Meet Tatiana Zappardino

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tatiana Zappardino.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I feel like I have told my origin story so many times it feels as though I can’t remember if it’s even real anymore or if I just have the cadence down. I always wanted to be an actress since I was a young girl watching Jim Carrey movies and memorizing all of his lines. Making my parents laugh, made me feel important in this world because I had so much sadness all around me and it was the one-way I felt brought light. When The Majestic came out and I saw Jim in a dramatic role for the first time, I learned that it’s both the humor of life AND the truthfully sad moments that can help move the world.

I wanted to go straight to Broadway but I was a wild child that held her emotions on her sleeve and my parents saw that. So, my step-father, who is a Marine, introduced me to the Marine Corps’ Officer scholarship that could get me a degree, help me grow up and I can still pursue a future in acting after my time in service. Well, the growing up part wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be, but I did it and made it through the hardest years of my life and, in the end, my parents were right! (Don’t tell them) I gained a mental fortitude, tenacity and the ability to take on rejection which most actors don’t have making it hard to keep going after the first few years. So, because of the Marine Corps, ignoring the fear of failure was a cakewalk and I thank them for that!

Now, I’ve never been one to do things small; life’s too short to not go for it. I moved to Atlanta not knowing anyone, tried the whole “waitressing” for about a year thinking that was the right steps to take. However, one day I walked into the restaurant I was working at after a three-day weekend of double shifts, sore feet, and drunken exhaustion, I looked around and every single thing was the same. It was that moment I felt as though my existence there was standing still and I wasn’t making a difference so I immediately gave my two-weeks notice. From there on out, I said, “I will be an actress and nothing else.”

The first year I was living off of credit cards, stealing napkins from Starbucks as toilet paper and would scrounge for change in my couch for gas money. It was tough and I was getting the end of my rope but I stayed focus on doing anything acting every day whether that was writing with my comedy group Fine China Comedy, doing manual labor in exchange for free acting classes, being involved with Shakespeare On Draught or even just listening to Andy Stanley just to help me keep a positive mindset. At this point, I had never even booked a co-star, which is normal at this stage in my career but I was sure that going all-in would have worked by now!

I had a series regular audition for a new show on SyFy called Superstition directed and written by Mario Van Peebles. The audition was with George Pierre and I was eager to not screw it up. In the scene, there were a bunch of props but everyone around me kept saying “DO NOT USE PROPS CASTING DIRECTORS HATE IT!” But there was something inside of me telling me this scene needed props and it didn’t feel right without them. So, I took the risk. But, of course, right off the bat, I screwed up on the slate because I forgot who I was auditioning for. George was less than pleased, so I asked for a second to regain my composure and take a breath. I needed control back from the room, so I did one long roll-up and then said, “Ok… I’m ready.” I take out my glove, coin and magnifying glass and start the scene. Slowly but surely, he starts looking up and he says the words I will never forget, “Tatiana, good things come to those who wait. You are such a breath of fresh air.” I was on cloud ten just from that alone regardless of the outcome. I go home and I look in my purse at my Ziplock bag of found change, everything I had to my name, and saw ten missed calls from creditors on my phone and I just fell to my knees and told God that I trusted him whether I had $1 million dollars or $1 and that I know I am safe.

That was the day I got the call, I booked my first role for a full season on a television show.

So, that’s my story, I trusted God and he prevailed. I have had such wonderful blessing since then including being the spokesperson for NewDay USA and finishing my first pilot Swiped. I am almost out of debt, I own my own home and I get to travel the world and do what I love. Life is wonderful and it all started with parents who steered me in the right direction, so thank you, Mom and Dad, for being tough on that little brat. I love you guys!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I love the struggles when you have good people to lean on. Atlanta is full of some of the most compassionate, caring people I have ever met. I have lived in almost ten different states and Atlanta was the first place I wanted to lay roots; if not for the community alone. The days that are tough, I call my friends and they remind me about all the great things that have happened to me that I feel like I can sometimes forget, and when they call me I tell them these are going to be the best days of our lives, when we are in the trenches fighting side by side. One day, it may all be a piece of cake, we could be famous and then, we will be out of this phase in our career forever, so let’s enjoy the most of it!

Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
I was on a sketch team a long time ago that was the majority of men. I was getting cast as the cheerleader, sexy nurse, mistress and all the roles I had no interest in playing. I decided to form an all-female team called Fine China Comedy where we would be the writers and directors around female-focused sketches. We produced these shorts in video format to move away from stage performances. Since we were all actors, this was a chance for us to learn about all aspects of filmmaking to include directing, producing, editing, and so-on. It was so much fun and they would turn out pretty good for a bunch of first-timers. Then, we wanted to go bigger so one of the founding women, Sailor Larocque, and I wrote a pilot together titled Swiped. We spent about 2 ½ years filming this to ensure we took our time and applied everything we had learned from our time with Fine China sketches. We finally finished and we couldn’t be prouder with the outcome. My word of advice for any of you out there waiting to be cast as a lead, cast yourself and make it happen! Don’t wait.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
That’s tough. I probably wouldn’t have wasted so much time drinking and being with boys who didn’t deserve me because it got in the way of my productivity and emotional state.

Contact Info:

• Email: TLZappardino@gmail.com
• Instagram: @fine_china_comedy and @TZappar
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finechinacomedy/

Image Credit:
Pocket Size Pictures

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