ROSE & IVY Introducing September Starring Sepideh Moafi Star of Apple TV+ Black Bird

Above Top and short by Derek Lam 10 Crosby; boots by Marion Parke; earrings by Guita M; bracelets by SHW Jewelry; rings by Pamela Love, Ginette NY, and SHW Jewelry

I love having conversation on R&I around stories of hope, possibility, defining the odds, paving the way for people, living your dreams, and inspiring others in the process. I’m really moved by your story, coming to America as a refugee, living out your dreams, and about the work you are doing with the International Rescue Committee advocating for refugees worldwide. I’d love for you to share your story.

My family is from Iran and my parents were forced to flee in the years following the revolution. During the Iran and Iraq war, they were activists throughout and had hope that things would turn around. When Khomeini came to power, he promised a new beginning, a democracy, and of course as we all know, those were lies and he set the clock back centuries and took away the rights from pretty much everyone. The horrors my family lived through is something we can’t even begin to wrap our heads around. They had just bought an apartment and were living their life, but at the drop of a dime, they had to leave. They fled to Turkey with my sister and then they went to Germany—this was when there was still East and West Germany—some of the camps they stayed at were former concentration camps.

My mom got pregnant with me and I was born at the camp and fortunately, shortly thereafter, when I was still a baby, we were granted an asylum opportunity to come to the U.S. They have their experience, which is a horror show really, and I have my own strange experience. I wrote in my essay for People about growing up with this fractured reality with no real sense of identity, which is something that haunted me as a child. I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere and up until I was four and when I started going to school, the only language I spoke was Farsi. When I went to school, everyone was speaking English and my home life with my family was different, culturally. Iranians are warm, generous, giving, and very family and community oriented. In general, my experience in school was quite the opposite, it was all about clubs, exclusivity, and the hierarchy of social and economic status and not being able to afford the things that a lot of my classmates had, so being otherized.

Where did you move when you came to America?

We moved to the Bay Area. It was a rough neighborhood when I was growing up but we used my aunt’s address so we could get into a different school district. It came with a lot of benefits because we had access to better education and more resources but the hard part was I was even more of an outsider. I grew up in a middle to lower-class neighborhood and the school I went to was upper class and predominantly white. There wasn’t too much diversity and it was hard to find my footing. For me, it was hard to connect and relate, not only with my classmates but the education system. I wasn't learning in the same way and so they said I had ADHD, but finally, fast-forward to my sophomore year in high school when I found music, I felt like I find my home, I found my language, I found my world. I mentioned in that essay, up until I was 10, I didn’t have U.S. citizenship, so I considered an alien.

Above Coat by Adeam; bodysuit by Victor Glemaud; earrings by Monbouquette

I think the word ‘alien’ is a misnomer, it’s a wrong way to classify someone. They need to change that.

It is strange verbiage. But then everything fell away because I found my purpose. It wasn’t like I thought of it in that way, I was just responding to this obsession, this desire that I couldn’t get enough of, which at the time was classical music and opera. Soon after that, I applied to schools and I got full scholarships, plus grants, to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. It goes to show that when you find your reason and your purpose, things clear up and your life seems to focus. You are able to go towards the things that you want. You get a key into your life and it opens up so many other things.”

Above Top and shorts by Derek Lam 10 Crosby; earrings by Guita M

It’s also a beautiful way to channel energy and process things like trauma, confusion, and anxiety. The arts are deeply underfunded and they are essential. Did you have anyone champion you or push you further?

From the beginning, it was my choir teacher who pulled me aside and told me I had a gift and I should pursue it but I didn’t initially listen to him. I took chorus classes to knock out some fine arts credits but I didn’t take it seriously. But then we started working on the winter concert, which included an orchestral piece with soloists and chorus of Vivalidi’s Gloria. Working and being a part of that I got bit by that bug. He encouraged me at the beginning but became abusive, which was kind of horrific. When I started taking private voice lessons, my teacher the late Page Swift, who was a renowned opera singer. championed me and helped me deal with him. It taught me how to have tough skin, which is beneficial in this industry for sure. I had a lot of support from my parents, it was all so new to them and they had no experience in the art world. I remember my mom took me to an audition for this group I was part of called the Peninsula Teen Opera and she had never heard me sing, I just told her I wanted to do this. It makes me emotional to talk about but she was sitting outside the church and I started singing and she said tears started streaming down her face. The person who was monitoring the audition said, she has got it.

Above Top and pants by Dorothee Schumacher; earrings by Monbouquette; earrings by Ginette NY, and ITA Jewelry; ring by Ritique

Did you find that art was the way out and a way to process what you had experienced and heal in some ways?

It was my primary healing modality–I didn’t know what it was, I just knew I felt a deep sense of depression and like I had never belonged. When I found music it felt like everything fell away and there was only this thing that mattered. It’s upsetting to me that art isn’t given the sense of importance in this day and age. What I find the most important about finding and using your creativity is the fact that the less you are like other people the more it is to your advantage. When I studied opera, so many people were trying to teach you to sing like the great singers or the recordings they loved. I realized, and this became more and more clear as I veered into the acting world, that your interpretations are based on you, your experiences, and your life. The more you listen to yourself, the more you find your intuition, your own perspective, and your creative voice, the more people will lean in and engage with your work.

Being yourself is your biggest currency, especially in the world we are living in.

Absolutely, when I found music, my family didn’t recognize me—my room was clean and I was getting a 4.0 GPA. It’s a big lesson to all of us: keep embracing your differences and your unique qualities. It might take a while, but keep playing, experimenting, and seeing what works for you. It doesn’t have to be a career, it can be an outlet for extreme emotions.

Above Top by AKNVAS

It’s about tapping into what makes you come alive. I wanted to ask since you are very involved in the IRC, how can people help in a meaningful way with the refugee situation across the world. I feel like there are the ones you read about and the ones that don’t make the headlines.

I live by the motto, think globally act locally. If you are concerned about Ukraine and Afghanistan, yes donate, volunteer, get in touch with IRIS, Amnesty International, IRC, or local organizations. Beyond that getting involved with local politics if you are of age, I know it sounds like beating a dead horse but show up, learn about what is going on, and stay in the know. It feels like nothing, but all of these small acts trickle up. If you want to donate money there can never be enough donations, but if you want to be on the ground get in touch with an organization that moves you.

Now to talk about your career path and endeavors. What would you say have been the key stepping stones to land where you are today–maybe it was a role, a mindset change?

I came into film and television with no expectations. I didn't think it was possible for me to get into this industry. Even in my acting class, they’d say, you will have something specific to you in your career because there aren’t a lot of actors that looked like you. It was the biggest trouble at the beginning that I wasn’t the right ethnicity. I’d get, you aren’t ethnic enough, you are too ethnic–and I didn’t fit into a category but it would work to my advantage in certain situations where I was able to change people’s minds. It was an up-and-down thing, but the moment things changed was when I booked my first pilot in 2016, Notorious, which went to series. I was able for the first time to be able to support myself as an actor. Throughout my entire career, I have known the work I wanted to do, I have always been so clear about that. It hasn’t been about the fame or money, it’s been about projects like The Deuce, Black Bird, and The L Word, it’s about what it means on a sociopolitical level and when I can be part of stories that I feel matter, not just to me emotionally, but to the world in some way and make people think or feel seen.

Above Earrings by Monbouquette

I think that’s the cool part about your job, you get to have an impact on people in so many different ways, since it’s up for interpretation. Now to talk about ‘Black Bird’, where you play Lauren McCauley, an FBI agent who is investigating a serial killer. The script is penned by Dennis Lehane, who has written so many incredible books turned into films like ‘Shutter Island’ and ‘Gone Baby Gone’. What intrigued you the most when you auditioned for the role?

I loved Lauren, as this lone wolf in this sea of men, and how she was written. I get annoyed when we use this strong women reference, it seems a bit redundant to me. But something I loved about her was that she was a chameleon, she was so excited, and passionate about her job, which was something I clicked with immediately. As I mentioned before, when I found my purpose, that thing that woke me up in my life, I also saw that in her and her relentless pursuit of justice and the way she wanted to bring peace to the lives of these families. She just wasn’t this cool, tough FBI agent, she used all of herself and her personality and she changes with different characters. I appreciate the full spectrum of a human being shown rather than just one side. She also gets thrown off her game, that’s one of the things I love about Dennis and his writing. You think you know what is going to happen then at a certain point throughout the series, they all have the rug pulled out beneath them and that’s so true in life.

What are you the most proud of when it comes to the series?

I am proud of our group and our team—we weathered some storms both literally and figuratively (laughs) filming in New Orleans. I can’t take responsibility for this myself, because everyone–the producers, writers, Apple—allowed us to do our thing. I’m most proud of taking up space during this process, I wasn’t afraid. Initially, I thought I am working with all of these people who are a lot more experienced or seasoned than I am but it never felt like that, everyone was very humble. They say this thing about an overnight sensation but I have been working my ass off for like ten-plus years and have done opera since I was 16. I am proud of sticking with my gut, my impulses, and communicating, it was a true collaboration. I think it’s getting to the point now where I am working with collaborators whose egos are never threatened. They are confident and strong artists themselves and enjoy the collaborative process. It’s not like you always agree on everything but needing to talk through some things. I think the most important thing in art, democracy, and every aspect of life is to speak up.

It’s about settling into yourself and becoming confident which also comes with experience and age. Before I let you go, do you think you will dabble in music in the future, is Broadway in your future?

The nice part about being in New York, after I have been hopping around for the past two years, is that I do want to take a bit of a break and create space to get back into my voice because that is probably the biggest part of who I am. It’s the reason I found my inner creativity–I want to sing and I am open to whatever comes my way.

My last question is what is inspiring you or bringing you the most joy right now?

My family, my loved ones, slowing down, and acknowledging life is so fragile and temporary. Even now, just looking outside and watching the tree sway is more beautiful and inspiring than anything I could create or do. It’s just being and surrendering to what is around me—it’s beauty and it’s everywhere.

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stream ‘black bird’ on apple tv+

A special thank you to this team; Purple PR, and the Broken Shaker team.

Introducing September Starring Sepideh Moafi