TAMARA GEORGIEVNA ABROSIMOVA

Photo by Valeria Tannuzzi

Actress on the Rise

When did you first get involved as an actress?

I got involved with acting when I was twelve and my mom took me to a local theatre to see a play. I loved the world of make-believe and since then started participating in school plays, and when I moved to the US I began working as an extra.

What or Who inspired you to pursue such a competitive career?

My mom Aida Welch and my friend William Mark McCullough. They both have been supporting me in my career path. My mom always pushed me to get on every show, every school play, how I should not give a crap what everyone else thinks or how people perceive me while Mark has been more of my spiritual guide. He supported me whenever I had questions and concerns about the film industry, what kind of equipment I should get for the auditions, the ways of how to get the attention of casting directors and the importance of networking.

What have been your biggest achievements been in TV and Film?

I was in a mockumentary alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in Georgia before Covid started, and I got very lucky and very blessed to be a part of that production. Whenever I don’t have auditions, I write and direct my own short films. I have a drama thriller coming up “Ride or Die With me” and I am very excited to work with lots of good friends who I’ve met through networking.

I’m sure you have met a lot of talented individuals and/or celebrities along the way. Would you share 1 or 2 of your favorite stories with us?

I met Danny McBride when I was coming from one of my shoots in Savannah to Charleston. I desperately needed gas and decided to stop at a nearby gas station. I pull up to one of the tanks and see a very familiar-looking car that I saw on the set of “The Righteous Gemstones”. I took a closer look and it was Danny McBride. I met him a couple of times on the set, but not outside in real life. I quickly introduced myself, we chatted about sets and he was happy to take a photo with me when I asked. He is a very hardworking and nice guy, very down-to-earth.

The other celebrity I met was Harry Treadaway, he was the main protagonist in the first two seasons in the show “Mr. Mercedes”. I met him on my very first day as an extra. I was outside the courthouse where everything took place, and while a 2nd AD was telling everyone what to do I saw a young man looking at me through one of the doors of the courthouse. I waved to him, he waved back and then he communicated with me by mimicking that he liked my shirt that said “I stand with Brady”. Few hours later I was taking a little break and out of the corner of the building I saw Harry. I stood a few meters away from him and he was the first one to come and talk to me. At that time I had absolutely no idea who he was and what he did. We chatted for a bit, he mostly asked about me and he was the nicest guy. His British accent got me completely charmed and since then I became one of his fans.

Photo by Valeria Tannuzzi

What has been your ideal character, so far? And why?

My ideal character was the one that I wrote for myself for “Ride or Die”, because I can be the crazy version of myself, and that character gets to be a badass and kill a bunch of bad guys.

How has your acting evolved since you first became involved in the film industry?

I moved to a bigger city, gained a big fan base, I started my own photography and self-taping business. In addition I networked my way into this industry and met a lot of wonderful, amazing people who support me every day. Since pursuing acting professionally I did things I haven’t thought of doing before like fire breathing and doing people’s headshots.

If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to stay in this tough business? Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why?

I would choose anger. This emotion drives me to be better. Whenever I get audition where I get to be angry, all of my insecurities and inner demons get to come out and it feels great afterwards. I ended up scaring few guy friends during my weekly audition practice, where I had an angry burst. Lots of laughter followed after.

Which ingredient do you think makes you special and unique as a performing artist in an industry overflowing with new faces and ideas?

My accent and my looks. I know there aren’t enough Eastern-Europeans in the film industry, especially who look intimidating and mysterious which is part of my brand. I think it’s very important to hire Russians and other Slavic people to play characters who are from those countries instead of hiring Americans who can’t quite pull off that unique accent.

Photo by Matt LeGault

What has been your biggest challenge as an actor? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

Getting booked is a challenge for every actor. The way to overcome it is to keep practicing your craft, put yourself out there and make people notice you, remember you. Keep taking classes from working actors, research shows that are filming in your market and meditating, relaxing is a big thing as well.

A common phrase in the industry is, “you must suffer for your art”. Do you agree with this statement? If so, how have you suffered for your art?

I agree with it 110%. Being an actor is not always having a consistent paycheck and stable way of life, it can get very lonely very fast. When you start to accomplish things, that’s when you start getting stalkers and haters, and it takes guts to go through that and move on. It’s worth mentioning that you get rejected many times by not booking your ideal job. Yes, we suffer and if an actor will keep on working hard and smart, she or he will get awarded with the job that was meant to be.

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the film business?

The Internet has greatly impacted the film. You can check out latest news about the industry, find out casting calls, submit self-tapes from anywhere in the country, watch your favorite movies and shows and learn how to direct and produce films. Internet gets people jobs.

Photo by Ezra Munchinson

If you could change anything about the film industry, what would it be?

Hire actors for the jobs that were written for them. For example: I’m Russian and I get very disappointed when someone hires an American actress to play a Russian in a famous franchise or a TV show. This actress ends up having a very cringy accent, doesn’t have the basic facial features of a Slavic person, and a lot of people would bring up stereotypes that are not true. I would also hire more female actors, because it seems that there’s more male actors. There has to be an equality.

What is the best advise you have received?

Best advice I received was that you have to look at an actor’s life, being an actor as a business. You are the CEO of your own company named you.

What projects are you currently working on... that you can talk about?

Currently, I am working on my short films “Affair with Mr. Poe” and “The way society is” where I get to direct my actor friends and be on the other side of the screen.

What’s next for you?

I will be portraying a young mother in a feature film “Milala” and a villain in another feature “Beowulf”. Both are horror films and it’s something that’s exciting for me to be a part of and I would get to see a lot of people I worked with before.

How can fans-to-be follow your career?

They can follow me on IMDb, Instagram and Facebook. If they have any questions about film, I am always available to help out and answer all the questions.