South African actress Letticia Bissondut is building a promising career in Hollywood and is determined to take over the small screen.
Letticia Bissondut is a Los Angeles-based Indian South African actress, humanitarian; Vogue published photographer and creative director. We spoke to her life in LA and what it takes to make it in Hollywood.
Q: Please tell us more about yourself and your work
A: I was born in Durban and grew up in Johannesburg and have been based in LA for the last few years. I am an actor and occasionally I find myself behind the camera too. I guess, for me, storytelling has always been my driving force. Which is why I ended up being in front of and now occasionally behind the camera. When I was a little girl, I would spend hours and hours dreaming up stories and writing them down or have my little nose in a book about adventure or watching a film. We watched a lot of movies growing up and I fell in love with the idea of escaping into these wonderful imaginary worlds. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make those stories a reality and traveling to far off lands one day.
Q: Can you tell us more about your career and about the productions that you have worked on?
A: I went to film school in Johannesburg and once I graduated I moved to London for a few years where I did more classes at the actors centre. A couple of years ago I made my way to LA , where I've worked on a few productions that I'm really proud of. I got to work with William H Macy on Shameless, playing a character called Aisha. One project that kind of set a lot of things in motion for me was when I was noticed by Golden Lion winning director, Tatia Pilivea. She cast me in a short film that was made for Show Times "Masters of Sex" which has garnered forty-nine million views and went viral within minutes of being released. That was pretty cool. I have worked on a number of international commercials and campaigns too, most recently being an Apple campaign and a film I did called "The Wound". The film premiered at Hollyshorts and made the official selection. And I was recently cast in a recurring role in a series called " Strangers Never Again" which should be released soon.
Q: How do you determine which roles you are interested in?
A: I make sure that I read the script inside and out. If it stirs something inside of me and I am curious about the characters and I want to know more about them after I put down the script then I know that it is a role worth pursuing and unpacking. That's always a good sign. My rule of thumb is if it makes me feel something, I am generally in. I also think like any actress, I gravitate towards unconventional characters that go against the grain and aren’t just the damsel in distress or just a love interest.
Q: Why did you decide to move to LA? Did you feel there were more opportunities there than in SA?
A: I moved to LA because I had one of those moments where I felt like if I didn’t take a risk and at least try, I would without a doubt regret it. So here I am. I think the industry is changing and there are some great opportunities back home now but at the time I made the move it was somewhat quiet for someone of my casting.
Q: Can you tell us about your life and experiences in Los Angeles, especially in regards to the acting industry?
A: LA can be quite a doozy – you can go from running into the Beckhams at the grocery store, to volunteering down at Skid Row with the homeless, to doing a spin class with Charlize Theron, all in one day. True story. And she is the nicest person! I fangirled so hard and told her my “one day when I meet Charlize” story that I had in my back pocket since my first year at film school when she won the Oscar for Monster and inspired a generation of African kids to follow their dreams. Much like acting it can be unpredictable but at the end of the day it is always rewarding. I always say that LA is that city that can give you your dreams and take it away from you in the same breath. So it is a constant reminder to love what I do and work hard but not take too much too personally and always practice gratitude. And like Charlize said to me, “Us South Africans, we’re pretty resilient, so work hard and don’t give up.”
Q: What is the culture of LA and was it a culture shock when you first moved there?
A: Yes and No. I honestly feel as South Africans, we’re exposed to a lot. We’re also pretty adaptable. So it wasn’t too crazy of a shock. I did, and still have to get used to the whole let's have a BBQ instead of a braai kind of thing. I still say braai! It's kind of incredible; there is so much diversity and creativity all around. From the families on the east side with incredible South American cuisine – I could eat tacos all day – to the hipsters in Silverlake making art, to the film execs in the hills, to the suburbs in the Valley to surfers in Malibu - LA has it all. It is such a melting pot of so many cultures from around the world and still really American too.
Q:Did you have to spend some time adapting to the city?
A: Not really. LA is pretty easy to navigate except LA drivers are crazy and most of them drive Tesla’s so you have to be really careful. Personally, I'm not that complicated, as long as I am close to the ocean and can go out for a morning surf I'm happy.
Q: How are you handling the competitiveness of life in LA?
A: LA can be incredibly hard on you when it comes to the entertainment industry, especially acting. I had a casting director once say to me that they get about 1500 to 2000 submissions for each role that they have. They end up auditioning around ten people from those and only one person actually gets the job. So it’s kind of intense but also incredibly rewarding when you do book a job. I try my best to stay in my lane, work hard, focus and live by the notion that if something is for me, it will never pass me by. I’ve also had to learn not to take things too personally and move with kindness.
Q: One of your biggest drives is telling diverse African stories to the broader global community. How have you been doing this since moving to LA?
A: Absolutely, I love where I come from and think that so often our stories end up being told by people who have not actually lived in South Africa or Africa at large. So we get their point of view and not ours. I have made it my mission to work with creatives who share that same perspective about storytelling and I have recently started working on a script about my late grandfather Sunny’s life, being a brown bartender at one of the country’s most prestigious hotels during apartheid. Actually, both my grandpas were bartenders and buddies during this time, so they have some really funny stories - which I cannot wait to explore.
Q: What do you hope to achieve career-wise within the next few years in Hollywood?
A: I would love to book a series regular on a great show, make some films that tell more stories about Africa and its strength. I would love to book a Marvel film or something fun like that. I have always loved stories that are filled with adventure and give the viewer an opportunity to escape so I want to pursue that genre a lot more too. And I would kill to work with some of my favorite directors like Reed Morano, Wes Anderson, Ava Duvenay, Denis Villeneuve, Spike Jonz, Jean-Marc Vallée, Mira Nair, Patty Jenkins, to name a few. I would also really like to work with some South African female directors that I love too, like Amanda Lane and Justine Puren-Calverley. I’m sure there are more in the making too. I am super stoked to see where our South African industry is going to!
