The Breadth of Female Roles in Modern Day with Actress Simmie Sangian

Simmie Sangian finds that her career as an actress is a vehicle for displaying the minimal separation that exists between drama and comedy. Two sides of the same coin, or perhaps more appropriately the same person, the minimal differences between our choices and perspectives are what manifest our sense of life and identity. That’s not to say that circumstances don’t weigh heavily into our experiences, but Ms. Sangian seems intuitive in her performances, exhibiting the potential we all have to frame our world as benevolent or unkind. Simmie has received copious praise from both her peers and the public for her talent. Her body of work continues to attract collaborators who are respected throughout the industry, confirming that the British born actress is staking a claim on Hollywood and the new guard of actresses who are committed to presenting female characters whom have too often been sidelined. From Indie films to major network sitcoms, Simmie Sangian is sought after because she infuses all her roles with the kind reality and empathy that is transfixing

  To properly manifest Mia, the central character of Lucid Letter, required Simmie to explore a very dark place. Many of us have known someone like Mia who finds herself at the precipice of letting go of the physical world. Having lost her job and a meaningful romantic relationship, Mia feels that suicide may be a way to alleviate the pain in which she finds herself immersed. Simmie felt that taking on this role would allow her to inhabit this place and bring exposure of how those like Mia feel. Ms. Sangian’s successful achievement of this is validated by her award for Best Actress in an Indie Film at the New York Film Awards and Best Actress Nomination at the Top Shorts Film Festival for Lucid Letter. It was as much the portrayal of Mia in the film as the story itself that captivated audiences. Simmie confides, “The most challenging part about this film was handling the suicide aspect of it in the most respectful yet impactful way. Yes, Mia had a passion for dramatics, but this was not a light subject. It was apparent to me that there was a deeper and darker part of Mia which led her to have suicidal thoughts and whether she wanted to admit it to Chrissy or not, I knew as an actor that I had to have that there as part of my character.”

 Empty is a film which discusses miscarriages and the mental/emotional/physical effect it can leave on a person. As Maya, a woman who experiences a miscarriage and then loses her partner due to this, Simmie became a focal point for women who undergo this sense of tragic loss. The oppressive weight of reality is profound in this story and the performance Ms. Sangian delivers is a necessary component of delivering honesty to such an occurrence. In addition to the numerous awards Emtpy received, a Best Actress Nomination for Simmie at the Los Angeles Actors Awards illuminated the powerful contributions she made to the film. Her work on shows such as ABC’s Speechless, give evidence to Simmie’s equally substantial comedic skills. As a love interest of Ray DiMeo (played by Mason Cook), Ms. Sangian appeared on this popular sitcom that includes such notable cast members as John Ross, Cedric Yarbrough, and Oscar winner Minnie Driver. Simmie was particularly happy about her appearance on NBC’s A Little Late with Lilly Singh. This late night talks show hosted by the YouTuber and Canadian Comedian, held emotional significance for her as Simmie imparts, “This show was important to me for a lot of reasons. The biggest being that Lilly Singh is an Indian Sikh woman like me! When it was first announced that she’d be doing this it was very emotional for me. For so long Indian Sikh women have wanted their voices to be heard and celebrated in the Hollywood Industry, and Lilly did just that! She is a true inspiration to me and I was very honored to be part of her show.”

While pursuing the kind of roles and productions that move her as an artist, Simmie Sangian is creating the kind of awareness that women who look like her are both unique and share a common human element that connects with us all. To bring the audience into her world and allow us to be able to relate to these characters, this is what the most talented of all actors are able to do and it is their contribution to the human experience. Whether eliciting laughter or tears, it’s impossible to take your eyes off of Simmie.

Writer: Coleman Haan