connections of it all and what they possibly mean.
What was your first role and how did you get it?
NN: It was a student film I did: Dinner With The Barghisavaris. I think it was one of my first auditions ever! So, of course, I was thinking wow this is really easy. Nope. Wrong!
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
NN: I love this quote by Iranian poet Hafiz: “Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, ‘You owe me’. Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.” It has such a beautiful message to me about love and the power of it.
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
NN: I think the mistake I had was in my mentality. I had placed a deadline on when I was supposed to make it and if not by then I would have to give up. For few years up to that point, it was giving me more of an anxiety. I was consumed with a lot of, “Well what the heck do I do if I don’t make it?”. This industry is not made for everyone and I’ve realized along the way that you’re either in this, or you’re not. And if you’re in it, there is no deadline. Any work you do other than acting should only help support your dream, not compete with it or make you feel like it’s taking you away from it. I’ve made this adjustment now and I just feel a lot more liberated and creative.
What has been the most surreal moment of your career thus far?
NN: I had an opportunity to work with an Oscar-winning director for a month on a project. Due to some external factors, I couldn’t complete the project but the opportunity was just incredible.
What do you look for when considering what projects you do or who you work with?
NN: I want the projects to tell a different story: a story and point of view we don’t often see. I want to be a part of projects that are thought-provoking and roles that are barrier-breaking.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
NN: It sounds so unoriginal, but it is the truth. If you want it, no one can stop you. No one. So, go get it.
What’s the one thing that you admire in a fellow artist?
NN: The every day, every hour dedication to this craft. It can get hard in this industry to be your own boss. I admire those who keep hustling hard and create their own projects, which is what I have started to do as well!