U.K. Actress Karen Johal Discusses her Upcoming Projects & What Keeps Her Motivated!

Karen Johal

By. Kevin Ray Johnson (Staff Writer for OnStage Blog)

Karen Johal has kept herself busy and motivated since last talking in 2020. Karen (in case you missed it) is a very talented Actress from the U.K. who studied with the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts, and the Birmingham Metropolitan College in the UK. Since then, she has performed with The Public Theater, at Carnegie Hall, Under St Marks, and Teatro Latea. Pretty soon she'll be starring in a show on BBC and a Film with Lions Film (which she discusses in this feature). I am so happy to have had the chance to catch up with Karen. She is truly one Artist I haven't forgotten and is a true inspiration to me and many others!

How has life been for you since the last time we talked?

It has been good, truly. The pandemic feels like it took a chunk of my time and now things are open enough that I have been able to get back to some semblance of normality. I have been working consistently and getting used to being back in the UK until I go back to New York later this year. A lot has happened personally in the last few years that I think has changed and shaped me into a better version of myself, I am no longer looking to get back to who I was pre-pandemic. I feel like I am in a great time of abundance and I am just taking that all in and staying grateful for the moment.

What keeps you motivated as an Artist?

I think for me it's the drive to work on projects that I watch and that excites me. There is so much being made and so many new stories being told and I stay motivated because of the excitement I feel. I am a south Asian Actor and a lot of what is being made now is representative of the culture I grew up in or of other minorities. Looking at things like Ms. Marvel, the variety of possibilities keeps me ambitious for the future. It is difficult to stay motivated one hundred percent of the time. I definitely have frustrations and anxiety about career-related things but at the core of what I am doing, is that excitement. I look back to a time in my life when there was a lot of doubt around what I was pursuing, even getting into a Drama school and I look at what I am doing now and at the projects, I have worked on and I feel a sense of pride in myself that my resilience or stubbornness if you like, kept me going.

What were some things you did to keep your spirits up during the height of Covid?

I just accepted the time for what it was, I tried to look at the things I could control. I am very lucky that I was with my family and my dog and that we had a garden and some space to get some respite from each other. I took the time to do the things I love to do with enjoyment rather than feeling pressured to do them. I did practical things while I could. I got my reel together, I got a self-tape situation down and I signed with an Agency in the UK. Most importantly though I think my relationships with the people in my life are what kept my spirits up. I have a small group of friends and some of them live in different parts of the world. This situation we found ourselves in meant that either our connection thrived or it depleted and it taught me so much. We are here to connect and to be there for one another and it is a real testament to any friendship if you can stay loved and connected after you have come out of the other side of a world pandemic. I owe a lot to my friends and family for keeping my spirits up.

What are some projects you have done since we talked last that stick out to you?

I have been in a few theatre productions since we last talked. I played the lead role in the play Blackbird by David Harrower. It was produced by Let Me In which is a theatre company based in Lichfield in Staffordshire. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime role so I was very lucky and grateful to be cast in such a gargantuan role. A few months after that I was cast in a starring role in their next production of People, Places, and things which I actually watched a few years prior at St Ann's warehouse in Brooklyn, New York. That was a full circle moment for me. I was then cast as the lead in a National Christmas Commercial for TK Maxx and I was cast as the lead in a show called Mismatch at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in my hometown which was produced by Sky Comedy. I was also in a short film called The High Performer where I played the title role, which we filmed in Kent in March of this year.

Do you have any projects coming up?

I am currently filming a starring role in a new television series for the BBC called Phoenix Rise which I am very excited about. It is based in the West Midlands which is where I grew up and the BBC is a huge national broadcaster in the UK. I will be wrapped in November later this year and then I will be heading to New York to start working on a production of Twelfth Night for The Mechanicals and working at the same time on a new feature film called Victimhood where I play the lead role. It's a psychological Thriller by Kill the Lion films which is set to be released in 2023. A lot of things are lining up for me for the rest of this year which I am excited about. I can’t believe we are halfway through the year so I am hoping 2023 is looking just as booked and busy!

If you would like to learn more about Karen, make sure you visit her official website at -https://www.karenjohal.com

Check out Karen's first feature for OnStage Blog here -https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2020/3/7/karen-johals-journey-from-the-uk-amp-the-importance-of-educating-yourself