Meet Akilah Khari | Actress

We had the good fortune of connecting with Akilah Khari and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Akilah, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
My decision to pursue an artistic career definitely was unexpected, I think, but not surprising. I always knew I wanted to be an actress from a young age, but at that young age, I also knew I wanted to be financially stable, so I chose to pursue medicine. In high school, I took all STEM classes. I was literally the Stem President. However, I had one art class, and it was my saving grace. It gave me so much peace. One of our projects was designing the stage for the upcoming play. When I walked on the stage, it was like a breath of fresh air. I knew that that was where I was supposed to be. My senior year, I was ranked 6th in the state of Georgia for medical assisting and was currently interning as an athletic trainer while shadowing a doctor. One day while at this internship, I had this moment where I woke up and realized “I couldn’t spend the rest of my life like this”. I felt like I had wasted so much time. I immediately went up to the drama teacher, and asked her if I could audition with no experience. She gave me a chance, and I was casted to play Eunice in A Streetcar Named Desire. Shortly after, I was casted to be a pageant girl on Netflix’s Insatiable. That experience allowed me to believe that I really could do anything I put my mind to. When I arrived at freshman orientation at Georgia State, I changed my major from Pre-Med, to Undecided, to Theatre Performance. The rest is history.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The most important mindset I’ve adopted is that the world is your oyster. You are the maker of your reality. The second is that what’s for you, is for you. Navigating the industry with no prior connections can be intimidating and pretty discouraging. I’ve learned to celebrate the small wins along the way, and never forget to reflect on where you are today compared to a year or two ago. I just keep moving forward and grabbing on to the things within my reach. I want people to know that if your heart desires it, you can have it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love spending time at Atlantic Station. I’m currently working my way through the various restaurants after a day of shopping and maybe a movie. I typically gravitate to pho and ramen places. I love Asian cuisines. Currently, I’m obsessed with the KAWS display at the High Museum. I highly recommend catching it while it’s here. If you’re an art lover, just by walking the streets of Atlanta, there are several street art tours that you can take. I took one of them for a class. It’s a very casual walk along Edgewood, and there are endless food options to check out along the way.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shout out my parents, Joe and Letitia for being supportive and encouraging of my passions and endeavors. Without them, my journey definitely would be more challenging. I’d like to thank my friends who have been there in my times of need and being on this journey with me. I’d like to also thank all of my acting teachers along the way.

Instagram: Instagram.com/akilahkhari

Other: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm12791941/

Image Credits
Georgia Media Academy Anderson Visuals