Yerevan

Simply judging by her demeanor in front of the flashing lights, one may think this starlet may soon turn into a diva. However, Angela Sarafyan remains unaffected by her glamorous lifestyle in front of the cameras. She even asks her very supportive mother to be on set with her during photo shoots. “She is still the same,” says Zaruhi Sarafyan. “We’re working on nothing changing her. She is a simple, regular girl.”

Angela’s mom remembers Angelik – as she calls her – as a young girl performing on any stage she could get on. “She focuses only on her work and doesn’t let anything distract her.” The proud mom has taught her daughter to never take good or bad criticism to heart, because not everything written or said is always the truth. Momma Sarafyan also says that her daughter is most hard on herself because she wants to be perfect at her craft.

Angela’s interestingly gorgeous face can be seen all over the small screen on various television shows like CSI, Law and Order and 24, but she is probably most recognized from national commercials. Angela stands out even in a 30 second advertisement, showing that she is striving to get further in her career. This screen sweetheart will soon turn into a vampire vixen on the big screen for the Twilight franchise, in Breaking Dawn: Part One and Two as Tia, a member of the Egyptian coven. The movie was shot over five months, so Angela had the time to make friends, including the members of the beloved main cast.

“I really liked the main cast,” says Angela. “Kristen (Stewart), Rob (Pattinson) and Taylor (Lautner) were really nice people. We got along great, so it made the experience so much better.” As for playing a vampire, that was one of Angela’s favorite parts of the entire experience.

“It was really cool. I had these insane contacts. I love adventure movies, so to play something outside of being human was kind of crazy. That’s why I wanted to be an actor,” explains Angela. Her portrayal of Tia was a result of hours of research. She learned about the character not only by reading the books, but also by reading facts about the character posted by fans on the internet. Angela loves the Twilight fanatics, known as “Twi-hards,” because they truly give their all to the film and the characters. “I didn’t have that much time to get ready for it. I tried to get as much information from the internet as possible,” says Angela. “You know what’s awesome about these fans? They’re great at learning everything about these characters. So they helped me learn about Tia. I was pulling everything that I could.”

Playing a glamorous vampire isn’t Angela’s only strength. Although she studied piano and ballet for numerous years, Angela pursued acting because it allowed her to become different characters and play different roles. “I started on stage. I was playing the piano and I danced ballet and acted also, since I was six. There was a point where I had to make a decision. There’s such an incredible gift to be able to play music or to dance, but it was never enough,” says Angela. “Acting has that freedom. You might play a pianist. You might include dance. You get to learn about people, which is the best part. I decided around 18 years old that I wanted to pursue acting.” Sarafyan recently went back to her motherland with Lost and Found in Armenia, a new independent film starring actor and comedian Jamie Kennedy alongside Angela. It’s the story of an American tourist (Kennedy) vacationing in Turkey who unknowingly ends up in a small village in Armenia and meets a beautiful Armenian girl (Sarafyan) who helps him see the joys of being lost. It was filmed this past year in Angela’s homeland of Armenia. She hadn’t been back there since she moved to the United States with her family at the very young age of four. Angela’s experience in Yerevan was one she will never forget. “I have so many memories from Armenia, so many. It’s kind of amazing to go back now and see everything that you dream about as a little girl,” she says.

“Oh, these flowers are in my mind and oh gosh, this place – like my house there. So to get to go back now and see it, it’s incredible. You know when you dream about things and you don’t know if they’re real? It just kind of answers a lot of those questions.”