Rod Lara was recently interviewed by TheCelebrity.Online Magazine and below is the Q&A session we had with Lara.

Rod Lara As Cover Story Interview – July 2025 Magazine Edition

How do you introduce yourself?

I usually introduce myself with a “Hi” and a good handshake. My name is Rod Lara. I’m an Australian actor & mime artist of 26 years in the performing arts industry.

Struggle – What hardships have you gone through in life?

Life is a wonderfully rocky road. Always full of surprises. Most times good and sometimes bad. My parents, sister and I immigrated to Australia back in 1989 to a better life as life in Chile wasn’t great and we weren’t well off. The financial hardship made my (then) young parents make the decision to move to another country. Back in Chile, I was well aware of my parents’ financial hardship, so I would amuse myself by making my own comic books. or toys out of anything I could find. I have always been a rather strangely creative kid. I have so many tales of stray dogs/cats/rats, thieves stealing our clothes, homeless people roaming around our vicinity, weeks without tap water where we would resort to shower using water from a rusty barrel.. I could make a full interview on just these experiences, or even write a book!

In terms of my professional career, at the beginning it got hard as nobody understood what a silent actor was all about. These days, we all have the advancement of social media where one can showcase one’s abilities. At the beginning of my career, there was no social media to speak of. At that time, I had transitioned from performing circus shows to a solo career – I could only wrangle to perform in small clubs, or busk… It all felt like dragging a wet mattress up a spiral staircase. Due to this issue, money was hard to come by. The usual struggles to pay rent. At one point, I even had one pair of shoes where the sole had a hole in it. I used to patch it with black electrical tape! (Yup! Always very creative). I now use these experiences in my performances or films. 

What do people usually not know about you?

Not many people know that, aside from performing, I also draw and paint. I have been drawing and painting all of my life. Even drawing my own comic books back in Chile. It would be such a joy to illustrate my own comic books back in Chile. These comic books told some wacky stories from a very imaginative kid.

Many people also don’t know that I used to stutter as a kid. I believe that’s the reason I began performing in mime when I stumbled into a theatre class as a 13 year old here in Australia. Firstly, I was an extremely shy kid who had begun mastering the English language. Secondly, I was petrified of speaking publicly in case I said that wrong word in English, got nervous and began to stutter!! So, I consciously decided to play every role on stage silently. My Theatre Studies teacher spotted this and she encouraged me to become a mime! The rest is history.

What sets you apart from others?

In my late teens, I heard that students at the Peking Opera in China would get signed up for up to 10 years of intense training in every style of performing. When i started performing professionally at the age of 21, I decided to put myself into my own “Peking Opera”. Aside from acquiring circus skills and mime. I also trained in dance, acting, film school, and even train in stunts ( I wanted to pull off high intensity slapstick falls such as Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan – the latter spent 10 years at the Peking opera!). Thanks to all of that training, I have made a career in a very niche style of performing where it has been utilised and showcased on stage, Film and TV – especially TV ads. Gotta thank my lovely agents.

What are your upcoming major events?

I recently had one of my silent short films screened at the Niles Silent Film Museum in Fremont, California (USA), where one of my Charlie Chaplin tributes was very well received. Another of my silent films, ‘The Parachute Guest’ and ‘Express Delivery’ will be screened in October at the Penistone Film Festival in Sheffield (UK). Since I am a mime artist, my films are mostly silent. Three of my Covid-19 films short films – ‘Isolation’, ‘Lockdown’ and ‘Rise’ – have been screened globally. Winning a myriad of awards along the way.

Currently filming a psychological Thriller titled ‘The Silent Pul’ for Locked in Productions, as well as, in production for ‘Iridescence’. Film produced by Quinn Art & Film, and a web series. So many more film and TV projects to come. For those in Australia who wish to see me perform live onstage, I’m performing at the Bastille Day Melbourne in July to celebrate Bastille Day. Also appearing at the Albury Chamber Festival in Albury in November.

What expert advice would you like to give?

In any vocation and profession, you have to be completely in love with your job. So passionate about it, that you never feel like you are working. You’ll see a flourishing career. Not only give 100%, give 1000%! I can’t wait to hear about your success.

Your social media handles and website links?

• Instagram: @therodlara_
• Tiktok: @therodlara 
• Youtube: @rodlara12
• Website: www.rodlara.com

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Photo credits
Paul Hammond Photography.
Paul Dodd Photography
James Sablinksis Photography