Djouliet Amara On Dreaming Up Her Ideal Life, Following Her Joy, Leading With An Open Heart, and 'The Big Door Prize' On Apple TV+

Djouliet was photographed & interviewed by Alison Engstrom; she was styled by Sarah Slutsky and assisted by Carlee Princell; makeup by Andrea Cicalese

Above Djouliet is wearing a look by Adam Lippes; shoes by Stuart Weitzman; rings by Baublebar; earrings by SHASHI.

Congratulations of ‘The Big Door Prize’, I love the premise of it—a machine appears in the local grocery store, promising to reveal each resident’s true-life potential. One of the themes I love talking about on ROSE & IVY is this idea of reaching our full potential. When did you realize you could tap into your potential and pursue meaningful work and your dreams?

Hello angel! Thank you. I’ve always had a weird feeling ever since I was a kid that I would be able to dream up my life the way I wanted. I had it a little rough at various points of my life. My family immigrated to Canada from Russia and Sierra Leone when I was little, and we kind of made it up as we went along with our little family. I’ve always been a big dreamer. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started acting by accident.

You are an accomplished dancer. How did you segue into acting, was it a happy accident or intentional?

Acting was definitely a happy accident! I auditioned to be a dancer on a movie that was filming in my home town because I was curious about the industry and needed the money. It ended up being the kooky camp horror project that would jump start my acting career. That director took a chance on me and let me know that a friend of his was coming to town to film another horror film a couple of weeks later. I ended up auditioning for his friend and working with a few magnificent women including Suki Waterhouse and Madisen Beaty. This was right before the pandemic hit, which was oddly when the rest of my work would take place. I’ve had a really, really blessed past few years. I really felt like the universe was holding me.

I love pinpointing moments where doors open for us and catapult to different stratospheres. What has that moment been for you so far?

I love reading about what those moments are for other people, too! I think for me it was definitely the moment I mentioned before. But it was also the moment when I booked The Big Door Prize. It felt like absolute kismet. Dave West Read has been a dream to work with. The kindest, kindest soul. I feel like everything fell together in order for that job to work out for me. There were so many reasons it seemed like it shouldn’t have, but it was one of those moments in life where it just needed to be. I got covid, I couldn’t legally work in the US, I had another job at the time but it all came together on the last possible day. And then I found myself working in Atlanta, falling in love, and moving back to New York. That’s the short version of a very long story.

How would you say you have navigated your career so far? Do you have a north star that you are always working towards?

A north star! I love that, I’d like to think that my north star is my joy. Following my joy. Following the good feeling through. I’m hugely obsessed with Abraham Hicks and all she teaches. I just want to live a delicious life that’s true to my desires. I think I’ve navigated my career with an open heart, a sense of humour, a solid understanding of my worth, and a willingness to play.

Back to ‘The Big Door Prize’. When you first read through the script when did you know it was something special?

I knew that The Big Door Prize was special the first time I said the words out loud. They tasted so good! That’s the key! It was so easy to say them. I felt Trina’s truth!

Talk to me about your character Trina, who is the daughter of Gabrielle Dennis and Chris O’Dowd. Can you relate at all to her storyline? What do you enjoy the most about playing her?

Oh Trina! I love her so fully. And Chris and Gabrielle! The best. I relate to Trina on a total soul level. I feel super protective of her, like, I want to hold her as a baby! I’ve never been through exactly what she’s been through. I’ve never lost my boyfriend to a car accident. I’ve never felt the grief and guilt that comes from what may or may not have led up to that, and what follows with her new relationship but when I play her it feels like I’ve felt it all before. I mean, I have. In different ways. I love playing her truth. I love her sense of humour. I love her grounded reality in an absurd town. I love her journey and her joy!

Like we were chatting about while shooting, I think there is such a place for uplifting shows, like this one. It’s so great the series has already been picked up for a second season, congratulations! What do you want people to feel when they watch an episode?

Thank you! It’s been so fun shooting the second season recently. I want people to feel whatever they feel when they watch the show! It’s so special. I hope they smile at my jokes.

How do you nurture your creativity outside of acting?

I’m obsessed with my personal project, lately. I have a newsletter called Calling My Friends (callingmyfriends.com) that’s a peek into all the conversations I have with people day to day. Recently, I just launched my first conversation with a good friend of mine named Maren Altman. We caught up about her getting scammed out of 300k on what turned out to be a million dollar 3 month timeshare in Dubai, my feelings about my show coming out, and a few other little secrets. I have a phone call and then a robot transcribes it into like, an interview format. I think it’s a required reading! If you subscribe on the site (it’s totally free), the stories and secrets just come straight to your email. They’re so good that I should probably be selling them.