Canadian-born actress Elysia Rotaru is making waves in the entertainment industry with her dynamic talents, compelling performances, and an unrelenting passion for the creative arts.
Raised by Romanian immigrant parents, Elysia was nurtured in a vibrant, bilingual household that celebrated both Romanian and English, which she viewed as a personal superpower. From an early age, Elysia honed skills that would later enrich her career: skiing, camping, and even learning beekeeping as part of her mission to engage with the environment meaningfully.
After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University, Elysia quickly found her footing in acting. Her diverse filmography spans notable television and film roles, including The CW's Arrow, Netflix's Kate, Disney Plus's Turner & Hooch, and the feature film Cold Pursuit. In addition, Elysia has proven herself to be a talented voice actress, giving life to characters like Black Canary in Justice Society: World War II and She-Hulk in Marvel's Super Hero Adventures. Recently, Elysia has also ventured into the world of production, creating short films such as the award-winning Hell is a Teenage Girl.
Now, with a growing podcast titled YOU DID IT! and an ever-expanding list of creative endeavors, Elysia opens up about her journey, inspirations, and what's next for her. Read on as she shares her story in her own words.
What is a defining moment or challenge in your career that shaped you as an actress?
I have to say that it was probably when I was working while pregnant. It was one of my biggest challenges but in the best way. Obviously, I was excited to become a mom, but it was also scary to know that it was going to limit the kind of work I could be involved in. Not being able to do all the action and physical work I love doing on camera was a total mind trip, and it was something I had to manage along with the way my body was changing.
I had all these conversations with myself and reservations about how I was going to break the news to my team and how I would be viewed by my community, etc. It was a little bit scary, to be honest, as I thought that I would be missing out on auditions and wouldn't be considered anymore for anything. For everyone reading this who might've been in a similar situation, I hope you know what I'm talking about.
Sometimes, projects don't want to take you on because it's a little too risky. But I was fortunate enough to continue working throughout my entire pregnancy until I was ultimately the one who decided to take a hiatus. I was blessed enough to have a supportive family and team in my corner, and I always trust that the right opportunities will align with me at the right time.
And riding off that, I ended up moving to the US because of another defining moment in my career, which was getting my first O-1 Visa. I was so elated and it was a huge pat on the back from the universe that I'm on the right path. It also led me to my Green Card and where I am today.
But I think all those moments in my life and my career actually taught me one important lesson… That I need to be able to go out and live a life. That is one of the most fruitful things that anyone can do no matter what their career path is. Just making sure that one can take time to enjoy the life they have, and that if they're finding joy every day and working towards their goals, the universe will respond and support you.
With such a diverse body of work, is there a role or project that holds a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Well, I do have to give credit to my casting in Arrow. I think that was a role that kind of put me on the map. I had so much fun working on that set because it was literally in my backyard. I was living in Vancouver at the time, and we were shooting all around the Lower Mainland, so driving to and from set was lovely. And the fact that I got to be on an entire season had never happened to me before in my career. It gave me a taste of all the things I wanted to achieve. Not to mention the amazing people that I met along the way.
The experience I gained doing the majority of my action scenes and working alongside James Bamford in this department just really empowered me in that area of my work. Being on that show gave me amazing opportunities where people could see my range, and I could showcase my body of work. I have had such memorable opportunities come out of being a part of that project, such as going to Comic Cons and getting to do leads in features. I'm very grateful for that and can't wait to get back on camera soon.
How does your Romanian heritage influence your acting approach or your storytelling perspective?
My heritage definitely gives me an advantage in terms of understanding the different cultural narratives being told in stories and embodying the characters I play in a unique way, especially growing up in a household like mine where we would speak Romanian every day. Even though I was speaking English and Romanian, I didn't really start speaking English until about grade one or two, as my grandma was one of the people who helped raise my sister and me. Looking back now, even though I might have been different than the other kids at school because of the language I spoke, I'm very grateful.
Being able to speak a different language and being raised in that type of energy gives me a stepping stone when doing dialect work and tapping into that area, especially on the mic as a voice-over actor and also on camera. I can tell you this right now: I can't wait to go to Romania or Europe in general and actually shoot a project there one day and see what it's like to be on a film set over there.
What lessons from your journey so far do you hope to share with aspiring actors and artists?
If I could go back in time and be a mentor to myself, I would definitely say listen to your gut, follow your intuition, and do the projects that bring you joy and challenge you. Also, FIND YOUR PEOPLE! Really try to find people in your circle or beyond that can be a guiding light and inspiration for you. There are going to be many people around you telling you, or trying to tell you, what to do and what you shouldn't do, but at the end of the day, it's your career; you're guiding the ship. But don't forget to do the work.
The work will be hard, so make sure you have a good self-care routine and make sure you're training all the time, especially when it gets slow, and you feel like there's no work out there when there actually really is–the work is making yourself BETTER in your craft. So go to screenings, go to see shows, and really just infuse yourself with as much life, travel, good food, good wine [laughs], good friends, and experiences, etc, as you can. Because when the time comes for you to be called out to a set to perform, be there committed to a character, to support your scene partners, the director, and the story, you will want to have the energy, the power, the ideas, and the spark needed to fulfill the long days and bring the story and your character to life.
You're involved in both acting and production. What sparked your interest in working behind the camera, and how does it complement your work as an actress?
Well, this is an easy answer [laughs]. It's actually because of my best friend and production partner Stephen Sawchuk, who I met about 16 years ago when he cast me for a film school project. Over the last few years, he's been inspiring and pushing me to produce, and because of him, I've been able to step behind the camera, put on my producer hat, and help produce award-winning projects that he's written and directed.
Nothing brings me more joy than being able to see projects we have created out there on the big screen resonating with audiences worldwide. I can't wait to see us move forward together on a bigger scale when we can start creating bigger projects together. Our latest project, Hell Is a Teenage Girl, is currently on the worldwide film festival circuit, has been really well received, and has won more than a handful of festival awards. We are currently in development of the feature film of Hell is a Teenage Girl, as well as a few other projects that he's written that I'm really excited about!
I also think because of that inspiration, I was able to venture into the podcast space and produce my own podcast called You Did It! It was a lot of fun (and a lot of work) and I couldn't have done it without the help of Sandra Mack, Andrew Persoon, Ashley Buck, Amy Goodmurphy, and of course all of the amazing guests and my family. I can't wait to start another project in the podcast space.
Also, as a producer, I had the pleasure of working alongside a family member, Danny Baylen, this past year to help him produce his song "I Found You," which is available to listen to on Spotify. Here is the link for you all to take a listen and enjoy as well. He is so talented, and his sound is unreal. Please check out his Instagram here, too!
And I guess the next step in my career might be directing one day, so stay tuned! We shall see what the universe brings in.
Thank you so much for having me. It's been such a pleasure to chat with you. Wishing you all the best and to everyone reading this, you can find me at @ElysiaRotaru across all platforms.
Photo Credits:
Talent: Elysia Rotaru
Photographer: Kate Whyte
Stylist: Leila Bani
Hair & Makeup: Rio Translado
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