Sarkis Bakalyan is an Armenian-American actor, screenwriter, and comedian. He made his television debut as an actor on “NCIS: Los Angeles” for an episode. Most recently, has played the lead role of Andre in the feature film “Pride Jewel”, which released on most popular streaming sites and is available to watch now. His other credits include doing voice-over work for animated productions and audiobooks. Aside from acting, I he has also written multiple episodes of the mockumentary web series “Real Acting”.
FMM: When did you discover the Performing arts?
During my time in middle school, I was drawn to making my classmates laugh. I developed a habit and ultimately became the class clown. I loved the idea of being able to entertain people. So when I was given the option to choose an elective in the 8th grade, I decided to choose Drama. From that point forward, I knew I wanted to act for a living.
FMM: Tell us about your debut as an actor on “NCIS: Los Angeles.
When I was cast for the role in NCIS: Los Angeles, I was attending college at the time. I had to miss a day of classes, unfortunately, but it was worth gathering the experience and working on a professional set. The cast and crew consisted of amazing people and they were very considerate. Although I didn’t have any lines for the scene I was in, there were plenty of close-ups of me within it as I played a key character for the story arc of that particular episode. In the scene that we shot, there was an exploding van. Observing the crew while preparing the van with explosives and proceeding to watch it blow up on set was definitely the highlight of the day.
FMM: What do you look for in a role?
Typically, I like to look for what makes a character stand out in their own way. Whether it’s a behavioral trait or something to be developed in their backstory, I try to find that one thing that differentiates them from the other characters in a script. When I find that one thing, I begin the process of creating the character in my mind. Depending on how complex the character is, it may take somewhat longer to find those specific characteristics. Of course, every actor has their own process of how they develop their characters and this happens to be mine.
FMM: Tell us about your lead role in the feature film, “Pride Jewel.” What led you to this project?
First of all, I have to give a big shout-out and major thanks to Bron Theron. Bron is a good friend of mine who happened to come across the casting call for Pride Jewel. He saw that they were looking for an Armenian male to play the lead and he remembered that I happen to be Armenian, so he sent me the breakdown of the character for me to audition for. Bron has sent me a few gigs like this (unrelated to him) and I’ll never forget it. I’m very grateful to him for that. After auditioning for Pride Jewel, the screenwriter and producer, Armen Dilanchian, as well as the director, Doug Thomsen, wanted to do a live callback over Skype. A few days after the callback, I got a call from Armen notifying me that I got the part. I was extremely excited. The story of Pride Jewel is based on true events. My character in the film, Andre, is an Armenian immigrant who moves to the San Francisco Bay Area with his father after an earthquake leveled their small town in Armenia. Andre quickly gets involved with some jewel thieves. I won’t spoil what happens after that. It’s available to watch on most popular streaming platforms, including on Vudu and Roku Channel for free.
FMM: How did this role stretch your acting abilities?
One thing I had to focus on for my character was that he was an immigrant. The script definitely conveyed that Andre somewhat struggled with the cultural differences in America when compared to where he is originally from, Armenia. Andre’s naivete and inexperience with love is an apparent example of culture clash in the story. I was born in Los Angeles, California, so I had to reorient my mind to think like a tourist, if that makes sense. I have relatives that live in Armenia and visit the states from time to time. I do recall thinking about my interactions with them when figuring out Andre. I’m glad I was able to extract that to portray him.
FMM: You have written multiple episodes of the mockumentary web series “Real Acting”. Tell us more.
Real Acting is a series about aspiring actors taking an acting class that’s taught by a con-man. It was shot in the style of The Office, which is one of the most beloved mockumentary tv shows out there. Bron Theron is the creator of Real Acting and he brought together an awesome group of writers to build a story around all these diverse characters. I was fortunate enough to be included in the writing process. Throughout both seasons, I had the absolute pleasure of writing 4 episodes. It was such a fun show to work on. I believe you can find Real Acting on Instagram TV.
FMM: Tell us about your animated series called “Ninja Survive.”
Ninja Survive is an animated action/comedy series that’s written along the lines of shows such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, South Park, and Rick and Morty. In the show, Simon, a ten year old boy, creates a comic book of his own called Ninja Survive to escape the reality of his dying mother. The comic book unknowingly comes to life on the page when we dive into that world and follow a young man, Dion, and his sidekick komodo dragon, Leslie, on their ridiculous adventures of becoming ninjas and fighting an intergovernmental organization. I’m working on this series with a friend of mine, Brandon Swofford, who is the lead artist/animator.
FMM: Share your upcoming projects.
Recently I was notified that I got cast in a feature film titled Pancake Man. So I’ll be working on that film in the coming months. Ninja Survive is also in the works. We’re hoping to pitch the series around soon. As for my social media, you can find me on Instagram and TikTok. You can also find me on IMDB.
https://www.instagram.com/sarcastic_circus/?hl=en