Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with This Is Us’ Bahara Golestani

Bahara Golestani’s journey as an artist and woman is an inspiring story of overcoming the unimaginable. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Bahara grew up surrounded by the arts: her father an artist and her mother an actress. So it seemed written in the stars that Bahara would follow suit. But at the age of four, she and her family were forced to flee their country and become refugees in Moscow. They had no choice but to leave behind everything they knew because the alternative was death: “Imagine waking up one day and having to leave your home and only having a bag on your back and your children.”

With the help of the United Nations, Bahara’s family eventually made the move from Moscow to the United States, where they would begin the process of healing and rebuilding their lives. That fresh start was exactly what the family needed, but it brought a new set of challenges for Bahara. As a young girl, she found herself in a country where she didn’t speak the dialect. She turned to American television, specifically Friends, to help ease that process: “I moved to the US when I was twelve. All of a sudden, not speaking the language became the most depressing thing for me. I came across Friends, and it helped improve my English. I haven’t stopped watching it since.” It was also then that she became enamored by the craft of acting.

As Bahara looked to take her first steps into the industry, she discovered the Stella Adler Academy in Hollywood. She knew it was where she belonged and worked tirelessly for two years to save up enough money to enroll. There she learned the importance of hard work, writing, and storytelling. Upon graduation, Bahara went on to land coveted roles in TNT’s Animal Kingdom, CBS’s Madam Secretary, and ID TV’s Betrayed. But her biggest project to date—NBC’s This Is Us—put her in the shoes of a character she shares a deep connection with: “Dr. Asmaan is a mother and a protector. She believes in doing the right thing, even if it means risking her own life. [Through her] we see how human we all are and how survival is in our DNA.”

That fighting spirit is one that Bahara has exemplified throughout her life and her career and one of the many reasons why Bahara is one to watch.

To keep up with Bahara, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Photo Credit: Russell Baer