Rising Star Djouliet Amara On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

Mind your own business. Go in there and worry about doing your own job! You don’t want to get caught up in anyone else’s drama. It’s no good for your heart. Just go in there and do what you are being paid to do. Pay no mind to any extra fuss.

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Djouliet Amara.

Djouliet Amara is a queer BIPOC actor, dancer, and model based in New York City and Vancouver, BC. From an early age, Amara has been passionate about breaking boundaries, creating art, and channeling her individuality through movement. Amara has danced on New York stages with companies such as The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, has been featured in Vogue Italia and Models That Eat — advocating for body positivity and eating disorder awareness. She has worked with brands such as Chanel, Sephora and Nike, before delving into acting. SEANCE was her second film project following her acting debut in Spike Lee’s horror film TALES FROM THE HOOD 3. SEANCE opens in theatres in the USA and across Europe on May 21st, 2021. Amara looks forward to announcing her role in an upcoming project, Canada’s FIRST all-black lead, written, and run tv series to be announced later this year.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I was born in Russia. My mom is Russian, and my dad is from Sierra Leone — a super interesting cultural mix. We moved to Canada when I was a little kid so my parents could make a better life for our family. By My family wanted to go somewhere where racism was less pervasive, where their half-Russian half-African kid could thrive. And woof, we weren’t exactly thriving at first. I love the way I grew up. I remember not having a lot — in terms of material things as a little kid, but there was always love. My mom always made sure she dressed me up in the cutest clothes she could. I remember hot dogs with slices of bread as buns. And I had toys donated from the church. My parents were young but worked incredibly hard to learn English. We always figured it out and when we moved to our house, there was a little dance studio not too far away. That’s how it started for me. Creativity flooded my childhood.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

As a kid I was absolutely obsessed with dancing. I trained at that little studio all my life. I would travel to England and Scotland as a 9 year old to compete in outrageous freestyle disco competitions in addition to ballet exams every year. I always got a pretty good score — unless the adjudicator only liked girls with itty bitty bodies. I was built differently than your classic ballerina, more athletic, a little more curvy. I loved to perform. That’s ultimately what brought me to acting. I love telling stories.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

It’s a story from living in New York City. I was at the beginning of my career and was signed to a modeling agency; my agents asked me if I would be available to double for a stand-in for some commercial. I remember feeling totally honored because they seemed to think that I somehow resembled the star of the commercial in some way! I won’t mention who, but she was probably one of my only celebrity crushes.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

This is totally a dance thing, but I remember when I was taking class and apprenticing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre; the junior company would dance with the AAADT in the mornings to warm up. I picked an empty spot at the barre without realizing it was the favorite spot of one of the lead company members. It was so embarrassing, but he was such a sweetheart about it. This guy is all about honor. He said to me, “I want you to dance at this spot today. It is the best spot. I want you to experience this spot!” when he could have been some type of way about it. It was beautiful that he gave me such grace. Sometimes as young artists, we put the artists we idolize on superhuman pedestals. His reaction reminded me we’re all literally just little alien artists trying to create. We’re all on the same level unless we create a precedent that sets it otherwise. Humility is delicious.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

My first ever feature film, SEANCE is releasing in theatres and streaming on May 21st 2021. It was actually my first ever feature film and my first film to release in theatres. It’s a really cool whodunit, young adult mystery. The director Simon Barrett is a really talented writer with a damn good sense of humor. The cast was full of and driven by a diverse group of incredibly talented women. And it’s queer. I mean, you have to see it. The trailer just came out, you’ll love it!

I wish I could talk about all of the projects I have in the works right now — one of them is an absolutely hilarious project I’ve been working on all Spring with a really talented cast of humans. This other project is a really big deal for me and for a larger community of people. I think it will make history in so many ways. I can’t really say much else, but the role is very exciting. And the story is absolutely beautiful.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Totally. Just dive in. Find your community, and know that there are people looking out for you. I’ve got a really solid community of Black actors around me that have got my back, whatever I need. The worst thing you can do is be alone in it. You have to find your people. Talk about everything! Be transparent. But with the right people. Your homies! And listen. When you have a dream, you just gotta keep pushing towards it. As far as I know, you have this one life. You can try or just never try and never know. I’m pretty sure you’d rather just try, grow, and create some art. Stay curious. Stay open. Stay kind and humble. Listen to your gut.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

1. Diversifying this industry means more stories being told.
2. More stories being told leads to more knowledge and understanding of folx that have different experiences than you.
3. More knowledge and understanding leads to more love. We need a whole lot more of that in the world!

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Mind your own business. Go in there and worry about doing your own job! You don’t want to get caught up in anyone else’s drama. It’s no good for your heart. Just go in there and do what you are being paid to do. Pay no mind to any extra fuss.
2. Be yourself. Like seriously, be yourself. Not the yourself that you think you need to be to get such-and-such job. Just. Be. Yourself. Or else you’ll go insane trying to please everybody.
3. Private your Twitter account. Just kidding. Public or private, don’t be a bigot. Just don’t.
4. Learn to drive! I’m still struggling with this. I really don’t want to learn to drive, but it makes it so much easier. Especially if you happen to be working locally in your hometown in the middle of nowhere where Uber doesn’t exist. Just do it.
5. It’s okay to correct people if they mispronounce your name. Tell them the first time. It’s yours and it’s important!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

While you’re helping to create other people’s art, keep your personal art alive too. I like to write. I like to create movement and choreograph. I like to walk around listening to my Spotify weekly. Whatever helps you feel good, do it. Eat well. Phone your friends. Phone your mom. But also, get out of your phone. Read a book. Read something that’s not the sides for the next audition you’re doing this week. Exist! And if it feels good: don’t be afraid of doing nothing.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Woah. Thank you! I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately. There’s a lot of horrible things that have happened in the world this past year and all throughout history. But one thing about this past year is that all of these tragedies have inspired some incredible movements. Black Lives Matter, for one. There needs to be more people celebrating Black joy. In real life. And on the internet. I’d like to insert a trigger warning for my fellow Black folx here… but I often think about Elijah McClain and the way he was murdered for exuding gorgeous amounts of Black joy. For dancing in the street on his way home to keep warm. For singing. We need to normalize Black joy. And I haven’t thought of how we could do that yet. It’s a bit difficult for Black people to think about how to do that when we are still feeling the hurt of another brother lost. But it’s going to be something to do with movement. Movement is what has helped heal me.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My dad. Since I was a little kid my dad has been the one to keep me keeping faith in myself and the universe. He always knows the right times to call me with another life lesson. His little stories have always kept me going. He’s always the one to say that anything is possible, and it’s true. He’s just happy as long as I’m happy and having fun. My mom, too. And I’m grateful for that. And I am having fun. I’m just so happy to exist.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I listen to a lot of Abraham Hicks. And Abraham Hicks often says “everything is always working out for you”. And if you are living in that mindset… it really is true!

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? They might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Well, I would love to have breakfast and tea with Florence Pugh. She seems absolutely lovely, and one time I watched an Instagram live of her making fresh orange marmalade. I wish I had that recipe!

How can our readers follow you online?

On Instagram @djouliet or on Tiktok @djouliet! You can also follow me on Twitter at @djoulietamara. And be sure to watch SEANCE on May 21, 2021!

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!