Embracing Cultural Heritage and Career Journey in Acting

Her unique cultural background shaped her supportive, goofball personality and ultimately fueled her successful acting career.

### Embracing Dual Cultures: A Journey from Law to Acting
* ✨ The speaker expresses their excitement about wearing a **sparkly outfit** for a New Year's-themed event, highlighting a **fun atmosphere** despite staying in for the night.
* 🛌 They recount a challenging holiday season filled with **jet lag and illness**, mentioning how their husband returned from Australia and their dog had to go to the **ER**.
* 👨 Growing up in a multicultural household, the speaker shares their experiences of having a **Persian father** and a **Native American Mediterranean mother**, which led to a **rich yet sometimes clashing cultural upbringing**.
* 🎬 They describe their childhood as studious and introverted, revealing how they were a "**super nerd**" who memorized "**The Lord of the Rings**" and faced challenges fitting in with peers.
* 💪 The speaker appreciates their father's support for their career aspirations, which inspired them to **attend law school and eventually transition into acting**, where they found **success after years of hard work**.
* 🎭 They express gratitude for their role in "The Chosen," sharing their **excitement about joining the cast** and the **welcoming environment that made the transition smoother**.
* 🤹 Reflecting on their personality, the speaker embraces being a "**big goofball**," emphasizing the importance of balancing their **fun side** with the heavier roles they play in acting.
* 🌟 They conclude by expressing a desire to **continue embracing their goofy nature** in 2023, inspired by characters like She-Hulk, who blend **humor with serious themes**.

love your uh your top. It's very like New Year's. That's why I wore it for this whole thing. I was like, I'm gonna get the sparkliest thing. We're gonna have fun sparkly earrings. I didn't even go out last night. I just went to bed. I was about to ask. Yeah, same. We got the kids to bed, and I think we were asleep by like 10:30. My husband came back from Australia. He was, you know, on the completely opposite time. We did a chosen press tour in Berlin and then Amsterdam, and it was amazing. But then I got back and was like totally jet lagged. But I also, I guess, caught the flu from someone over there and then gave it to the whole family. But that was my Christmas too. The day my husband left, my dog had to go to the ER, and we had this whole week of just horror. He's here, so you know, this is good. What kind of dog do you have? He's a Chihuahua. He's a little cheap. I have two.

You know, he might come up and talk to you. Let's see. Oh, oh, here he is. Oh, hello. So, yeah, childhood. What was, where'd you grow up? You know, what was, uh, what was childhood like for you? I mean, it was, um, I, so I have a Persian father and then, like, a Native American, uh, Mediterranean mom, so two different cultures. She's, like, more French than anything, and, you know, French versus Iranian women, you know, or Iranian cultures. So, that was always fun because I got to experience both cultures, but also they clashed a lot, um, in terms of, you know, uh, just growing up. But I had a twin brother, and he, he's my, my best friend, and then an older sister, um, who took care of me a lot. So, it was great. I had great siblings. My parents were wonderful. Um, you know, they, it was funny because when I was growing up, I was kind of like a super nerd. I was super studious. I didn't like, like, my twin brother at one point was the cool kid and didn't talk.

to me in seventh grade because that was like not okay, which is totally fine when you're growing up through beauty. It's like um, but yeah, like I like woke up every morning and watched Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings, knowing it by I full like I can quote the whole movie still um, every morning before like sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, and woke up three and a half hours early just to watch the movie. I taught myself quinine and Sindarin, like was totally like oh yeah I was a unibrow, it was very cute my cute days, and then um, and so that was like you know I was very introverted at that point because I wanted friends and I wanted to be like my twin brother, but I like people didn't really like me especially since I did so well. I was a very big teacher's pet and I wanted the top of the class and all the teachers love me, so it was hard especially when you have a cool brother and a cool sister, and then in ninth grade I like

blossomed suddenly, and I didn't know what to do with that. Um, so that was also hard because I kind of went through um my high school years not really knowing and getting a little taken advantage of in certain situations. And so, but again, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Having you know different cultures on either side of the family, were there any like aspects of either of those cultures that either you like really appreciated and embraced uh growing up or or on the flip side, was there anything about either of those that like you um you know tried to distance yourself from or that that you weren't as fond of? Yeah, I think for me, it's funny because my dad was so supportive in me getting a career and being a career woman, whereas people usually see the Persian or Iranian culture, especially with what's going on nowadays um and identify it as you know keeping women closeted or keeping women in the kitchen or you know very restrictive on their freedoms. So, I appreciate having a father who was super supportive and you

can do anything you want. I mean, he, you know, he was Middle Eastern, where he was like, You can do anything you want in the world, Bubba, as long as you're a doctor or lawyer, you know, yeah, um. So, that's actually what inspired me to go to law school in California. I got a full scholarship, and I did a program um in entertainment law so that I could do auditions during the day and be at law school at night. Got my degree, became a lawyer, and started doing litigation, which is like an actor in court basically because you're just theatrically performing for everyone in the room. And then, that's when I started booking, so I got to quit being a lawyer. But I don't think I would have done that without that kind of pressure, and I'm really glad I did because it made me realize, you know, like a Gal Gadot or a Rebel Wilson, like their lawyers, they can have their own production companies, finance their own pictures, star in them, sign the contracts, and know what the

contracts are saying and rule the world, so that's my plan. But yeah, so I appreciated that difference in culture. Um, but I also loved, you know, Persian culture is so fascinating. You know, whether it's the dancing. You know, we would grow up going to New Year's. Persian New Year's is more of like an April-May thing, and it's called Nowruz. And we would do like the Persian dancing. And there's just something seeing that, being able to see that. And when I was growing up in Arizona, so you didn't really have a strong Middle Eastern, um, you know, Society. It was very, very white growing up. And I think we had like one African-American, um, in our school and one Asian American. And I was friends with both of them because I was like the Persian girl. Um, but, and also with the Native American side, you know, we didn't see any of that either. I wish I had more of that culture. I wish I was submersed in it. A lot of my family was in Oklahoma, which is, it's the

Choctaw ban um, and I wish I had more experiences out there, just like I wish I had more Persian experiences. But um, I really think I, in my adult life, I started to research and investigate and kind of make sure that that was prominent in my life. Not that I have children to teach it to, I have a fur baby, but he has worn some cute things that are both Middle Eastern and Native American. Going back to my journey, when I was at my like end of the rope of like I can't do this anymore until my husband, I can't, I can't practice law anymore. I booked my first co-star, and I had been out here trying, and like for some reason Hollywood didn't want to give me any auditions. Like I, we tried everything and headshots, new reels, you know, I'm very proactive in my work. So I would, you know, try and be in a play. I would change up my reel. I would pay for everything. Um, thank God that I was a lawyer because I could afford it because being an actor

is very expensive, yeah, um, and it shouldn't be, but that's the nature of the business. And I booked my first Royal, the Dropout on Hulu, and I quit the day I got the offer, um, and ever since then, I booked literally, it's been 10 projects in a year, um, thank God. So, I think that was kind of what I needed to just put my trust in God and just say, like, let's do this, um, Universe, here we go, and it all happened. So, I'm very grateful for that. And I did, I'm very grateful for my father for having me do that because I, you know, am able to support myself now with my acting career, but also in the beginning, you know, it was a big risk because it was like, I don't have a paycheck coming in anymore. Like you said, I'm very proactive in my own career as well, and I think it's because of all of the, you know, failures earlier on or the opportunities that just, like, slipped by or that were really close and

didn't happen right um and I got so tired of relying on others and waiting around for like auditions and all of that. So, I started a few years before The Chosen. Um, I just started every single day emailing like casting directors and producers, and I have like a template. Um, and it's like just people or directors of like some indie that did well at South by Southwest. Um, and I'll just email them and be like, Hey, I really love your work. I'd love an opportunity to audition for you one day. Um, and I love that, especially for people, right? I wanted to ask, so when you got The Chosen one, ha, like did you already know about it at all? And two, um, just like what was your experience like? I know that coming into a new show or coming into a show as a new character, that's, you know, the show's already been established. People have relationships. It can, I've, I've done that in the past and felt um, like I wasn't part of the group. You

know like you're like the new kid, yeah um so what was your experience coming into this show um well I knew about the show um I was really excited. It's actually like my mother's favorite show and when I booked it she started buying like the car decals and like all the merch and I was like let me get you the discount code discount code um and so I was really excited and the character specifically I was very excited about um just because of the amount of you know you'll see the struggle and all of that jazz yeah which when we do this follow-up podcast we will talk more in depth about because I think there's a lot to talk about in terms of struggling and relating to the struggles that she had um in different ways but um I the first day was like okay here we go like flew in to this you know remote area and everybody was there because we shot the scene where everybody was there and I was like oh I hope they like me because you know um and it was this big moment too uh so

It was like there was a lot of pressure, but I'm such a goofball, which is why I love being who I was growing up and not being like the popular girl or whatever, because I think, unfortunately, that can add a lot of, it depends like how your personality can adapt to getting attention, yeah, where I wanted attention, like I was like, I'm an actor, let me show you, let me dance, let me do things for you, right, and no one would give it, so if anything, it's allowed me to become this big goofball, and I just loved everybody. I remember talking to like all of you guys when we were sitting in a tent and being like blah blah blah blah blah, like you know, it was just, you know, relating to my husband being a WWE wrestler, like somebody knew like him and what that was, and they're both Australian, and um, I was gonna say George, I knew what you were talking about before you even said someone new because you said WWE and I

was like, Oh yeah, it's got to be George that knows. Yeah, yeah, he's Australian, so it's so funny. And like, just everybody. And then we all became friends on Instagram and, uh, it like instantly so. And it was like they didn't know. I think a lot of people didn't know, um, how much, how big my character was in the script. So, you know, know like you said sometimes when you go onto a set and you're a small fry, you know, you might not be given that much love. But for the chosen, I didn't have to, I didn't feel like that at all. We didn't, our characters didn't have any direct interactions with each other, but, uh, we were in some group scenes together, um, that you got to do a lot. And without giving anything away, uh, we were all blown away by your performances and, um, we're just so excited like you came in without like any hesitation and just jumped right into some, you know, difficult scenes that are really big and

uh, important for the whole season and show, uh, and it was just so impressive. And I, I am glad that you never felt um, you know, out outside of the group or anything because all of us, you know, there, there was a few of us that were here at the beginning and then every season we've added like more and more characters um, and that's one thing I'm most proud of when it comes to the chosen is how welcoming everyone is and how instantly as soon as there's a new cast member that's added they're like part of the family and it's uh, even like day players like there's day players that we worked with in season one that we all still keep in touch with and now I love that it's a really cool group and I think a big reason is you know we've both talked about having uh, you know, like a long journey to get to where we are now and so much rejection and it's like everyone in the cast was kind of in the same boat whenever we, we got the chosen we were

all like at the end of our rope, and some people were about to quit acting, and yeah, then we got the show, and we're all kind of on this journey together, and we're all, you know, experiencing so many of these things for the first time together, and uh, you know, like the premiere, for instance, that was most of our, like, first time at a red carpet premiere. Um, so fun. I was like, it was amazing. I wish it had been in Los Angeles. I know, right? But uh, before I let you go, I want to ask. I end all of my podcasts uh, with this question uh, and that is, what do you love most about yourself? Um, I don't know. That's probably what I need to figure out for 2023. Probably just that I'm a big goofball, that like, you know, I could break out in song and dance in the kitchen at any random moment or on set or um, that as much as, you know, kind of growing up as a people pleaser can take a lot of a toll on you, I think that it's

turned me into the woman I am today, which is more of a strong but still goofball. Like, I think that's what I like being, just me. I, you know, having no pretension or, um, hopefully that's a good thing. Yeah, I think it's a great thing. Um, and it's good because, like you said, a lot of the roles you play are a little heavier, so I'm glad that you have that balance, that you're able to, you know, have that fun, goofy side and then go to work and, you know, cry your eyes out. Um, so yeah, finding horrible things. I'm hoping I can be a goofball in 2023. I will put that out there. Like, I totally related to She-Hulk, which I wanted to play my whole life, but Tatiana Maslany is a genius. Um, and it was great to see her in that role because she was like a lawyer, but she was also a super goofball. And like, that's my personality totally, like the

writers on that show. If you've seen She-Hulk, yes, yes, of course, yeah, incredible. Like the writing, the directing, the acting, everything in it was just um. I just love that show, yeah. And that's kind of like who I am, so it's nice to be able to see, you know, you don't have to play the lawyer that's like the whole time. Like there is an opportunity to kind of get that, you know, smooshy realness into it, so yeah. [Music]

Zhaleh Vossough HIGHLIGHTS - What's Your Limp?

What's Your Limp?

The speaker wore a sparkly top and earrings for a fun New Year's vibe, despite not going out the night before.

They shared a challenging holiday season, dealing with jet lag, the flu, and their dog's ER visit.

Growing up with a Persian father and a Native American Mediterranean mother, they experienced a clash of cultures, had a close-knit family with a twin brother and older sister, and were a studious, introverted child who loved "Lord of the Rings.

Embracing Cultural Diversity and Personal Growth

The speaker struggled with their identity during high school, feeling taken advantage of, but found strength in their diverse cultural background.

They appreciated their father's supportive role in their career aspirations, which inspired them to pursue law school and ultimately transition to acting.

The speaker's unique upbringing and exposure to different cultures shaped their goals of empowering themselves and others in the entertainment industry.

The speaker, with a background in law, struggled to break into acting but eventually booked a co-star role on Hulu's "The Dropout," leading to a successful year with ten projects.

They proactively sought opportunities by emailing casting directors and producers, aiming to take control of their career.

The speaker also reflects on the challenges of joining an established show like "The Chosen" and the struggle to feel part of the group.

Joining the Cast: A Newcomer's Experience

The newcomer was excited to join the show, which is also their mother's favorite, leading to a rush of merchandise purchases.

The first day on set was nerve-wracking, but their goofball personality helped them connect with the cast and make instant friendships.

Despite not having direct interactions with other characters, the newcomer felt welcomed and was impressed by everyone's performances.

The Welcoming Atmosphere of the Chosen Cast

The Chosen has a strong sense of community, with new cast members being instantly welcomed into the family.

The shared journey of rejection and struggle among the cast has created a tight bond.

Many cast members have stayed in touch, and the show has provided them with unique experiences, like their first red carpet premiere together.

The speaker identifies as a strong yet goofy individual, appreciating their authentic self.

They relate to the character of She-Hulk, who balances being a lawyer and a goofball, and admire the show's writing and acting.

The speaker hopes to continue embracing their fun side in 2023 while also tackling heavier roles.