The Tamara de la Guerra Inspiration: Not For The Timid.

Talented and beautiful, actress Tamara de la Guerra from Canada is doggedly tenacious and pursues her work with passion and conviction that I discovered first hand.

I've met few people with the skill set of Tamara. Stunningly beautiful, charismatic, smart, and more, she is destined for greatness as she is settling nicely in the hills east of Hollywood. She fled her native Toronto homeland in search of the silver screen. Tamara has a 4th degree Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate, and a 3rd degree Black Belt in Kobudo. And it all started on a dare.

Also known as a 'Sensai' competing with both men and women, Tamara de la Guerra is this generation's undisputed relentless World Champion Martial Artist and actress. Her fighting skills are matched only by her overwhelming talent as an actress and her intense nature as a fitness instructor. She's a driving force as an actress, both beautiful and powerfully convincing - witness her sterling performances in a short film Fentress, and film Couples, and the fascinating TV show 'Wells Grey' She's also eaten up the screen with her blistering, fluid and controlled acting in many theatrical dramas. Tamara de la Guerra is basically the ultimate template for the martial arts woman. When Tamara lends her preeminent acting talents to the big screen one must be ready for anything. Combining her Martial Art talent and her acting is her dream gig.

I wanted to discover first hand what made this immensely talented blonde hair, blued eyed, force of nature tick at 5'3, and attack her work with a tenacity I've yet to see matched. The ultimate quandary is how can she combine two disciplines with such ease? Tamara still found time to co-create and train her own Zen Fitness Retreats in Luxury Resorts with fitness and business partner Jamie Granger.

We met in the arts district in Los Feliz, CA at a busy coffee shop to go over how is this all possible? Here's how it went down.

Bobbi: How old were you when you wanted to act?

Tamara: I was performing every since I can remember. My family in Spain are mostly musicians and artists, so my Dad exposed us to that at a very young age. I was playing the recorder at 5 years old and that was my first exposure to releasing artistically. We used to travel to Spain over the Christmas holidays and all the cousins would put on skits, plays, and perform for the adults. It was something I was used to doing and enjoyed it very much. It stayed with me as a child and every opportunity I had to sing, dance or perform for my Mom's friends I would jump at it. I was asked to leave the room so the adults could have some grown up time. My first play was at the British School in Caracas, Venezuela - I was a little Indian, and I remember looking out into the crowd and loving every moment of it. I am not sure if I knew at that time that is exactly what I wanted to do, but I was very clear I was an expressive little child and it was the only time I felt really connected to something.

Bobbi: Who were your major influences?

Tamara: I was brought up in a different country, and honestly in a different world per se as an athlete. I didn't have a normal childhood. I was committed and dedicated to a an art, that to become the best at it, it completely took up most of my life. People who influenced me growing up were my 8th grade teacher and my high school math teacher because they believed in me. I was a very restless kid who had a hard time sitting still at school, and they saw beyond that. I grew up at a very young age listening and reading to Dr. Wayne Dyer, who influenced me in so many ways. He was outside of the normal status of life, yet I could understand him, and I didn't feel alone in this world. I had the opportunity to hear him a few times in lectures and it just kept me moving forward to live my dreams and thinking outside the box was actually ok! Also, my Martial Arts teachers (Sensei's), were a big influence in my 22 year martial arts career, in a time where belonging and discipline was greatly needed.

Bobbi: What movies would you watch growing up that influenced you?

Tamara: You know, we really weren't exposed to much television or film living in Venezuela. I was exposed to musical theatre, ballet and dance. There was always this feeling inside that I left with. It was a ‘WOW'. This story just moved me to tears and it felt so real. The one movie that I remember very vividly was ‘Grease', I spent months re-enacting, singing and performing it to anyone that would listen to me. Madonna was also someone who influenced me in my teenage years as she was a performer who pushed limits and was constantly outside the box. I saw ‘Les Miserables' in London, England and was so impressed and in awe of how the story pulled me in and confused me on the ability it had to 'have' me; like one of the characters- and the next you were not liking them so much. There is this power in story telling that really connects to an audience, and I knew I had stories to tell and interpret that would connect with people.

Bobbi: What does your family think about your acting?

Tamara: I kept my passion for acting a big secret actually. I had a father who was an artist and suffered trying to live his dreams and I think in some unconscious manner he tried to pushed me into an academic life that tortured me. It was only a few years ago that he apologized for doing that and he explained he didn't want me to suffer as an artist as he did. He told me it was very obvious that I wanted to be an artist and he was terrified. It was a beautiful moment and I understood him. I am grateful that he can see me now for who I truly am. I can't say it was an easy transition with the rest of my family, but I was already old enough to make my own choices. I am in a place today where I have there full support and understanding, and I am blessed to have that.

Bobbi: What was your first major success as an actor?

Tamara: I don't think I have experienced that moment yet. I am someone who strives to always be ‘the best' at the expense of sometimes not allowing myself to watch the beautiful journey I am on. Since coming to Los Angeles, it has been challenging to go after a dream in a country where I couldn't work, so I focused on studying theatre, and worked hard developing my craft even further. Now that I just recently got my Green Card, I am excited to knock down the doors.

Bobbi: How long were you involved in Martial Arts?

Tamara: I have been studying Martial Arts for most of my life. It has been 22 years now. I started when I was 16 years old. The first 2 years felt like 20 years and that last 20 years felt like 2 years. I have had the opportunity to travel the world competing and exposing myself to different arenas of competition. I am a 12 year undefeated Black belt champion and this was a perfect place to push the envelope. I didn't just want to be just a great female martial artist, I wanted to be the best in my ranking, so I pushed to open the doors to compete with men. It was a challenge as they are naturally stronger, so I trained even harder, and eventually I was winning all those divisions.

Bobbi: What disciplines to you study?

Tamara: I study a form of Japanese Traditional Karate called Goju-Ryu in which I am ranked a 4th degree black belt. I also hold a 3rd degree black belt in Kobudo (traditional Weapons) and an instructors level in Tai Chi, Chi Kung (Internal energy work). I fell in love with the art the moment I saw it. It was art in motion and a definite challenge. It changed my life in so many ways, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Bobbi: Why did you make the leap from Martial Arts to Acting?

Tamara: I used to think that you had to pick one thing for the rest of your life and that was it. Martial Arts came into my life at the exact same time I had an opportunity to study acting in Toronto, and I did both until the Martial Arts path became the one I was trotting along with. I believe that things happen for a reason. The calling for performing comes in so many different ways, and acting was something that just kept showing up. It just wasn't the right time until I finally took the leap in 2005 to close one chapter in my life and begin a new one. I felt I did everything I could have dreamed of, or wanted with Martial Arts and I was ready to finally focus on acting. Its just another form of performing and that was what I was excited to focus on and develop further. The one element that I was craving for was to have a voice, and acting was a medium that I could perform using my voice and not only my body.

Bobbi: What was one of the first things you discovered here as an actor that was different than being in a discipline like Martial Arts?

Tamara: Oh boy, this is an interesting question and I want to answer it honestly. Martial Arts, as in anything, can be very political. I reached a point where there was no more growth for me, and when I find myself in that place, I know it is time to move on. One of the first things I discovered here as an actor was how much my martial arts benefited me and also hurt me. I had the natural discipline and hard working attitude from my training yet that same drive got in the way of the natural freedom on stage. Letting go and not trying to control everything was a big challenge and a necessity to let my own personal creativity come out. I had a voice as an actor, a freedom to express than in Martial Arts I learned to never let your opponent know what you are feeling. I was ready and willing to let that part of myself out without fear and it was so liberating. It is still a challenge for me as I spent over 20 years honing a specific part of me and now I had to do something different.

Bobbi: How did you get the current part in your play? The name of the Play?

Tamara: I went in for an audition and got a call back. I was offered the part right there on the spot and had a few weeks to rehearse. It was a 6 week run at the Sunset Gardener stages. The play was a monologue play called Sex, Relationships and sometimes love. I also just finished filming a short film called Fentress directed by Christopher Miller. This was an interesting audition because I had a long week and was exhausted and had to drive out to Santa Clarita for a cold reading, and I immediately fell in love with the role, and the storyline.

Bobbi: Was it easy to play for you, that character?

Tamara: I usually tend to gravitate towards characters that are very layered and misunderstood. The one thing my acting teacher, Arthur Mendoza, taught me was to get out of the way and don't judge the character. The more complicated and the more people judge the character, the more I want to play them. Both characters were very different. I studied the Stella Adler technique, and as long as I do the work as I was taught each character flourishes on there own. I don't add my personal experiences into it, but can get very close to the pain and character by giving life to it.

Bobbi: What acting technique do you use?

Tamara: I have studied several techniques in Toronto, Canada and Los Angeles, CA. They all carry the same foundation but something was always missing until I studied Stella Adler technique. I think it is so individual and what works for one actor may not for another. I studied at Actors Circle Theatre with Arthur Mendoza in West Hollywood, and he taught me the foundation of the technique. He taught me that memorizing words was just the icing on the cake and you must know how the character thinks.

Bobbi: What was it like working with the cast?

Tamara: Both experiences were very different. The monologue play was working very individual and we didn't really have very much interaction with each other. The short film Fentress was a great collaboration of cast and crew. It makes for a great film and fun and unforgettable process.

Bobbi: What characters or roles do you want to see yourself playing?

Tamara: I love strong women in every sense. Strong spirits and minds. Like I said earlier, I enjoy very deep, layered characters. I enjoy characters like Jennifer Garner in ‘Alias'. She is a bad-ass, yet the character is complicated. There is acting involved and not just action. Peta Wilson in Nikita was the same. A strong willed woman who was complicated but was real and full of emotions. A role like Jodi Foster had in the Brave One showed me how her silence said more and affected me more than words being spoken. She is an incredible actress.

Bobbi: What are you currently working on?

Tamara: I am such a chameleon. I use my creativity in so many aspects of my life. I am working on a short film/documentary and a sitcom, a dramedy. I also just started a new business, Zen Fitness Retreats, where my business partner and I locate resort & Spa's around Southern California and bring guests out for an invigorating fitness retreat. We have Palm Springs in 2 weeks and Laguna Beach at the end of January 2010. Its hard to juggle everything all at once, but I try to just go with the flow of life, and focus on whatever is in front of me at the time. I of course am always building my own personal fitness training clientele in between all of this.

Bobbi: What is your goal for this upcoming year?

Tamara: Phew, that is a loaded question. I have so many!! In my acting world, I would like to be working with a great agent, who has the same vision as I do for myself. Someone who truly cares about my career. I want to be working consistently on a show, or booking some consistent work. I want to have my first draft of my sitcom ready and have it picked up by a network. Its brilliant! I want to have filmed my short film/documentary by the year end. I want like to increase my personal clientele for fitness training and create one large retreat for a corporate company of 100 people. In between all this, my biggest challenge has always been balance, so some quiet time and or holiday twice a year would be great.

Bobbi: How do you have fun and relax?

Tamara: It truly depends. For me to relax is to have a day with no scheduling. I love being at home. Its quiet, peaceful and relaxing. I enjoy going for walks and communing with nature. It is what grounds me. Fun varies. It could be learning something new, going to do something new. I enjoy spending time with my partner laughing. A big joy is spending time with friends and loved ones catching up and seeing where everyone is at in life. My friends are truly creative. Watching a great movie, cuddled up on the couch with the fireplace is a definite must.
Bobbi: Are you married, single, dating, etc.?

Tamara: I live with my partner in Glendale. We both work in the west Hollywood/Beverly Hills area, so its nice to have a place that is away from town. Its quiet, peaceful and secluded.

Bobbi: Tell us about your other talents?

Tamara: I am an entrepreneur, a creator, 22 year of martial arts, fitness trainer, business owner, actress, writer, and I am open to add anything else in there.

Bobbi: Do you change your look often?

Tamara: I haven't for a while mostly because of my head shots, but I would do anything for a role I am playing. I have died my hair many colors, shaved my head, had a Mohawk. All in the name of art and youth and growing up.

Bobbi: Do you have any special thanks to give anyone in your life?

Tamara: I would like to thank my Mom and Dad who finally gave up trying to conform me and realized I was a creative spirit who could not be caged. My sisters, Larissa and Genita for sharing such great experiences in my life growing up. My partner Cindy who has stood by me though everything and believes in me. Her support encourages me to want to be more than I can be. My acting teacher Arthur Mendoza for not giving up on me, and pushing me to limits I never thought I could reach. All my classmates at Actors Circle Theatre whose work inspired me and the unity of growth I will never forget. My business partner, Jamie Granger, for believing and sharing the same vision for Zen Fitness Retreats.

Bobbi: Have you had any adversities you had to overcome?

Tamara: I spent so many years wearing so many different caps. It got exhausting. Once I faced that I was all of it and none of it was separate, I felt like I became a whole person. Being a world champion Martial Artist brought a specific stigma in my life and I feared being type cast for acting work. Once I realized it was up to me that I was talented as an actress as much as I was talented in Martial Arts I freed myself somehow.

Bobbi: Any advice to women who want to cross over from sports to film?

Tamara: Any athlete carries a certain disciplined mentality of winning and accomplishing the impossible. What I had to learn was that didn't always work well with acting. It was completely different. My biggest advice is use your talent to open the doors, and study the craft of acting to better yourself as an artist.

You can reach Tamara at tamaradelaguerra@mac.com.

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