Zoe Anastassiou was recently interviewed by TheCelebrity.Online Magazine and below is the Q&A session we had with her.

Zoe Anastassiou As Exclusive Cover Story – August 2023

How do you introduce yourself?

Zoe Anastassiou: Hi, my name is Zoe Anastassiou and I am a Greek-Australian-Brit which sounds like a confession, and translates to most as the perfect international spy! I mean, who is to say I am not one I am half Greek half Australian who was born and educated in the UK and then came to the States for my further education, and much to my parent’s dismay, I stayed.

Currently I live in NYC with my hubby and two (prop) children. I am an actor primarily a stage actor but I do everything and, let’s be honest, anything! But yes, my credits include the big screen, the little screen, even in sunscreen!

Childhood to Adulthood – How was your transition from childhood to adulthood and what are the bad and good things you remember?

Zoe Anastassiou: What is this Adulthood you refer to?! And we transition to said hood? Are we not all just big kids at heart, like, forever and ever and happily ever after! My childhood was spoiled! I was spoiled rotten! My parents were beyond loving and gave me everything. I had bouncy castles, Bart Simpson parties, a pink moped, horses, even my own floor in our mansion of a house with a bathroom that had my name in the tiles! I feel like that could have set me up for disaster that it could have made me a spoiled brat which my parents may say I was when I was younger, I of course remember nothing of that sort and was of course the perfect child.

Although, I apparently don’t remember much from my childhood. I once wrote a paper in college for one of my psychology courses, (I double majored in Psychology with Theater as I thought it would give me even more insight into acting and character work), where I argued against the theory that most children are jealous of their siblings.

I wrote what a perfect older sister I was and how I wished for someone to play with and so I took care of my little brother like a mother to a child. Later when I told my mum about this paper she laughed her arse off and said “Are you kidding me? You used to put on your Supergirl outfit and throw the door open screaming.

You don’t love me anymore! and then slam the door shut, almost every single day!” Consider this an official retraction on that paper, Professor! All this is to say that it could have made me entitled but instead I became quite the opposite thankfully. I learned to actually despise money ultimately, but somehow emerged with perspective.

It is something I am trying to pass on to my young’uns to give them the world like I was given the world but remind them of how lucky they are to get it! Wait is that adulthood?? When you transition to the wise ol’ owl giving out wise ol’ words o’ wisdom?!

Struggle – What hardships have you gone through in life?

Zoe Anastassiou: Life is an obstacle course. Words my father once said to me. Words I live by. Words I seem to also doll out as part of those words o’ wisdom when the sh*t hits the fan which seems to happen a lot, and universally, and never ending, as there is Never a dull moment. (Also words I live by) which circles us back to life being an obstacle course.

Apparently life is not life without hardship. But I struggle with the notion that it defines who you are. I have always, I think, tried to prove (mostly to myself) that it wouldn’t define me. That I would not play the victim card our hardships are not a competition of who went through what and who has had it harder. It’s probably why I don’t judge people because we never have the full story. Their obstacle course is not the same as my obstacle course.

BUT we all have one to race it is just not against one another. It’s why I keep my full story to myself. It’s without a doubt what threw me in to the world of entertaining others (although my father will say it’s the Greek in me as everything came from Greece of course, and Greece invented theater, obviously!!) It’s also without a doubt what gave me a leg up in the world of comedy, and why I get called The Clown a lot because a great tragedy cannot exist without comedy.

Because a great comedy also makes you think and feel and ask questions long after it is done. And I will run my own race, at my own pace, without the woe is me as a base yup, I’m a poet, in case you didn’t know it!

What do people usually not know about you?

Zoe Anastassiou: Speaking of poetry, I actually am a published poet. I’m not sure many people know that, or have read any of my work. Honestly, I don’t advertise it. I don’t really advertise much about myself. I think people see me as the fun Clown who appears confident and open and with a true sense of self. Or maybe that is what I hope is being projected but actually I can confess that I have very low self-worth sadly.

Things to work on! It is a long list! On a lighter note people may also not know that I still suck my thumb, that I was engaged at 17 and that he threw the ring into the Colorado River when I broke it off, that I used to be a ski racer, that I went to an all-girls boarding school and in-fact all-girl schools all the way until 18, that an ex chose the Rubik’s Cube over me, that I have never voted in any country.

I am allowed to, that I don’t watch the news because there is rarely any good news, that I don’t read I mean I can of course read haha! I just don’t leisurely read. And these are all off the top of my head! I guess I have to work more on my open-book-ness! Add it to the list!

What sets you apart from your competitors in the industry and in life?

Zoe Anastassiou: The spy life ahem, I mean, my multi-cultural background has given me the gift of dialects and characters perfect for all my undercover work ahem, I mean an actor’s life for me! I somehow can do many accents and proficiently which helps me as a character actor. And I somehow developed a knack for the physical comedy or maybe I just like throwing myself all over the place because I have a secret wish to be GI Jane.

I guess my willingness to go with it and live in the moment helps. I have what I call the MMM which stands for a Million Mile Mind but it always astounds me that my mind can be racing at a million miles a minute and I can still be able to live in the moment. Somehow I can give me space for the freedom of play. I think that is why I love live theater so much I live for a challenge but also that anything can happen show to show and our job is to take it all and still be true to our work.

To use it or lose it. In that regard I am open. I think my generosity of spirit means that I want us all to succeed that I will never want to outshine someone that I will never walk over someone in order to get ahead. That those in this industry are not my competitors but allies. We are all in this together no matter who you are. We can all rise to the top (whatever that top is and whatever that means to you) if we support one another.

What are your upcoming major events?

Zoe Anastassiou: Well, when the union strikes are over because a fair deal has been made I have some screenplays in the works and by in the works I mean mostly in my head and not yet fully on paper. But I have been sitting on some stories for a while that I feel need to be told. Now may be a good time to get to such projects that have taken a backseat thanks to this obstacle course of a life! Isn’t it wild how long 24 hours sounds and how quickly the day just vanishes! And then it’s another birthday! And speaking of years.

I just finished my tenth year as a 365 Blogger (a term I coined for myself!) where I blog/video blog every day for 365 days, with each year to a new theme. I never intended to keep going after my first year but here I am TEN years of my life later! The first year one of my twelve criteria I set out to do daily (that was the 365 theme that year) was a writing component which quickly became a real time perspective on pregnancy since 9 days in I found out I was pregnant out of nowhere!

People asked me to compile it all into a book. My second year was a poem a day, which also was requested to be turned into a book. Not to mention ten years of video blogs that I would love to compile into a gallery exhibit. So I better get crackin’! That and solving the mental health crisis, climate change, world hunger, and MiD (Mother-in-Denial) parenting.

What are your food preferences?

Zoe Anastassiou: Not Answered.

Your love life, relationships and family?

Zoe Anastassiou: Not Answered.

What expert advice would you like to give?

Zoe Anastassiou: I think I have given quite a lot of that wise ol’ owl talk already! I think the only thing I have left to say because I get asked a lot to teach auditioning and to give acting coaching is this to those who want to be an actor or really to anyone starting out on a new career path when you walk into that audition room/interview room/make that self tape just remember you have nothing to lose, only something to gain.

It was never yours to begin with, so you literally have nothing to lose. Cue your favorite 80’s song as you mic drop and exit. Hit me with your best shot. The only way is up. Don’t stop believin’. Don’t you forget about me.

Your social media handles and website links?

Zoe Anastassiou: Website: www.zoeanastassiou.com

Instagram: zoeanastassiou

Twitter or X: ZoeAnastassiou

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/zoeanas

LinkedIn: Zoe Anastassiou

TikTok: zoeanastassiou

Facebook: Zoe Anastassiou