Today we’d like to introduce you to Arshia Gupta.
Hi Arshia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Since I was a kid, I have always loved performing. My cousins and I would choreograph dances and perform them in front of our family. I loved singing songs during karaoke nights at family gatherings. In middle school, I found myself doing choir, theatre, and taking Bollywood dance classes. I started solo singing for the first time at school talent shows. In a nutshell, I have always been multi-faceted in my love for the performing arts. As I went on to high school and finished freshman year, I was still trying to do all the things – singing, dancing, and acting. But my parents encouraged me to pick one creative outlet and stick with that for the rest of high school. They wanted me to quit my other interests so I could focus more on my academics. I found myself gravitating more towards singing, so I chose to stick with choir. Throughout my sophomore year of high school, I convinced my parents to let me take some on-camera acting classes on the side to fulfill my interests of film and tv acting. But as school got more intense, I went ahead and dropped that and stuck with singing which I went full force on. I sang at all the school talent shows, sang the national anthem at volleyball and basketball games, and even sang at open mic nights around town. I wasn’t popular by any means, but I became known as “the girl who could sing.” At that point, singing was a huge part of my life and I very much wanted to pursue being a professional singer. But again, being an Indian American girl with immigrant parents, I was pushed to take the stable route and go to college to pursue a “secure” degree. In a lot of cultures, especially Indian culture, parents typically want their children to pursue a path that is going to set them up for success, and pursuing a creative path tends to be more stigmatized.
So that’s exactly what I did. I went to Texas A&M University and graduated with a Finance degree in 2021. Throughout my college years, I was in an a cappella group, so thankfully I got to live out my “Pitch Perfect” dreams and perform as a creative outlet. After I graduated, I started my corporate job at a tech company. I had the stability and a promising career ahead of me, but I felt lost and empty. I truly didn’t feel like myself. The mundane routine of waking up, working 8 hours a day, hitting the gym, going to sleep, and doing it all over again until I’m supposed to retire made me super depressed. I would often think, “dang is this really it for me?”
To navigate this lost time in my life, I went through a self-discovery phase, and started to reconnect with my inner child and my creativity through all the different performance mediums I have always loved. I started singing more and taking voice lessons again, I took hip hop dance classes for fun, and I started playing around with content creation. Naturally, I was also watching more tv shows and movies during this period of being depressed, as stories would provide a sense of escapism and make me feel something. One night, I was watching season 4 of Stranger Things with my family, and I remember being so captivated and mesmerized. I remember feeling so many emotions, and then I started reflecting on my brief stint of acting in my youth. I remember how much I loved getting to act and tell stories, but not being given the chance to explore it further due to other priorities with school. So for a few months, I started doing research on the industry, googling about acting classes near me, looked up other actor’s stories, and thought to myself – “you know what, I’m going to take an acting class for fun and see if I love it as much as I used to.”
So after a 7 year hiatus, I took an acting class at the start of 2023. And I’m proud to say that since then, I haven’t looked back. I absolutely fell in love with my first class back. I started learning as much as I could about the industry and the business of acting. I got experience in local student films and slowly but surely started building up my marketing materials such as headshots, casting profiles, a reel, etc. And I loved taking acting classes so I always prioritized training and continuing to better my craft. Towards the end of 2024 was when I realized I wanted to take this pursuit of acting to the next level and pursue it more professionally. In 2025, I started training in a 2 year film and tv conservatory training program where I consistently continued to train twice a week in various skillsets that set you up for success to be a working actor. I joined WIFT – Women in Film and Television, an organization of like minded women navigating the filmmaking industry. I also got my first agent, which was the turning point for me of officially starting the lifestyle of a working actor. Since then and fast forward to the present, my life has consisted of training, auditioning, networking, attending casting director workshops, and being on set to tell stories. I am fully committed to the long term journey of being a working actor and I’m loving the ride. I am very proud of myself for taking that leap of faith and I have come a long way. Since I’ve started pursuing my dreams, life feels a lot more fulfilling and rewarding. I’m so grateful that I chose to take a “silly little local acting class for funsies.” I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for the self re-discovery journey I went on when I was feeling very lost post-grad. Who knows, I might F around and find myself getting involved in other aspects of filmmaking in addition to acting – the sky is the limit and this is just the beginning.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, it wouldn’t be life if it was always a smooth road!
First of all, I’m an actor on top of having a full time corporate job to pay the bills. So essentially, I’m living a double life and feel like I have two full time jobs. On top of all that, just being an adult and trying to balance family and friends, a fitness routine, eating healthy, and all the other life things – sometimes it can feel like a lot. I’ve definitely gotten burnt out at times and had to learn the hard way that rest is just as important. I struggle with toxic productivity and sometimes place my self worth into how much I accomplish in a day. But I’m working on it, and try to keep reminding myself that I am enough, I am more than what I do, and I am worthy of rest. I’m a virgo by the way, if that explains anything, lol. The more I got serious as an actor though, the more I realized that true balance doesn’t actually exist. You have to prioritize certain seasons in life and be willing to sacrifice other things to go for your dreams/achieve your goals.
Additionally, for a while I had one foot in and one foot out with the actor pursuit – I was terrified of posting about it on social media, wondered if I was too old, I was scared of pursuing an unconventional path, prioritizing other things instead, indulging in vices a little too much at times, and was scared of getting backlash from extended family. I was honestly getting in my own way. I had to really rewire my mindset, have self belief, and choose MYSELF in order to take the next step of becoming a working actor.
Also, the more I trained, and the deeper I got into my craft, I kept getting frustrated with some of my “blocks” and I always beat myself up over it. Every actor realizes their own blocks when it comes to their craft. Acting means to live truthfully as a human in imaginary circumstances. It requires a lot of hard work in terms of focus and concentration, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and doing the homework. It requires you to be kind to yourself, let go of control, your ego, and perfectionism. You have to be connected to your mind and body. In order to overcome my personal blocks, I’ve had to address my mental headspace, my traumas, and my inner demons. This year, I’ve essentially gone through an ego death, had to go through some soul searching, understand who I truly am, and I went through a bit of an existential identity crisis. It’s been hard, but rewarding, and it’s an ongoing journey for sure. But ever since I became an actor, I feel like I’ve changed a lot and have become a better version of myself. I don’t think the soul searching ever ends though, honestly. Although it’s been tough, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thirdly, this industry is not for the weak. A major part of being an actor is being able to deal with rejections and not getting any feedback. This pursuit is more of a mindset game above all else. You have to maintain self belief because there’s so many aspects of this industry that are out of your control. I know every actor can relate to this – it’s so easy to get into a comparison trap and wonder if you’re good enough when you feel like everyone is booking except you. And not only comparisons with bookings, but comparison with your own growth within the craft of acting, the connections you have, your marketing materials, etc. It’s so easy to spiral if you let yourself go there and think so far ahead in the future and worry about the unknown. I’ve had to learn to measure my wins in alternate ways than I have been used to. I’ve had to let go of external validation, not compare my timeline to others, maintain my self belief, and keep at the journey. I have to let go of everything that is out of my control, because I know I’m doing everything I can for what is in my control. Working on my mindset is a continuous journey and I have to trust in God and the universe that things will ultimately work out when they’re supposed to.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an actress based in Austin, Texas. Like I mentioned in the other questions, I got back into acting in 2023, and have been doing it professionally since 2025.
I am most proud of my growth because I have truly come a long way. I started as a “newbie” and had so much self doubt at first. I went from doing acting as a hobby to being an “actor” and owning that. I am now confident with a lot of my abilities – my craft, my marketing materials, my auditioning skills, my consistency and work ethic, collaborating with agents/casting directors/coaches/filmmakers, being on set, and most importantly my self belief.
What sets me apart is being bilingual in Hindi and being a first generation American of South Asian Indian descent. Unfortunately, the POC representation of actors continues to be limited, and I want to be the representation I wish I had growing up. There’s so many stories to tell regarding being an Indian-American girl, the first generation American experience, and overall different cultural experiences. I feel like I bring unique perspectives and want to inspire people to go after what they want in life. I want to tell stories that matter. And I want to make people feel something—because that’s what art has done for me, and I know how powerful that can be.
In terms of my vibe as an actor, I can best describe myself with a gen-z-like essence depicting warm, confident, sassy, edgy, and authentic portrayals. Think of the girl next door, a college student, a young professional, the edgy chick, or the romantic heroine.
What makes you happy?
Being a storyteller makes me happy – whether it’s through acting, singing, or dancing. Heck, I recently realized I like to write, so I’d love to explore that in the future and other aspects of filmmaking at some point. I’ve come to realize I am a multi-faceted creative. I am an actor professionally, and I love doing so many other things as a hobby, whenever I have time of course (there’s too many things I love to do and not enough time, LOL). Being a creative/performer was a huge part of my life growing up, and I started feeling fulfilled and like myself again when I reconnected to that part of myself as an adult. I feel like I’m finally living my life for me, and that’s what makes me happy.
Additionally, my community is very important to my happiness – my family and closest friends. We all need love to survive in this crazy world and it’s important to me to make time for the people I love and cherish. I’m blessed to have the support system that I have.
Health and fitness are also super important for my mental wellbeing. It’s crucial for me to live a healthy lifestyle. I love fitness – walks, weight lifting, group classes, and yoga. I prioritize consuming a balanced diet with protein and fiber. Health is wealth. Since I’m doing so much, I need to make sure I’m healthy so I can continue to hustle and do all the things I want to do in life.
Lastly, I absolutely love to travel. I swear I’m my happiest when I’m traveling. I’ve been blessed to travel a lot, but traveling is one of those areas I had to scale back on as I became more serious with acting. One of my favorite life experiences was when I got to solo travel in London and Paris. I believe traveling makes you a better person – it widens your perspectives, gets you out of your bubble, makes you more aware of the world, you become more educated on different cultures, and it makes you grateful for what you have. Traveling has absolutely contributed to my happiness and has made me a better human being.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/arshiagupta
- Instagram: @arshiagupta_
- Other: Email: arshiagupta1998@gmail.com
