"I was always a performer, ever since I was a kid. According to my mom when I was around 5 or 6 years old I would go in a room and create all these different characters and act out scenes and make up a whole play all by myself," recalls Negar.
"Hence, the performing arts were always something I was passionate about, however the crazy and diverse life experiences I had during my childhood and adolescence gave me a later start than I had hoped for."
In all honesty, Shiva's start may have come later than she would have hoped considering the fact that she discovered her life's passion so early, but in reality, she rose to the top of the entertainment industry at a much younger age than most of today's hottest talents. For Shiva, all it took was her decision to put herself out there for her to gain international recognition as an actress, an accomplishment that comes few and far between.
Some of her films to date include Street Meet, Let’s Rap, Where Love Takes you, Lost Journey, White Lines, as well as others. Most notably however is Daniel Sarkissian's film Loraine, in which Shiva played the starring role of Alyssa and gave a standout performance that garnered her the Distinctive Achievement Award, as well as a nomination for Best Actress at the 2013 Wild Rose Independent Film Festival.
Produced by DS Productions (Skate, Revolutionary Love, Pen & Pixel), Loraine was an unquestionable hit on the international film festival circuit taking home two other awards at the Wild Rose Independent Festival in addition to the award Shiva won for her performance, as well as an award for Best Narrative at the Los Angeles Film and Script Festival and the Festival Choice Award at the Trinity International Film Festival.
Diving into the painful and relevant subject of bullying, Loraine is a hard-hitting film that revolves around an 8-year-old boy named Jake, played by Raphael Chahinian.
When Jake, a kid who loves metal music, is bullied at school and made to feel as though he is somehow not as "cool" as the other kids, his hip older cousin Alyssa, played by Shiva Negar, is the only person he can turn to as a confidant and the motivator he needs to restore his confidence and self-worth.
About the role of Alyssa, Shiva recalls, "This was definitely a change for me from playing mostly mysterious, supernatural and evil roles to playing a girl next door with good intentions, which I have to say was fairly easier to do."
Aside from being fantastic at what she does, having spent her life dedicating herself to her craft and developing the ability to embody each new role she takes on with complete authenticity and believability, the reason it was so easy for Shiva to tap into her character in this case probably has something to do with the fact that she is sweet by nature. As a person in general it is a much further stretch to imagine her as the evil mystic like the recurring role she played as the Gypsy in the TV series 24 Hour Rental; but that is why it is called "acting," and she has proven that she is among the best in the industry.
Shiva admits, "I love having a great range and I always like to push myself with playing unique and challenging characters."
In George Mihalka's (My Bloody Valentine) television series 24 Hour Rental, which was distributed by Reel One Entertainment Worldwide and debuted last year airing nationally across Canada on Super Channel, a fallen Mafioso named Tracker, played by Romano Orzari, operates a seedy video rental store.
In an attempt to get back in with the mafia during the first season Tracker shoots and kills the Gypsy's lover; but he has no idea the can of worms he's opened with his action. An evil mystic with developed powers, Shiva's character proceeds to make Tracker's life a living hell for the remainder of the season.
"My character was a Gypsy who traveled from Eastern Europe to America for the so called “Freedom. In one of the episodes she opens up with this long monologue about how ironic the meaning of “Freedom” is in the Western culture," Shiva recalls.
"This role was actually a bit heartfelt for me because there were definitely parts I could relate to when it comes to migrating from another country to the West for a better life and for freedom so to speak. It’s basically what me and my family went through when I was a kid."
Shiva Negar was born in Iran and migrated at a very young age to Istanbul, Turkey where she lived for several years until moving to Canada at the age of 12. The young actress's amalgamation of cultural perspectives have given her a collection of experiences that have all lent themselves to her craft, and have provided her with unparalleled diversity.
Shiva recently finished shooting the feature film Let’s Rap. Currently in postproduction, the film is a comedy about a brother and sister with a penchant for pop culture that set out to produce their own talk show. In Let's Rap, Shiva stars alongside Rachel Wilson who is known for her role in Austin Powers, and Brendan Gall who is known for his role in the award-winning film The Captive.