Ep.97/ The Hustle of Creativity: Daniella Rabbani on Building a Thriving Acting Career

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We delve into the multifaceted life of award-winning actor, filmmaker, voiceover artist, and singer Daniella Rabbani, who also hosts the Mom Curious podcast. Daniella opens up about her formative years at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and her specialized study of Yiddish theater, which propelled her to star in plays and sing internationally. We explore the complex interplay between Daniella's passion for performance and her commitment to her family–and challenges of balancing a thriving career with motherhood. Plus, she shares how she prioritizes projects and maneuvers through the financial and emotional landscape of the entertainment industry. From her candid reflections on handling rejection and the importance of creating her own opportunities, to the practicalities of managing finances to advance her business, Daniella's journey is a testament to the tenacity and creativity required to build a career and a life that truly resonates.

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Quotes from our guest:

“The Reality of Acting Auditions: "So I always knew that if I booked one out of. They say, like, one out of 100 auditions, I was gonna be successful and, you know, make. Make a living."
"The rejection is really just a part of it. It just really is. It didn't actually hit me until I had a lull in working. Because when you're working, when you're doing your craft, like, there's just not enough time to give a sh*t."
“The Impact of the Pandemic on Actor's Careers: "And even when I was farting and making $10K, that was awesome for me. But it was very plentiful, and it was very easy for me to make money in a way that post pandemic and post these new contracts for SAG it's not."
“For those who don't know, and most people don't, the origins of Broadway and in fact, Hollywood itself come from the yiddish theater, a storytelling tradition that comes from eastern Europe, the Jews of Eastern Europe, because jewish people are storytellers by nature."
“The Healing Power of Performing Arts: "When you see people up on stage, this is them channeling the divine in their bodies, through their song, through their movements, through their hearts. I mean, this is, like, something I really believe is a healing modality, is art itself, and particularly the performing arts."

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DANIELLA’S LINKS:

Daniella Rabbani

Mom Curious

Kim Rittberg (00:02):

Everyone. This is really exciting. First of all, we are live in person at Hoff Studios in New York City. So that alone is exciting. Over my shoulder is a logo saying the exit interview with Kim Rittberg, but most importantly is Daniella Rabbani is here. It's me.

Daniella Rabbani (00:16):

Hello her.

Kim Rittberg (00:17):

Hello. So I'm excited to have Daniella. I'm nervous. Daniella isn't nervous. She shouldn't be nervous because she's a real live actor. So Daniella, I

Daniella Rabbani (00:25):

Want even actors get nervous because actors are people. What turns out, I know with all this AI stuff, you're like, no, actors are robots, which is sometimes true, but actors are in fact human beings with all the feelings, including a little bit of shyness sometimes. So

Kim Rittberg (00:41):

What I'm very excited about having Daniella on the show is because the original idea of this podcast is just how do people build a career and a life that works for them? So whether you're a parent, most of the guests are parents, they're not all but almost all. And what is the winding path and how do you make it work for you? So I was really fascinated because Daniella hosts the Mom Cares podcast, but she is an award-winning actor, an award-winning filmmaker. She's a voiceover artist and she sings in Yiddish at these really cool plays and she's headlined at places around the world. And so to me it's like, first of all, wow, being a working actor is, wow. I'd like to know for you, did you always know that you wanted to act? At what point did you get the bug and how did it become your career versus a hobby? And then leave it alone?

Daniella Rabbani (01:31):

Oh, it was never going to be a hobby. Hobby and leave it alone. Yeah, it was always going to be my career. This is what I was born to do. I knew when I was little I would do these sort of performances for my family. My sister was seven years older than me and would teach me all of these songs and I would do big musical numbers for my family. And I had a nice voice. My father's a singer, and I saw how I just lit up their day. I really just made their day and I thought, wow, this is magic. And I have a piece of magic in me that I get to share. And that was my talent, my sort of, I dunno, my way.

Kim Rittberg (02:18):

And then what did it look like? So then, okay, so you're like a kid and you're singing, wait, by the way, what song did your sister teach you? She's

Daniella Rabbani (02:24):

Like The wind through the trees. Shera nine next to me. So that was the first one. And I think it was from Ghost or something. And Patrick Swayze used to sing it. She leaves me in the moonlight only to burn me with the sun, but it's like very sry and very, you got your, she's breaking my heart. She doesn't know what she's done. I feel a breath in my face. Hi, body close to me. And then the other one was, you were

Kim Rittberg (02:56):

Serenading your parents at time. I was

Daniella Rabbani (02:57):

Serenading. I really was. And then there was a little more baby.

Kim Rittberg (03:00):

Did that cause them to have another child when you sang to them like that? Oh,

Daniella Rabbani (03:03):

You know what, no, I was definitely the baby, which is also why I'm an actor. I was like, I want more attention.

Kim Rittberg (03:10):

I knew I liked you. Onm the baby too.

Daniella Rabbani (03:12):

Yes, such a baby. My brother's 10 years older than me, so they had a whole family before. And same parents. They had a whole family before. And then it was just me and my parents and I was like, how am I going to make them smile? How am I going to make their day? And I would be in these plays and my mom would say, similar to your mom, I know a little bit about you too. She would just be like, this is Daniela, she's my claim to fame. She would call me and she still does call me her claim to fame. Yeah, it's very sweet. Yeah. Okay,

Kim Rittberg (03:43):

First of all, I need to let listeners in. As an aside, Danielle and I met through people that we're friends with mutually in New York. And we had only been Instagram friends. And then one day I'm on the subway and Daniella and I start looking at each other and we weren't sure, but this was the first time in my entire life that I had an online friend and then I recognized them in person and I was like, Daniella? And she's like Kim. And I'm like, oh my God, we're meeting I, this is so crazy. I just loved her. Since

Daniella Rabbani (04:14):

I have to say that I actually am pretty shy sometimes, which is weird. I'm very extroverted. I'm a very extroverted person. My ideal state is on stage with hundreds of people and then a couple 10 or 20 behind. But on the subway, when I'm all I know weird looking from being with kids all day, I wasn't sure it was you and I wouldn't have said hello. I would've stared into the distance and just pretend nothing was happening. And I was so happy that you were like,

Kim Rittberg (04:48):

What's up? I know you A, I have no shame. I am always, I think I know you. And then I'm like, I'm Kim Rutberg, so they don't feel weird in case they forget my name. You're so good

Daniella Rabbani (04:59):

Like that. I have to say that you are so you just like, you made me feel so comfortable right away. And I'm not usually good like

Kim Rittberg (05:08):

That. I have a weird memory for faces and I know most people don't. So I'm nice about it. And I'm not like, hi Daniela, you dunno my name. I know you're not going to necessarily know my name. I have a weird memory for faces. I also went on Instagram to see. I'm like, I think that's Daniella,

Daniella Rabbani (05:23):

You. Oh my God, I love that so much. But anyway,

Kim Rittberg (05:25):

So that was it. Anyway, so we met, and I've always been impressed by Daniella. She's doing all these amazing things like disconnected but disparate things and I was super impressed. You're so creative and so talented. So from serenading your parents to being a working actor, what was your path?

Daniella Rabbani (05:42):

So I was always in the school plays, and that was the highlight of my life and certainly the highlight of my parents' life. Also, I sort of made the most sense on stage. I have a lot of energy and I always did. And I was a kid with a DHD, and somehow with a DHD, you get this hyper focus. So I would have this real focus on my lines and my songs and the backstory. And I really could dig in a way that school was easy for me. When you're gifted, you're sort of like, oh, I'll not do my homework, but I'll do well enough. But with being on stage, you have to fire on all cylinders. You need your emotional life online, your intelligence, your body needs to be there. So it was sort of asking of me more than any test or any sitting in a class could ever do.

(06:42)
And so I was alive and well when I was working on something. And then I got into NYU early admissions. So it was the only place that I auditioned for. I went to Tisch at Stella Adler and I graduated in three years because I went to, or three and a half years, I went to Italy to study Delate and in London to study theater there. And it was a beautiful, beautiful experience. And when I was in my last show at the Stella Adler studio, my director who's Stella Adler's grandson, he runs the theater, I'm still very close with him. His name is Tom Oppenheim. And he took me aside after a rehearsal of a Midsummer Night's Dream. And he was just like, you act like my family. Would you continue the legacy of the Yiddish Theater? I would love to get you a scholarship to study Yiddish.

(07:42)
And so for those who don't know, and most people don't, the origins of Broadway and in fact Hollywood itself come from the Yiddish Theater, a storytelling tradition that comes from Eastern Europe, the Jews of Eastern Europe, because Jewish people are storytellers by nature. We've been telling the same stories for 3000 years word perfect every single week all around the world. And those stories really cultivate culture, community, purpose, et cetera, and a connection to the divine. And theater similarly does the same thing. So Yiddish theater came from originally Romania, but then it came to the lower East side of Manhattan with the immigrants who were not allowed to work anywhere else. They were only allowed to be either people who were entertainers, which would be considered lower class or people who were working in the shta business, the making clothing or costumes. And so one of the great stars of that tradition is Jacob p Adler, who was Stella Adler's father.

(09:01)
And Stella was raised on stage in the Yiddish theater, and she would be in plays from the time she was very young. She grew up to be a part of the group theater and teach the likes of Marlon Brando and that entire generation. And when Stella's grandson, Tom Oppenheim told me about this, I was more than happy to study Yiddish. My parents are Israeli, I speak Hebrew fluently. Yiddish is a derivative of both Hebrew and German. It has some other languages mixed in, but it's essentially an amalgamation of both. And so I studied Yiddish theater and Yiddish song and Yiddish language. I got my equity card through that theater, the folk being at National Yiddish Theater, I starred in a play called Gimple Tom and the New York Observer said that I was sympathetic and utterly alive, and the critics went wild and it was very sweet. And ever since then I've traveled the world singing in Yiddish. I've headlined at jazz at Lincoln Center and in Poland and in Vienna and all over the country, really? Town hall and in New York City. And so I've been doing that ever since I graduated from Stella Adler about, I dunno, 18 years ago. All the while any theater artist does. I've been doing a bunch of other things as well, including voiceovers and commercials, and I've been on television a bunch and in movies. But that's my origin story really.

Kim Rittberg (10:45):

So the Yiddish Theater is every show in Yiddish

Daniella Rabbani (10:48):

Mostly. I was in a drama desk nominated play called The Golden Land, which ran off Broadway for some time. You're the queen of teaching me how to own my successes. So I'll say that The New York Times said that the sassy raspy voiced Daniella Rabbani will leave you twirling in the streets. And by the way, guys, the only reason why I'm bragging this way is because I'm with Kim Rittberg and he's the one who tells me I should be owning my

Kim Rittberg (11:17):

Successes

Daniella Rabbani (11:18):

And bragging. This is true.

Kim Rittberg (11:20):

So I was on Daniella's mom Curious podcast and I did a live pitching session, coaching session for her to pitch herself. And I was basically like, you've done all these cool things, here's how to say them. And so now she's saying them and she's still cringing, but it's her practicing. It's only a second time. You're doing great. Thank you so

Daniella Rabbani (11:34):

Much. Anyway, so they're often mostly in Yiddish, but sometimes it's bilingual and

Kim Rittberg (11:41):

Subtitle.

Daniella Rabbani (11:41):

Yeah, supertitles like the opera.

Kim Rittberg (11:44):

Yes. So first of all, that's fascinating. So yeah, it's a

Daniella Rabbani (11:48):

Beautiful, beautiful art.

Kim Rittberg (11:49):

So my dad was born in Romania and then moved to Israel. I was American, so I didn't know that at all about Yiddish theater being the origin of Broadway. I didn't know that at all. That's so

Daniella Rabbani (12:00):

Cool. Also, it's the origin of Hollywood itself because after those Jews had sort of entertained mostly the Jewish community, but also the masses, they inspired musical theater. And at some point they took their costumes and their scripts and they headed out west with some technology to create Hollywood. But they changed their name,

Kim Rittberg (12:34):

Right? Yeah, my grand pop Ky and ended up as pop.

Daniella Rabbani (12:39):

They changed their names because of Jewish hate. And so they were just like, you know what, nevermind. And then they would essentially, right all of these scripts telling the world that we were just like you. And that was sort of the beginnings of Hollywood too.

Kim Rittberg (12:58):

Dumb question. When you were saying they story tell every week, you mean Na Torah? The Torah, right? I was like, you mean na Torah?

Daniella Rabbani (13:03):

Yeah, I mean the Torah. So for those who don't know in the Jewish tradition, you get together in essentially a theater. I mean, a sanctuary to me as a theater artist is very theatrical. There's the Bima, which is the stage, and they read from the Torah, which is the script. There are the same movements which are as choreography, there are the same props, which are essentially the things you use every single week. And that was a huge part of why Jews created so much theater, so much storytelling and television and media. If we're sort of tracking all of that, not that we control it, let's be real about that for a second. But that it was a huge inspiration.

Kim Rittberg (14:00):

That's interesting. And my grandpa worked in the Shta business in Shta. For anyone who doesn't know means like rags fabric,

Daniella Rabbani (14:07):

It means rags,

Kim Rittberg (14:07):

Rags, rags. But my grandfather, he had worked at a lace company, he and somebody else owned a lace company where my early memories are walking through the aisles and touching lace and textiles and ribbons. And I always loved art actually from that, I feel like I was born touching fabrics and making things. I love that. That's so interesting. Okay, so that is your origin story of acting. I want to know. So now you are a working actor and you have kids.

Daniella Rabbani (14:35):

Yes. Two kids. Two kids.

Kim Rittberg (14:36):

What does that look like? You were saying, okay, you were in an off Broadway play for a long time. How do you balance having two kids being married and doing that? Or is this pre-kids? What does it look like?

Daniella Rabbani (14:47):

It's actually really quite hard, and it's part of the reason why I started Curious because I was really curious how people did it. Because I knew even before I had children that being a working actor takes everything. You really need to have so much ambition and so much talent and so much good looks and so much confidence and really want it and time, time to really want it because it's a hard business and it's a real souls calling. This is something when you see people up on stage, this is them channeling the divine vine in their bodies through their song, through their movements, through their hearts. I mean, this is something I really believe is a healing modality is art itself, and particularly the performing arts. It takes a lot out of someone's life. So there's a reason why a lot of actors have kids later on in life because really what we need is agency and support.

(15:54)
And sometimes you don't have agency and support even 20 years into a career, but for many of us, you need enough money, which is hard to make. And so for me, I did this off-Broadway show this fall. I have a podcast where I had to batch record thanks to my amazing producers at Hof Studios and shout out to Marty who was there for all of them. I produce, or I did at the time, once a week a podcast episode with a guest on Mom, curious. And so we batch recorded them so that I would have enough time to do full days of rehearsals and then be with my kids in the evenings. I don't usually have a babysitter, although I just hired Alice for that gig and she's great. So I'm going to around, but shows are at night, but shows are at night, but I'm not always on contract to do a show. So last year I did two plays and my husband did bedtime for the first one. I didn't have as big a role so I could be there for pickup, but he would do bedtime when I was performing. And then for this other show that I did off Broadway, that it was a larger contract.

(17:25)
I wasn't starring in it, but it was really an ensemble piece and I had a really featured role and it was much more demanding and the contract was such that I didn't have as much leeway, so I missed my sister-in-Law's wedding, that kind of leeway. And that's normal for an actor to just miss big events because we're doing something and it's a limited run or whatever. But that's why I hired Alice, who's this fantastic babysitter who I love, who's also an actress. I actually like hiring actresses as babysitters, and she somehow is the only one that my son and daughter ever liked because they're just used to having me around or my mom or my husband. But we're keeping her around because she's just so great and we need that level of support, but there's just no way to do it without my husband, the babysitter, and my mom at the very bare minimum. But yeah, that's how we figured that out. And it was exhausting, truly.

Kim Rittberg (18:36):

I was like, talk to me about the financials of it all.

Daniella Rabbani (18:41):

I mean, my husband works. I work freelance. So a job like the off-Broadway contract, it doesn't pay a lot of money, but it pays a living. I basically have a voiceover studio in my apartment. It's a studio bricks. It's very fancy. It's like my Lamborghini and I sometimes record my podcast out of there, but often I'm recording voiceovers. So for commercials, I was the voice of Colgate and the Nook was my big break. And I've done Windex and Starbucks and Fidelity, and I'm the voice of the Noom, or I've done a bunch of audio books. And so I sort of live in this teeny tiny box that's insulated and soundproofed and you can't hear my kids or my dog. And that's where I live and that's where I make most of my money doing voiceovers. But I hobble together income from a bunch of different revenue streams, like my concerts. I still sing in Yiddish and sometimes I can monetize my Instagram, but not as much. I actually have not figured that out quite. If you have any insight, I'd love to know.

Kim Rittberg (20:06):

Yeah, I'll connect on our subway ride home. Oh,

Daniella Rabbani (20:08):

I can't wait. I'll tell you, I'll give, but it's a little bit from every direction. And that really is how actors in this city make it work. Sometimes I get a TV gig or a movie, I'm always auditioning. I'm just like a journeyman actor. I'm not a famous person,

Kim Rittberg (20:36):

But I want to, being a working actor is a huge success. It's really hard. I mean, anyone who lives in New York City or Los Angeles knows that the ratio of people trying to make it versus people doing it, and it's not about fame. Are you aiming to be famous or like, yay, I get to do what I love and earn money for it.

Daniella Rabbani (21:00):

Similar to that moment on the subway, I get pretty uncomfortable with people recognizing me, which happens more than I expect, which is weird. I don't actually enjoy that bit at all. I thought I would more

Kim Rittberg (21:20):

When I got into this. So,

Daniella Rabbani (21:23):

But I don't actually really enjoy it. And I also don't want to be famous, but I do want to be able to make a nice living and do quality work. I really love the art of acting. I actually really love the art of hosting. Also, I've really fallen in love with my podcast and getting to know people. And when we were done with our episode and you're like, you're really good at this, I get that all the time. And that feels really good because something new and I feel really gratified by doing meaningful work. So I think, but just to the point of fame, I think when you're famous or well-known, you can make an impact in a bunch of different ways and you can sort of have the pick of the litter, which I sort of wish I had. But the fame piece,

Kim Rittberg (22:18):

I'm

Daniella Rabbani (22:18):

Not that interested in.

Kim Rittberg (22:21):

Fun fact, I did one voiceover paid in Australia. That's exciting for a children's talent agency.

Daniella Rabbani (22:29):

Was it union by any

Kim Rittberg (22:30):

Chance? It most certainly was not union. No,

(22:34)
I didn't have, I mean, that was my only paid voiceover work. But what I realized was I always got told that I had a great voice, I have a good voice, but then I learned how to do voiceovers, and I found it really exhausting because voiceover is acting and I'm not a person who loves to act. I love to be me, and I love to teach. And to your point earlier about it being all encompassing, over the past year, I've done a lot of speaking and I really practice so much for every speaking gig. I'm a workhorse. I will do it. And everyone loves it. And you see all the adoring faces and I'm like, this is so fun. I'm standing on stage in Las Vegas in a red dress teaching all these people how to be confident on camera. I've seen the

Daniella Rabbani (23:18):

Pictures

Kim Rittberg (23:19):

Being confident on camera, and it's such a rush. And I go back and I relax and it's a huge rush of emotions and exhaustion. It's so tiring. Yeah, it's tiring. And I call my brother who's a standup comedian, and I'm like, I want to go to sleep immediately. Is that normal? He's like, oh yeah, the crash after your

Daniella Rabbani (23:39):

Brother. My brother's

Kim Rittberg (23:40):

Just comedian. I can see that. He's like, oh yeah, the crash after performing. I'm like, yeah, it's so tiring. Even though I'm teaching, I'm standing on a stage, I'm engaging. I'm trying to be funny. I'm on a hundred percent on

Daniella Rabbani (23:52):

You're holding all of their attention. Yes,

Kim Rittberg (23:55):

Yes, it

Daniella Rabbani (23:56):

Is a lot. It's exhausting. And just the adrenaline, adrenaline.

Kim Rittberg (24:01):

So it was

Daniella Rabbani (24:01):

Very, the crash of that, actually, I was at a dinner with, I was just in DC and I did a beautiful concert celebrating black and Jewish unity, and it was stunning. And I was a sub, my uncle was there, and at the dinner afterwards, he was like, are you okay? Do you need anything? Are you crashing? And I actually turned him and I was like, I'm not crashing. My system is used to it. I sit here in this studio for eight hours at a time, and my executive producer is always like, you're a fucking

Kim Rittberg (24:43):

Workhorse.

Daniella Rabbani (24:44):

You can do

Kim Rittberg (24:45):

Shit

Daniella Rabbani (24:46):

I have never seen before, and there are things I really can't do. How we were talking on my show about how, oh God, just the business stuff and the spreadsheets and the, again, shout out to Marty

Kim Rittberg (25:03):

About the spreadsheets.

Daniella Rabbani (25:04):

Sorry about that.

Kim Rittberg (25:07):

There

Daniella Rabbani (25:07):

Are things I cannot do or I do with a lot of effort, and there are things that really flow very easily for me.

Kim Rittberg (25:16):

So speaking of that, I feel like there's all of us, and I believe deeply in lean into what you love and what you're passionate about,

(25:25)
But handle enough of the other stuff so that your business or your life is moving. So how do you handle the other stuff that you're like, oh, I'm allergic to that finances. Yeah. How do you do that and how did you kind of uplevel your business, really a working actor, and you do a lot of cool stuff. You have a lot of great opportunities obviously, even though you're like, oh, finance is like, you're on top of your business, you're on top of your career. So how do you do that or who do you bring on to help or what does that look like?

Daniella Rabbani (25:52):

I have to be honest that it is a real learning curve for me. Part of the reason why I also launched my podcast is because I knew that I had a lot to learn. So I continue to take courses. I signed up for this thing called Relaxed Money, but Kate Northrop, I do those types of things all the time because I need someone to hold me accountable or else I just won't get it done.

Kim Rittberg (26:23):

I'm the same.

Daniella Rabbani (26:25):

It's not something I'm good at. And I think also, I was sort of groomed in this period of time where I would walk into a voiceover booth and say, X Body spray and then make $10,000 and then I'd do it again the next day. And it was a real golden era. It was actually after the golden era of voiceovers. It was like the older generation would be like, oh, you don't even know what it was like.

Kim Rittberg (26:55):

We used to just

Daniella Rabbani (26:55):

Fart in there, make a hundred K, and I want

Kim Rittberg (26:59):

To fart and make a hundred K. That's a good

Daniella Rabbani (27:00):

Business. I mean, ditto. I mean, let's do it. But apparently those days are over. And even when I was farting and making 10 K, that was awesome for me, but it was very plentiful and it was very easy for me to make money in a way that post pandemic and post these new contracts for sag. It's not, and it has been a sort of real learning curve to become more of an entrepreneur and even just more of a blogger. People know way more about me than they do about Shakespeare that I would be normally just spouting off. Five years ago, I played a rabbi on CBS, and that was the most graphical recurring role that I had ever done on a TV show, and that wasn't me. And now everyone knows all about me.

Kim Rittberg (28:06):

Rabbi Ani. Yeah,

Daniella Rabbani (28:08):

Rabbi essentially, rabbi Banani for being

Kim Rittberg (28:10):

Honest. I am, honestly, I'm realizing from this conversation, I'm having really weird flashbacks of me auditioning in New York City. The person would say, Kim, for this voiceover audition, can you say bl? And I'd be like, drink bl. They'd be like, can I get a little more? And I'd be like, bl. And then I was like, I really can't hear the 7% difference you're looking for,

Daniella Rabbani (28:38):

But that's why the Shakespeare training was so huge for me, just all the way back to that story about Tom Oppenheim and Am Midsummer Night Stream. I had really serious Shakespeare training and I love language.

Kim Rittberg (28:54):

Daniella Rabbani (28:55):

When you give me Colgate Optic White and they have all this crazy scientific stuff, for me to use all those consonants and vowels, it's so yummy for me to learn a whole other language and then act in it is really fun, but everyone's born to do different things.

Kim Rittberg (29:17):

It was honestly great. I was like, cool, this is great. There are reasons why other people love doing this day in and day out. This is not what I want to do. I was like, great. Perfect. Okay. I have a really okay being that,

Daniella Rabbani (29:30):

Being that

Kim Rittberg (29:30):

You are a successful actor, I want to know you're so sweet. How do you handle rejection and what advice do you have for other people?

Daniella Rabbani (29:41):

So I always knew that if I booked one out of they say one out of a hundred auditions, I was going to be successful and make a living. And that really was true for a long time with voiceovers and even with the TV and stuff, maybe not a hundred, let's call it 50, but getting the audition is actually the hard part, and that's something that you may not realize but you speak to, which is sending out the emails, telling the casting directors and the producers, this is what I'm up to and my agents and letting people know I'm available and I'm interested in this and this is my background and here are some of the things. This is the award I got for my short film and all of that. That's actually the hard work is getting the audition.

(30:39)
The other part of the hard work is doing your best at the audition is really hard because you're not getting paid for it, and it does take quite a lot of time. And like you said, all of that adrenaline, you sort of crash afterwards. So for a long time it didn't bother me because I was working so much and I was building a career, and I knew that all of those rejections were just one step closer to the yes. Right? So it didn't matter. I would go out on 10 auditions a day for voiceovers if I got one. I made that a hundred thousand dollars at the time, and so I knew that I would be financially stable, that I was moving in the right direction as long as those auditions were coming in. The real work was making sure that I was still audition ready, so that the fact that I was still doing a good job at those auditions, that I was following up with a thank you that I was letting my agents know, first of all how grateful I was and being gracious and letting them know what my skills are, et cetera.

(31:48)
That was the hard part. The rejection is really just a part of it. It just really is. It didn't actually hit me until I had a lull in working because when you're working, when you're doing your craft, there's just not enough time to give a shit. You're just like, I got to get to the next thing. And you're sort of like I was saying before, firing on all cylinders, it's a really intricate art form. It takes all of you, so you actually can't really think that much about the rejection piece until you ain't working. That's when it hurts.

Kim Rittberg (32:28):

That's really interesting. I think that for people working in any industry, creative industry, corporate industry, people take rejection very personally. I do too. And when people land that job, when people don't land that sale, I think it can feel really personal. So you're saying for you, was there a point at which rejection felt personal and then you were like, no, this is part of the job and then you got tougher about it? Or were you always fine with going on 40 auditions, maybe you land two of them?

Daniella Rabbani (33:00):

I think I was delusional. I really do. I think I was just plowing through and doing my best. It really isn't, and I was working, so it didn't bother me. It didn't matter. I was paying my bills and I was working as an actor and I knew how hard that was. I knew that my parents didn't want me to do that because it's hard to be an actor, and I was doing it, so I had enough sort of pride in myself and enough ambition to keep me going. But really, I did take it personally when I sort of stopped working or I had a big lull in working after my daughter was born in the pandemic, but I had enough wherewithal to create my own work. I've always been a producer of sorts. I pitched my podcast, I was able to do some singing gigs. I always knew that I could make my own work, and that was also part of my training because you really just can't rely on someone else's opinion of you. I do feel like for the advice piece of this podcast, I do get hurt when my reels don't do well on Instagram. That really hurts my feelings. I worked really hard on that, and that feels because it's about me.

(34:25)
That was my thought process. That was my time, that was my footage that feels really autobiographical, so I totally understand that. That feels hard, but from an actor's perspective, I just think it's so miraculous that I am still at it, that I'm proud of myself. You

Kim Rittberg (34:47):

Should

Daniella Rabbani (34:47):

Be. Yeah. Okay.

Kim Rittberg (34:48):

You ready for rapid fire before we wrap up? Yeah. Okay. Weirdest jobs you've ever had.

Daniella Rabbani (34:55):

I used to be that girl at Whole Foods who was like, do you want to try this? It's an energy drink. And

Kim Rittberg (35:03):

I was that person saying, sure, thank you.

Daniella Rabbani (35:06):

It's free. Can I try that other

Kim Rittberg (35:08):

Flavor too? I'm sure I make Marty laugh.

Daniella Rabbani (35:10):

Yeah. And then I also was a hostess at a wine bar, but that wasn't a weird job, but I was a very bad waitress, very bad.

Kim Rittberg (35:21):

I was an online digital marketer for Hanson in a l chat rooms. Oh

Daniella Rabbani (35:25):

Wow. That's so

Kim Rittberg (35:25):

Cool. It was weird. It wasn't cool. It was weird.

Daniella Rabbani (35:28):

Oh, okay.

Kim Rittberg (35:30):

I was a Red Bull marketer in college. Oh,

Daniella Rabbani (35:33):

I know lots of people who do that still. Good job. Yeah, it's a great job. It

Kim Rittberg (35:36):

Was easy. Really easy. Really easy. Okay. What always gets a yes? Not just professionally, but in life? What always gets a yes from you and what always gets a no from you?

Daniella Rabbani (35:46):

My kids usually get a yes from me. I really love the shit out of them. And sometimes those yeses are like, I shouldn't have said yes. That was a no, but my instinct is to say yes to

Kim Rittberg (36:00):

Them. I say yes. My husband's like, that was a no. I'm like, too late. We're going to Dave and Buster's. I know. I know. We'll get a no.

Daniella Rabbani (36:09):

At this point, free work gets a no. Yeah. Yeah. I was listening to your podcast recently with your PR friend. Agent and it was a wonderful episode, and she was giving the advice around do free work or work that's less than your caliber or whatever. And I was like, I've done that, and Al I'm done now.

Kim Rittberg (36:33):

Yeah, definitely. I think there's, at every stage now, I will never do free work ever, and I barely do discounted work unless it's a charity I really believe in, but when they pay me less, I don't want to do as good of a job. I don't care as much and I'm too busy. Yeah,

Daniella Rabbani (36:48):

I didn't feel that way before, but I have been taken advantage

Kim Rittberg (36:51):

Of that. So

Daniella Rabbani (36:54):

At this point I'm like, it's no, I got in a weird situation with a band leader who thought I was going to sing for free because it was a meaningful event, but literally everything I sing is meaningful. Everything I do is meaningful. I could not feed my family if everything I did was meaningful and free

Kim Rittberg (37:20):

Too. A lot of places want you to speak for free, and I'm always like, you can find some money out of that food budget and pay me. Okay. What? I'm like,

Daniella Rabbani (37:28):

I love that so much.

Kim Rittberg (37:29):

I don't always get it, but I'm always like, I had someone who thought I was going to fly to Saudi Arabia to speak, and I said, what's your budget for speakers? And they were like, oh, we don't normally pay speakers. I'm like, yeah, no. He said, okay, but you can get me your

Daniella Rabbani (37:40):

Budget for exposure. And people do that with actors and singers all the time, and I'm just like, no.

Kim Rittberg (37:48):

I'm like, you think I'm going to leave my two children for four days to speak for free? No. Anyway, my last question. What is your best advice? I feel like you are a good example of you are building this career and this life full of passion. You're pursuing your passion, you're making it work. What is your advice for other people who want to pursue their passion and make it work?

Daniella Rabbani (38:09):

I don't think you need to make sense to anyone but yourself. You were saying, I do a bunch of different shit and it may not make sense to people that I have a podcast and I am an actor and I am a Jewish advocate. Sometimes I make sense to me. I wake up in the morning. I don't have to prove myself to anyone but myself. And if you want to be with your kids and not prove yourself at all, at all, at all, I just want to say that that's cool too. Did

Kim Rittberg (38:54):

You feel like you had to explain when you were stepping back from acting a little bit when you had your kids?

Daniella Rabbani (38:58):

I feel like I have to all the time, and I just find that to be such bullshit. Even while I'm doing it. I'm like, who are you? This is my life. I'm living it.

Kim Rittberg (39:12):

Have you had to turn down opportunities and say, I can't do that because I don't want to be away from my kids, or that doesn't align with my schedule?

Daniella Rabbani (39:19):

Only recently because after the pandemic, I felt so desperate to work because it really does feed me so much, my work and my art, and I just felt like I'd fly here and I'd fly there and I'd sing this, and I didn't care how much I was getting paid. I just wanted to make an impact. And then I got tired. And recently I just thought, okay, I did that. I tried that, and maybe I'll swing in the other direction again. But right now I want to do the pickup and the bath time, and I want to do the homework. I actually don't want to do the homework,

Kim Rittberg (39:56):

But I don't want to do the homework. I

Daniella Rabbani (39:57):

Don't want to want to do

Kim Rittberg (39:58):

The homework. I want to tell my kids to do the homework. How old are your kids?

Daniella Rabbani (40:01):

Oh, they're seven next month and four and a half.

Kim Rittberg (40:04):

Awesome. Okay, Daniela, this was so fun. Where can our listeners who now love you, where can they find you and connect with you?

Daniella Rabbani (40:11):

You can find me at Daniella banani on Instagram, daniella rabbani.com in case you're wondering more about me. And then my podcast is Mom Curious. Kim Rutberg was a beautiful guest on the show, and I suggest you check out that conversation. But yeah, hit me up. You can DM me and I would love to chat.

Kim Rittberg (40:34):

Thank you so much.

Daniella Rabbani (40:35):

Thank you so much.

Kim RittbergApril 17, 2024Comment