Aruna Shields
I
t’s mid-
m o r n i n g
and outside,
the rain is
doing a good job of
watering the plants
as well as catching
people without
umbrellas. The
good news: I’m
inside the warm
facilities of a beau-
tiful and stylish
home in north
London, having
missed the start of
the downpour. As I
quickly read over
my questions, the
smell of freshly
brewed tea wanders
into the room and
we soon get down to
starting the inter-
view.
Seated across
from me, dressed
casually in a vest
top and Armani
jeans is the beauti-
ful and critically acclaimed actress, Aruna Shields,
who’s been labeled as ‘the new Angelina Jolie’ by the
BBC and India’s Bond Girl by The Times. She’s
warm, polite, and very down to earth; the sort of per-
son you’d love to be your closest friend.
This femme fatale is very impressive – as well as
having numerous lead roles in big budget internation-
al features under her belt, Aruna does all her own
stunts and is Google Zeitgiest’s fastest rising star. So
what is it about Aruna that is so intriguing and how
has her journey to the top been? Let’s find out…
Hi Aruna, it’s a pleasure to meet you and
thank you so much for taking time out of
your busy schedule to speak to Bite
Magazine. Tell us, what inspires you?
Passion! People who are passionate and have the guts
to fight for their dreams. Sometimes it’s easier to fol-
low the crowd and get influenced by what other people
want you to do but you are the only person who knows
what makes you happy, and if you love something
enough you will succeed. If you look at the most suc-
cessful people they are all doing what they love - it’s
too competitive to be in a market you’re not living and
breathing. Do what makes you happy!
What personality has inspired you
lately?
The personality that inspires me at the moment is
Cesar Millan of the ‘The Dog Whisperer’ series. I
know it may sound strange but when you watch him,
you can see he’s obsessed with dogs, and through his
obsession, he’s created a great series of programmes.
He’s so calm, focused and helps so many owners. I
like the fact that he thinks it’s the owner’s problem,
not the dogs. Yes, you have nobody to blame but your-
self.
What obstacles have you had to overcome
on your way to the top?
There are always walls in your way; you just have to
find a way to sneak around them, or bash them down,
whatever it takes. I had people telling me I was crazy
to follow an acting career and that I was living in
‘cloud cuckoo land’. I could see where they were com-
ing from, that it’s ridiculously competitive but it just
means you have to try harder and be more prepared. I
was in all my school plays, studied at Guildhall
School of Music and Drama, did a theatre tour for
over a year in order to get my equity card, went to act-
ing workshops…then finally one day while I was at
one of these workshops, an agent signed me. I also
modelled to pay the bills and got great photos - that
was fun and it taught me a lot.
What have been your best moments?
My happiest moments have been feeling pride in my
work, when you touch people and they say they were
moved by your work. When slog pays off, it can be
quite emotional. I love team work when I’m working
on a film somewhere remote and we all feel like a
family, like we’re on a ship out at sea together. It’s a
great bonding experience and you get to know people.
It’s like Big Brother.
Surviving a stunt is always a great moment too. I’ve
done bike bungee jumps and only come away with
slight whiplash. I reckon I’ll calm down but you have
to try everything once.
What were your worst moments?
When the film is finished; the wrap party is amazing
but there is sense of sadness, like it’s over and the bub-
ble has burst. You can’t re-create the experiences
you’ve just had and everyone is going to fly off some-
where else and move on.
Who or what has helped you on your way?
Well, I guess my self-belief has helped. I’ve always knew
I had it in me. It’s great when others see potential in you
too, though that can be defining. The ‘Photo Master’ I
admire greatly is Tony Wellington; he spotted me on the
tube, and we started shooting for magazines. He was
like a mentor to me for years and demanded that I pur-
sue my acting. He is obsessed with his work and will do