Zhaleh Vossough: How Leveraging a Background in Law and Relentless Daily Training Built a Multi-Network Acting Career

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

Actress Zhaleh Vossough has quickly become “one to watch” in the entertainment world for her portrayals of dynamic characters, winning multiple awards for her theatrical performances in period plays, including a performance as Constance in Shakespeare’s King John, as well as multiple award-winning films and episodic new media series. She has strong comedic chops thanks to a background of sketch comedy and improvisation, which led to both her social media following as well as her ability to craft dramatic and dimensional performances in darker worlds of drama. In 2022, Zhaleh will appear in Michael Showalter’s ‘The Dropout’ on Hulu, starring Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes, as well as three other major networks and streaming episodic as of January 2022. She has appeared in feature films opposite Matt Damon, Vincent Cassel, Vernon Wells, and Cara Gee.

In addition to her acting career, Zhaleh earned a Juris Doctor, graduated in the top of her class from Loyola Law School, and is an active member of the State Bar of California. Zhaleh’s roles extend both in front of and behind the camera — she was a producing partner for over 3 years and has produced on multiple projects commercially and theatrically, utilizing her experience in entertainment and law to mold her into a one-woman powerhouse.

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

Absolutely! I grew up in a multicultural household — my father is from Hamadan, Iran, and my mother is a cultural combo of Native American and Mediterranean. I am half-Persian, so there was a ton of Persian food in my life! I have the most supportive and yet challenging family, in the best way — they were the ones who taught me to be tenacious, set my heart on what I want, and never give up.

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

I’ve always been a performer since I was a kid — I loved to be the comedic joke, the punch line, or the entertainment. Whether it was pretending to be a dog at 5, or participating in every drama club or theatre I could, that was my passion — moving people and telling stories.

I happen to be an attorney as well as an actress, and people ask what made me make the switch — in truth, I was performing, auditioning, and striving for an acting career in law school and after. It is as they say — “every actor needs a hobby”, mine was just a more serious-natured one — the law.

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

There is so many (and so many I cannot tell just yet!). It is tough to choose. I think the best stories are memories that live with you forever. I had some incredible moments on set with the creators of shows I have admired and dreamed of being a part of for years. Since I cannot say more, I will leave the imagination open to run wild!

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?

I think my biggest mistake, which is kind of funny, was trying to be everything. While fragile ingenue love interest might not be my automatic casting, it doesn’t mean I’m not talented enough to pull that off. In the beginning, you find your niche, play to it, etc. But never back down from a challenge, or say no because the role might not fit you in your head. I’ve booked lawyers to drug addicts, and I am so proud to tell such a range of stories.

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

I’m super excited to have been working on a bunch of exciting projects since August 2021, all TV episodic. I can’t go into details until they air, but I’m so grateful and feel so blessed to be able to be working and with such amazing people.

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?

Prepare yourself for the long haul. It’s not an easy career, akin to a lot of young people’s thinking on an overnight Tik Tok success — even those influencers have been at their social platform craft for a while, or they got lucky (something they’ll have to learn to sustain without a base to build on). Don’t be daunted by this, though. Just use it as your preparation. And STUDY. The one way to kill a career is to start it without the proper training. Everyone wants an instant fame path, but the people who are on top have years of skills they have been trained with. Val Kilmer was a Julliard Drama trained Broadway actor before he got blockbuster fame in Top Gun.

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?

Sadly, Middle Eastern actors and actresses account for around 5% of performers on screen in films and 8% in episodics (both down to 1.2–1.4% of main character roles), and Indigenous actors and actresses up slightly in film at 10.3% (Source: Variety Business Intelligence 2021 Entertainment Diversity Progress Report). I find this devastating.

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

Well I’m on location filming so I have to be brief on this!

1. PRACTICE DAILY — I was always a huge fan of training, but daily classes outside of a Drama School can get uber expensive (most are once a week). Find roles, put them on tape, there are always ways to perform and practice.

2. SELF-TAPE AND WATCH BACK — I used to never watch myself on tape to practice for in-person auditions. Fatal flaw. With everything self-tape, how can you not watch yourself, educate yourself on your instrument, and make tweaks?

3. DONT TRY TO BE SOMEONE ELSE OR THEIR CAREER — some people play high school and I’ve never gotten those opportunities on high school shows like Glee or Riverdale. But those same people might not read for the opportunities I get. Bigger advice: learn who you are first, when you know yourself you know where you belong.

4. FIND YOUR BRAND/NICHE — akin to 4, everyone has a brand or niche. Know what you sell, and be specific. 80 headshots aren’t going to convince casting you can do everything, it will just confuse them. Your highlight reels from your initial bookings will convince them you have range, as well as an established career.

5. TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY — unless it is something you don’t agree with or want to do, every audition is practice and could lead to something huge.

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

Always keep fresh with training.

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. :-)

That would be a giant wave of selflessness. Especially with all of these social media platforms, I feel like people have changed their way of thinking to “all about me” and at the compromise of anyone and anything around them. The Earth wouldn’t be full of plastic litter; there would be less robberies and crime. If we all just cared more for each other and less about ourselves, I think the world would be a much lovelier place if we could all love our neighbors as ourselves.

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?

SO many people! My team, my family, my friends, success could not have happened without them.

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

I don’t have one in particular! Always be positive, thank God for the opportunities and the blessings, and manifest manifest manifest!

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? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Steven Spielberg — so we can chat about a Persian in his next film!

How can our readers follow you online?

IG: https://www.instagram.com/zhalehvossough/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zhalehvossough/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zhalehvossough

Webpage: https://www.zhalehvossough.com/

@ZhalehVossough on all platforms!

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