It's not easy for an artist to combine a career with raising a child. Hamburg-based performer Karolina Petrossian tells us how she manages.
Karolina, tell us about your career until your child was born.
I studied marketing and worked for record labels as well as for ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE before I became an actress. I worked with various singing projects and trained at the STAGE SCHOOL OF MUSIC, DANCE AND DRAMA in Hamburg. During that period I realized that acting was what I enjoyed most and what I wanted to work with. It's nothing you really choose, it chooses you. At the beginning of my third year of training I gave birth to my daughter.
What made you opt for a child at that stage of your career? How did your family react to the news?
Oh, it wasn't really a decision (laughs). It just happened and we knew straightaway that we'd accept the challenge of being parents. No one in our circle of friends had children. And some people tried to talk me out of it and remind me of my "career prospects". But our real friends supported us, just like our family was very happy about the news. Though they were also keen to make sure we wouldn't neglect our careers. My husband is an actor himself, so since we're both working on freelance basis mostly and for limited contracts, the challenge is just a bit bigger than for other couples. But it doesn't mean that it cannot be managed.
What's your daily life like now? What problems do you encounter and how do you deal with them?
We are lucky because we do not only have a daycare place for our daughter but also a great circle of friends and family who support us. If one of us has a theatre contract, the other one can only accept limited work for TV or movies for a few days in a row while someone else looks after our daughter. This is manageable. The only hard times are when we both have to go to castings, but so far it's always worked out. We just have to accept that one of us will always have to take a step back when the other one has a big job and we can alternate that. But it takes more strength of course than just having to take care of yourself. "Continuity" is another big factor in our lives. Children need steady schedules. That's not always easy in our job.
What have your experiences been like during job interviews when you mentioned being a mother? Could you take your daughter with you to rehearsals and to work?
I really had to think hard about that – shall I tell them or not? But really: It's not an illness, it's a family (laughs). I stopped worrying about what other people might think of if they see it as a problem. She's part of me. Period. Reactions are mixed, really. Some directors and producers are fine with it, they have families too. But I've also met a few directors who didn't show an understanding. You just have to accept those. But generally I try to take her along as often as I can. She knows she will have to be silent for a while on a film set or in the theatre, before she can run around and dance again. A child grows up with this when both parents are actors. But I believe that it's harder for everyone with children, no matter what job you have.
Did you take your girl with you when you shot the movie 'Berlin Connected'?
Yes, but don't think she was running around the set all day (laughs). No, only during breaks and after shooting ended. It also depends on the set. I couldn't take her along for a big TV production, but I'm good friends with the director of Berlin Connected, Oliver Bokern (who stars in the popular German TV soap "Verliebt in Berlin"), who understands the need to combine children and career.
You played the lead in this movie?
Yes, one of the leads. Three of us had written the script. Oliver, another actor and me. The movie is still in post-production, but I already saw a raw version of the cut and it looks great!
Du hast in dem Film die Hauptrolle gespielt?
Ja eine der Hauptrollen. Das Buch haben wir zu dritt geschrieben. Oliver, ein weiterer Schauspielkollege und ich. Der Film befindet sich leider noch in der Postproduktion, ich habe schon einen Rohschnitt gesehen, super!
Looking back now, what do you think about combining a career with having a child?
You need plenty of energy, discipline, stamina and also some help from outside. We couldn't really manage on our own. But the will to make it, especially with a child, gives you so much strength. And my career also benefits from these qualities I've developed. But of course it's easier without a child. You are just facing different challenges. I've made new friends during the last years, actors, directors or writers who have children, and they all manage. Parents always have to have a bit more of everything than other people. More organisation, more discipline, more energy. The only thing you lack is sleep (laughs).
What are your next projects?
I have just found a new agency to represent me – www.kleinehaie.de – I'm very happy with that and things are changing quite a lot for me right now. I've had some offers already, but I can't really talk about those yet. And right now I'm just glad I got through the Berlinale, the film festival of Berlin. I met many directors, casting people and producers, but mostly you're just running from one event to another. I can recommend the BERLIN ACTORS MEETINGTo all StagePool members as an excellent forum for performers and filmmakers, where people meet and discuss new projects or even begin working on them. Really worthwile!
What have your experiences with StagePool been like?
STAGEPOOL is a wonderful way for young artists to find their first jobs, for example actors who don't have an agency can find many productions and job offers this way. The range of advertised jobs is clearly expanding and I'm finding more and more big movies for the cinema and other big-scale productions. I also loved the idea of the scholarship which you gave last year. A very valuable project for young talents!
Karolina Petrossian talks to us about how to manage both
