Interview by: SD Voyager Magazine Today

We’d like to introduce you to Lizet Benrey.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.

Having come from a family of artists, it was only natural to follow suit. My mother, Shirley Chernitsky, was an internationally recognized painter. From a young age in Mexico City, I remember sitting in her studio, admiring, watching her create as she converted the blank canvas into worlds of color. I daydreamed, and these magical worlds took hold of me, as I turned into a character in these quasi-surreal stories.

Art, for me, amongst other things, is a vehicle for conveying emotion. An instrument to transport the heart and mind to the metaphysical and fundamentally enrich our world from within. Ultimately, I’d say my life has been a journey with art as my language.

From my beginnings as a painter, I had the desire to take my abstract work one step further, to add music, dialogue, and further the story. This was the genesis of my film career. Acting became an extension of my artistry, bringing the complete artistic experience to my characters to best feel and understand humanity.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?

I’ve faced countless moments of struggle and obstacle. Art is very subjective, people project themselves in the work of others, biasing its objectivity. From my perspective, talent is essential, and hard work, luck and timing are crucial to success.

The act of creating, whether it be moviemaking, character development, or painting, are miraculous. I do sometimes wonder why I did not choose a more stable career with more consistent wins, and the conclusion is always the same; namely, I did not choose it, it chose me. Ultimately, I do not create only for the wins. This career is a gift, and I’m honored to be its participant. Within the unavoidable hardships, there is invaluable growth.

We’d love to hear more about your business.

Most recently, I was awarded Best Actress at the Golden State Film Festival in Hollywood, California. I co-produced, co-wrote and co-starred in a film with Thom Michael Mulligan titled,The Witching Hour, which has been awarded Best Lighting at the Silicon Beach Film Festival in Los Angeles, California. The film continues to be accepted in several film festivals throughout the country and has received many accolades.

I have been immensely fortunate to have worked with several very talented directors in their feature and short films as an actor, being cast in their films has truly been an invaluable experience.I have also co-written screenplays for feature films, and co-produced and directed short films. Furthermore, I have been in several TV and online commercials. There are numerous feature films and tv series projects in development, some of which there exists a possibility of me being cast.

Looking back, it’s been a challenging journey to be able to achieve success in these fields, particularly as a woman juggling family life, working other jobs, raising two sons and being present as a wife and daughter. Doing it all is certainly not easy, but the truth is I would not have it any other way. I feel enormously fortunate and cherish the process. Finally, I look forward to the years ahead with great anticipation of what’s to come; mostly in my acting career which is the closest to my heart.

I would be remiss not to mention the deep gratitude I feel toward my beloved family and friends, my acting coaches Andrew Benne, Irene Muzzy, William Wall,Terry Ross, Tom Loganand of course,my agent Pam Pahnke, and Camie Carpenter.