Durban — A Durban University of Technology (DUT) alumnus is set to make his mark in Hollywood.
DUT’s Ashish Misra, an adaptive graduate, decided to leave his job in Information Technology (IT) in pursuit of his lifelong dream of becoming a Hollywood superstar.
The actor, model, business entrepreneur and systems analyst’s journey to Hollywood has been exciting.
He aspires to follow in the footsteps of his role model, the highly acclaimed and versatile actor Christian Bale.
“My primary passion and dream was to become an actor. However, pursuing this dream at a young age would not have allowed me to financially support my family, as I grew up in a home where there were constant financial constraints. Despite these constraints, my home was filled with love and care,” Misra said.
“I opted to go with my secondary passion to study Information Technology (IT) at DUT. I always told myself that I would excel in my studies and thereafter, obtain a good, stable job and support my family.
“I believed that one day, I would pursue my one true dream of acting. And the one day has arrived! I decided last year that I wanted to relocate to Los Angeles with the hope of breaking into Hollywood,” Misra said jubilantly.
Misra completed his studies in software development at DUT in 2018 and joined the FNB graduate programme based in Johannesburg.
“I was a senior systems analyst at FNB where I worked in the core banking platform and handled all of the card IT systems for credit, debit, virtual and fleet cards,” he explained nostalgically.
He also shared that at first, he aimed to obtain a working visa based on his IT qualification, however, that route was unsuccessful.
“I then researched acting academies in Hollywood and found the best one called AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Arts Academy). I applied and submitted online auditions followed by online interviews. I was then shortlisted to attend an in-person interview or audition in October last year. I auditioned to the AMDA panel with the hope of exceeding their expectations with my performance and being offered a chance to attend their academy,” Misra said.
Three weeks passed since the audition and finally, Misra happily shared that he had received an email confirming that not only had he been accepted at the academy, he had also received a full scholarship to attend.
“I accepted with no hesitation and started to prepare for this incredible journey ahead. I opted for the October 2024 enrolment as this gave me sufficient time to organise my life prior to making the journey to Los Angeles,” he shared.
The DUT adaptive graduate’s advice to future actors and IT fundis wishing to follow in his footsteps was to remain strong.
“Stay resilient, keep learning and remain open to feedback. Follow your passion. Pursuing a dream takes dedication. Don’t lose sight of why you started, and let your passion fuel your drive,” he shared.
Misra has always dreamed of being in Hollywood since he was a little kid.
“It is my long-term goal to win an Oscar one day. Watch this space!” he said.
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