The student news site of Linfield University

The Linfield Review

The student news site of Linfield University

The Linfield Review

The student news site of Linfield University

The Linfield Review

Student actress keeps it ‘Grimm’

Hollywood is full of actors and actresses trying make it. For anyone not in Hollywood, it can be even more difficult. Sophomore Aparna Parthasarathy, who uses the stage name Aparna Brielle. She calls Portland her home, where the amount of auditions can be less than ideal. Even then, Parthasarathy has been able to find some acting jobs in the vicinity, most notably on an episode of Grimm, which will air May 2.

The allure of being on stage came to Parthasarathy at a young age.

“I always did performing arts when I was younger. I started out with dance actually. I did Indian classical dance, ballet, jazz and all that stuff,” Parthasarathy said. “My favorite part of it was the performance aspect. I always—I know it’s a cliché, but I used to put little shows at home. They were mostly based on Harry Potter because I’m embarrassing like that.”

Most of the projects Parthasarathy has been involved in were smaller independent projects: web series or smaller commercials.

“With TV shows, you’re competing with people from LA, the bigger the part the higher the competition. My very first audition was for Gone with Amanda Seyfried. Grimm is really hard to get in the room for, so it was really fun to get in there and do the work,” Parthasarathy said.

One of the reasons she ended up on Grimm was because it is a show mostly local to Portland. Parthasarathy found it as one of the most enjoyable projects in her acting career so far.

“It was just the most overwhelming thing because I’ve never been on a set that big, and it was a lot of work. I didn’t mind it. It was one of those times that I was happy to wake up at 6 [a.m.] after going to sleep so late,” Parthasarathy said.

It helped that all of the actors and people on set were very friendly to each other; no matter the part they held. Performing in front of the camera isn’t the only sort of acting Parthasarathy is invested in.

“I like TV, film and stage. If I could have a successful career in either of those formats, I’d be happy,” she said.

At the same time, Parthasarathy is interested in writing and producing some of her own work, but acting is definitely her main focus.

Scheduling is always a difficulty for a full-time college student is attempting to also have a full-time, off-campus job, but it is even more difficult when that student plans to graduate a year early without coming in with any transfer credits. Parthasarathy knows it all first hand.

“I have to save up my absences. At the beginning of the term, I try to get a feel for my professors. It can be strenuous, but it is a lot of time management,” Parthasarathy said.

Parthasarathy will graduate with a major in marketing. She plans to use skills gained in marketing classes to promote herself.

“In this business you can’t just wait for opportunities to come to you; you have to get them yourself,” Parthasarathy said.

After she graduates, Parthasarathy plans to move to California in order to be closer to the heart of the industry.

 

Gilberto Galvez/Features editor

Gilberto Galvez can be reached at [email protected]

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