Vas Saranga (@vas_saranga) is an actor and entrepreneur (founder @theonlineactor) who has made appearances in productions such as The Handmaid's Tale, Orphan Black, Little Italy, The Beaverton, Flashpoint and American Pie (to name a few). He's also Ara’s best friend of over 20 years and one of the best storytellers you'll meet.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode to discuss how he stays motivated even when he misses out on potentially life-changing roles, dropping out of university without telling his parents, hustling Ara's younger brother out of a $200 guitar for $10 and how he got Ara suspended once in high school along with a bunch of other incredible and hilarious stories.
Follow Vas:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vas_saranga/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Vas Saranga
03:19 - Vas speaks on his pursuit of being an actor in a South Asian household
06:29 - Dropping out (and not telling his parents), taking acting classes and creating YouTube content
09:49 - Finding inspiration from the career trajectories of actors like Riz Ahmed and Wentworth Miller
13:24 - How Vas stays motivated even when he misses out on potentially life-changing roles
17:25 - Where did Vas’ passion for acting come from?
20:54 - Ara will ‘brainwash’ his kids by making them watch films; how films can entertain and inform
24:21 - How acting opportunities have evolved for Vas over the last 15 years
26:02 - Will shows starring minorities (ex: Kim’s Convenience) continue breaking out?
29:40 - Post-COVID, does the road to success as an actor still go through Hollywood?
32:15 - Vas’ Training Studio, ‘The Online Actor’
37:34 - Biggest learning lesson in the last 3-5 years
41:32 - Why Vas does ‘absolutely less than nothing’ when he isn’t working
43:57 - Ara got suspended from school after Vas taught him how to workout
48:08 - One of Vas’ biggest insecurities is...
49:07 - Wanting to be remembered for…
51:12 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
52:15 - The Toronto-Tamil community’s impact on Vas - both professionally and personally
56:50 - Vas improved his life by…
57:49 - His favourite podcast, Box Angeles
58:55 - Admiration for Mindy Kaling and Denzel Washington
1:00:54 - Creator Confessions
1:10:37 - Having a shoe stolen and then hustling Ara’s younger brother
1:15:02 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan