From number-crunching in South Africa to the Hollywood Hills, Ashish Misra hopes to make his dream of becoming a movie star a reality.
Misra, 27, formerly of Reservoir Hills, said since he was a child he dreamt of being in Hollywood.
“My primary passion and dream was to become an actor. However, pursuing this dream at a young age would not have allowed me to financially support my family.
"I grew up in a home where there were constant financial constraints. But despite these constraints, my home was filled with love and care.”
Misra, who is also a model and entrepreneur, said he opted to go with his secondary passion and studied information technology at the Durban University of Technology.
“I always told myself that I would excel in my studies and thereafter obtain a good and stable job to support my family. I believed that one day, I would pursue my one true dream of acting, and the day has finally arrived. I decided last year that I wanted to relocate to Los Angeles with the hope of breaking into Hollywood.”
Misra, a former senior systems analyst at a bank in Johannesburg, said his initial aim was to obtain a working visa based on his IT qualification. However, that route was unsuccessful.
“ I worked in the core banking platform and handled all of the card IT systems for credit, debit, virtual and fleet cards.
“I then researched acting academies in Hollywood and found the best one. I applied and submitted online auditions followed by online interviews.
“I was then shortlisted to attend an in-person audition in October last year. I auditioned to the academy’s panel with the hope of exceeding their expectations with my performance and being offered a chance to attend their academy,” he said.
Misra said three weeks after his audition, he received an email that confirmed he had been accepted at the academy. He was also awarded a full scholarship.
“I accepted with no hesitation and started to prepare for this incredible journey ahead. I opted for the October 2024 enrollment as this gave me sufficient time to organise my life prior to making the journey to Los Angeles,” he said.
Misra added that he aspired to follow in the footsteps of his role-model, actor Christian Bale.
“It is also my long-term goal to win an Oscar.”
Misra said his advice to those who wished to follow the same footpath was to remain strong.
“Stay resilient, keep learning and remain open to feedback. Pursuing a dream takes dedication. Don’t lose sight of why you started, and let your passion fuel your drive.”