With her talents spanning acting, dancing, and singing, Shanti Lowry seems capable of almost anything. Beyond the spotlight, she is also producing the upcoming thriller PERSONA while concurrently collaborating with Amnesty International and Women for Women International to provide educational support to women affected by war. Engaging in numerous endeavors and initiatives, Shanti Lowry actively addresses the challenges faced by war-torn countries and contributes to humanitarian efforts, demonstrating the power of determination and the ability to achieve anything when one sets their mind to it. To learn more about Shanti Lowry, please read on.

Where are you based?
Pasadena, California.

What inspired you to pursue a career in entertainment?
A little nature, a little nurture. I was born with a creative spirit and my difficult childhood made me want to escape mentally, as well as, build a different world for my future.

You act, sing, and dance! What was your first love? What is your focus these days?
Oh no, don’t make me choose between my children! I love it all. Doing an incredibly choreographed ballet, singing a song with a great musician, or acting with a talented director or costar all feel the same, honestly. My focus is definitely acting and producing professionally, at the moment. But I’m never not doing all three privately.

Are there specific actors or filmmakers who have influenced your approach to acting? If so, how?
So many. I like to take a little from a lot of places. But Viola Davis is on a pedestal of her own in my opinion. And Jordan Peele is a magician as a storyteller.

We heard that you are starring in and producing the upcoming movie PERSONA. Can you tell us more about the movie? What makes this project different from your previous films?
Yes, Persona! So many things make this different from anything I’ve ever been involved with. Persona is an intimate thriller that grabs you from the first second, and never lets go. It’s about a woman who wakes up extremely injured, with no memory, on the floor of a terrifying house. There are bars on the windows and locks on the doors and she’s almost relieved when she finds another woman tied up in a hidden room. It’s really all about the struggle to contain your own fear and work with people who think differently to survive. It stars myself and Sophia Ali. But that’s just what’s on screen.

And it’s so amazing… but some of what I’m most proud of is what went into bringing a movie like this to audiences. When the writer brought the script to me, I knew I wanted to produce it. Because I knew I wanted to make a different kind of movie. I wanted the opportunity to work with the writer to create multi-layered female characters. And I really wanted the opportunity to push the industry standard and hire as many BIPOC and female cast and crew as possible. I wanted to create a truly safe set where the creatives could thrive and the whole crew felt brought into the project. Like a family. Basically, I wanted to strike gold with this one — and I feel like I did. I was successful in hiring 75% BIPOC and over 50% female cast and crew everyday. And we created a set where people brought their families to work and stayed late to hang out. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they all delivered some of, if not the best work of their careers. Every last person.

How did the experience of producing a movie compare to solely being an actor in one?
Sleep. Sanity. The little things. But seriously, it took a massive amount of organization and planning. I was the only working producer and also the lead actress. And I wanted to run a tight ship because I was also a nursing mother of a one-year-old. I couldn’t do overtime. Not one minute, not one day. I also didn’t have time to spend commuting to and from our remote location so I moved my family into my onset trailer. My husband, my one-year-old, my dog and my mom. Just a regular one room set trailer. So the commitment was all the way to 100 on this project.

What inspired you to get more involved in the producing side of things?
I’ve been in this industry for over two decades and it’s been really hard to see how tightly closed the doors are for so many. No matter what. No matter how good or talented or experienced anyone is, sometimes the doors just seemed glued shut. I’ve always wanted to change that. And I’ve also always been bothered by the idea that making art is a messy process in which you ‘break a lot of eggs’. Eggs being people’s feelings on set I guess. It just seemed like maybe there was a way in which we could enjoy making our art and also make a phenomenal product.

In addition to your many talents you are also very passionate about humanitarian work. We love that you work with The Dove Project. Can you tell us about this organization and your involvement with them in rescuing dogs?
Yes, my sweet dog, Alula, is a rescue that came to me through them. They rescue dogs directly from the meat trade in South Korea. Although in some really good news, South Korea recently outlawed dog meat.

What do you hope to achieve by working with this organization?
Outlawing the meat trade was definitely the top of that list. Now we need to work together to find homes for a lot of traumatized dogs.

You adopted your own pup, Alula, through The Dove Project. Can you tell us that story?
I was nominated for an Emmy and so I was invited to a special Emmy Brunch where The Dove Project had set up a booth for all the nominees to pet a rescued dog and maybe agree to help the organization. Alula was that dog. I met her and never even went to the brunch.

How do you believe the entertainment industry can contribute to promoting animal welfare, and what changes would you like to see in this regard?
The entertainment industry is massively influential. It can create change, even lasting change, very successfully. Personally, I’m vegan, and I wish the welfare of animals, not just a healthy lifestyle, was enough to encourage others to give this diet a try.

You are an animal lover in general and love vegan cooking! Any favorite recipes?
I’m really into a miso vegetable pasta right now. It’s really easy and really fast and my daughter loves it. I use udon noodles mostly. I dissolve about half a cup of yellow miso paste in half a cup of pasta water, add some chili paste for heat, then sauté artichokes, olives, edamame and some spinach at the end. Now I’m hungry!

Along with your work for The Dove Project, you are also a part of Amnesty International and Women for Women International. Can you tell us more about your work providing education and support for women suffering from war?
My work with Amnesty International and Women for Women are both deeply important to me. In both instances, I receive letters from the women I support directly, and those are always very special. I had a hard childhood, and a lot of it was spent looking around at others thinking that it would have been rather easy for someone to reach out a helping hand. But no one ever did. I try to be that hand for others as often as I can.

There are a lot of wars going on right now. Are there any particular locations you are more focused on?
It’s hard not to think of all the suffering in Israel and Gaza, as well as the war in Ukraine. There are so many people living in fear and under aerial assault. It’s all so baffling honestly. In this advanced civilization we can’t figure out a way to disagree without wars and murdering innocent people?

What advice do you have for any women struggling in a war torn country?
I wouldn’t dare give her advice. I’d just listen.

How have you managed to juggle your personal and professional lives? Has it ever been a challenge to manage both, especially as a fairly new mother?
I think it’s always a struggle. And it probably always will be. But that gentle push and pull is what I signed up for. In fact, it’s what I went through IVF with my husband for. I wanted the challenge. At the end of the day it’s about priorities. I have to constantly check in with myself on what those priorities are, and then check in with those people to make sure they feel that priority. I don’t always get the balance right, but that’s why I wake up the next day. To try again.

What guidance would you offer to fellow performers who want to pursue their artistic passion?
Do it! Believe in yourself hard. Seek guidance often. Evolve daily. And go for it.

Are there any dream roles you would love to play someday?
Oh so many. I’d love to do a Jason Bourne type character. I’d love to play Lena Horne and do a western or a Fosse style musical. But mostly I want to work with collaborative and creative people with a vision, no matter the material.

It has been a crazy past few years, how have you been staying positive?
I’m a naturally positive person because I don’t see the upside in being negative. In all the things I’ve been through, remaining positive has been my North Star. So I just do that. That doesn’t mean I don’t have low days or doubts. Of course I do. But then I remember that just thinking of whatever is in my mind in a more positive light is at least the first step.

What is your motto in life?
I’ve never thought about that. Peace. My name means peace that surpasses understanding in Sanskrit and I think that sounds like a lovely motto. I’ll go with that!

To learn more about Shanti Lowry, please follow the links below
Instagram: @ShantiLowry

Team Credits:
Photographer: Ren Pidgeon at Tunnel Media Group
Stylist: Michelle Wu
Hair: Aaron Barry
Make-up: Tanya Tello

Layout by Brianna Colquhoun and Kira Bucca.

COVER - Shanti Lowry Embodies Peace