Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Ewa Sobiczewska, I am an actress, writer, and a creative based in Los Angeles. I work across theater, film and digital media. Though my career actually started in Poland, I’ve built it deliberately across both Polish and American industries.
Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Poland.
What brought you to Los Angeles?
Acting! Back in 2022 i got accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.
How did you get started in acting?
I first felt the pull toward acting in my early teenage years – I was spending most of my afternoons after school watching movies and TV shows, and that’s what made me fall in love with American cinema and television specifically. I remember being particularly captivated by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, how they changed based on the role and how their performances enhanced the movies they were in. That’s also when I first started dreaming about building a career across the Atlantic. I started taking acting classes with my coach, Ewelina, who took that dream seriously and helped me pursue it with real structure – we began researching and preparing applications for acting programs in the US and working through audition material.
What types of projects do you enjoy most?
I love projects where I can not only perform but also have a say in the creative process. I could do that with Scarlett, a web series I co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced. I love being totally involved in the making of something and having it spring to life. I also find that projects that stretch my range and my abilities as an actress are invaluable. What’s so incredible about acting is getting to exist in situations you never experienced or thought you would experience – back in June I was in a Fringe Fest play and my character was a 14 year old pregnant girl. Preparing for that took some extensive research and committed physical acting.
Can you tell us about your SAG-AFTRA feature experience?
Getting to experience a SAG-AFTRA set for the first time – even in a day-player role – was a game changer for me. It taught me what real professionalism was – the level of preparation required on a union set, how to adapt to changes quickly, and contribute meaningfully even in a smaller role. Working with actors and crew members with years of experience under their belt gave me more motivation to keep improving my work. It’s definitely an experience I carry with me whenever I step foot on another set.
What has working in independent film taught you?
What I learned from doing independent films is how to self-direct, since you don’t always get a ton of direction. It has sharpened my instincts when it comes to what ends up looking best on camera. It also teaches you how to be resourceful. While shooting one of the short films I did back in May we had a little location problem and that changed how the scene was shot. I had to rebuild my entire approach for the scene in about 5 minutes. So it definitely teaches you how to think fast as well.
How has theater shaped your acting career?
Theater taught me spontaneity and being open to surprises. You can never predict what happens when you perform live. I had to learn how to stay present, live in the moment and accept things that are out of my control. Today’s performance is not going to be anything like yesterday’s performance. I used to set a lot of expectations for myself when it came to my performance but now I just trust that the work I had done during rehearsals is still there. When I was performing for the Culver City Public Theater every single performance was vastly different – we would run into prop and costume problems that needed adjusting right before the show and technical difficulties that emerged while we were on stage. You just learn to roll with it and be spontaneous.
What was it like performing at Fringe Fest?
Being a part of Fringe Fest was incredible. I loved how dynamic and fast-paced everything was. We only had about a week of rehearsals and had our opening night at the end of that same week. I feel like the audiences were very engaged and keen to watch something new. It was also especially meaningful to be originating a role. It was an original play written by our director and it was being performed for the very first time.
Fringe Fest is such an important celebration of theater in Hollywood and I’m glad I met a lot of creatives and made connections because of it.
What’s next for you as an actress?
Right now I’m continuing to grow Scarlett, a web series I’m co-writing, producing and performing in, and looking for more opportunities to take on lead roles that let me stretch creatively. The SAG-AFTRA feature film I was in is going to be premiering this fall so I’m very excited to finally see it in its entirety. And this September my short film Family Trust is getting its first screening in LA! So definitely a lot to look forward to and a lot to strive towards.
