She has starred in dozens of high-profile film projects, yet off set, she avoids falsehood and artificial glamour. On screen, her repertoire features striking, provocative, and character-driven heroines, while in life, her greatest pillars are family, connection with nature, and inner balance.
In an exclusive interview with Business Woman International Magazine, Ukrainian actress Kateryna Guliakova spoke candidly about resilience during wartime, filmmaking culture, professional burnout, the phenomenon of recognition, and the trajectory of domestic cinema.
– Kateryna, you work in a profession that constantly demands experiencing different characters and emotions. What defines you the most today—as a woman and as an individual?
— Today, the primary quality for each of us is resilience, and the key task is to endure and preserve ourselves. For me, as a woman and a mother, the absolute priority is my children and my family. My younger child requires special protection, care, and a stable emotional reserve from me. We have come to feel the fragility of time acutely: no one knows how much time we are given, which is why you want to spend every spare minute with your parents, your loved ones, and give them warmth.
Being healthy and grounded for your child is a great responsibility. I will speak openly: I held on through four years of the full-scale invasion, but now it can be extraordinarily difficult psycho-emotionally. Yet a woman’s mission is to master herself and build a space of calm around her, despite internal storms and fears. To be an unconditional pillar of support for those you love.
Another trait is the ability to shift focus toward light and positivity. Nature literally heals me. Right now, I mostly live outside the city, near Kyiv. Silence reigns here. My Instagram has turned into a chronicle of natural beauty: water, forest, sky, stars. I consciously refuse to amplify pain, which is already abundant, or showcase artificial gloss. Instead, I share what is accessible to everyone: the opportunity to go into the forest, breathe, freeze the moment, and restore your inner reserves.
– The acting profession is often tied to uncertainty: waiting for roles, castings, rejections. How did you learn not to take professional setbacks personally and to keep moving forward?
— You can never fully get used to it, but you can change your perspective. I have a well-honed rule: get the script, record a self-tape or attend the audition, live that moment at one hundred percent—and leave that very day, letting go of the situation completely. An audition is already a mini-premiere, your creative act. You experienced the euphoria, did the job—forget it and move on.
The main thing is to realize: rejection does not mean you are untalented or that something is wrong with you. Cinema is a complex ensemble where absolutely everything must align: the director’s vision, producer objectives, and the types of co-stars. A wonderful actor simply might not fit together with other performers in the frame. Once you understand that, things become much calmer.
Of course, fallow periods with almost no filming take a mental toll. In our profession, the feast-or-famine cycle happens regularly. Even top actors can face six-month or year-long pauses. Thoughts used to cross my mind: “Perhaps this is the end; I need to look for something else.” But experience proves that as soon as you internally accept the pause, release the fear, and keep moving, new doors suddenly open. Everything happens when it is meant to happen.
– Which role became truly pivotal for you—not only in your career, but in your self-understanding?
— There were several turning points. The first serious challenge arrived during my graduating year at university. After a few tiny episodes, I joined the Italian project Evilenko, starring Hollywood actor Malcolm McDowell. It was an international film based on the prototype of Chikatilo, which was later presented at Cannes. Back then, domestic casting directors were afraid to cast a young graduate in meaningful roles due to a lack of experience, whereas foreign producers saw potential and placed their trust in me. Working with McDowell gave me immense confidence: I can do this; world-class professionals see me.
Immediately after that, I was cast in a leading role in the 160-episode drama Serdiu ne nakazhesh (The Heart Cannot Be Commanded), where my screen father was played by Anatoliy Khostikoiev. That series reached audiences across multiple countries and brought enormous recognition. Years later, watching individual episodes, I marveled at that raw courage: there were no clichés, just pure natural intuition and youthful ambition.
I am often invited to play fatal women, distinct home-wreckers, vamps. I adore these characters for their temperament, boldness, and energy. In life, I am completely different. People sometimes remark, “You’re an actress, so you must be pretending.” In reality, it is the exact opposite: on set, I can officially put on any mask and explore the darker or complex sides of human nature, which allows me to remain utterly sincere in real life.
A separate phenomenon is the sitcom Vitalka. At first, I didn’t fully understand the project; back then, that format felt far removed from classic cinema. But in 2014, against the backdrop of the Revolution of Dignity and the start of the war, when the entire industry stalled and nothing was being filmed, that offer came along. I met with Garik Bircha, who turned out to be a fan of Serdiu ne nakazhesh; we spoke sincerely, discussed matters important to me, and began working. I could never have imagined how massive a role that sitcom would play in my life. Many years have passed, yet adults and children alike still recognize me specifically by that character. Sometimes it can even feel slightly bittersweet, given that I have around 80 serious film credits behind me! Nevertheless, I genuinely cherish the experience: Garik built a project that captured the hearts of a vast audience, giving me a wonderful team and lifelong friends.
– How important is it for an actress today to have her own voice and personal brand off screen? Do you feel the need to shape how audiences perceive you yourself?
— Today, the industry operates under the tyranny of metrics: at times, actors are cast not for talent or skill, but for their follower counts on Instagram or TikTok. From the perspective of producers investing scarce resources during wartime, this is a logical way to minimize risks and secure viewers. However, being a popular blogger and being a professional actor are fundamentally different crafts.
I belong to a generation of actors who earned recognition through their screen performances rather than social media. My brand consists of my roles and my reputation. I cannot and will not force myself to broadcast my daily routine 24/7. When someone lives solely for a smartphone camera, I wonder: do they have any real, fulfilled life left?
For me, using social media must come from the heart, not marketing pressure. Right now, I prefer to project calm and natural beauty, occasionally discussing my acting classes or women’s circles. Attracting “my kind of people” through shared depth and values matters to me far more than chasing fleeting hype.
– The Ukrainian film industry is undergoing a challenging yet pivotal period. What shifts do you observe in the profession today, and what prospects do you consider most essential for Ukrainian actors?
— The primary challenges today are limited funding and security risks. Filming under the threat of missile strikes is exceptionally hard, and logistics have become much more expensive, so producers often rely on the same proven media faces to guarantee viewership. Yet our audience craves variety: fresh types, new scripts, profound stories.
At the same time, a strategic window of opportunity has opened: integration into the global market. We have ended all collaboration with the aggressor and turned toward the West through European co-productions and joint projects with international platforms like Netflix. Here, English proficiency steps to the forefront, expanding horizons for every actor.
Look at the theatrical boom in Ukraine: halls are packed, and audiences crave live art. I sincerely hope our film and series production reaches the same flourishing state. The creative potential of our directors, screenwriters, and actors is fantastic—they are resourceful, gifted, and bold. All we need are favorable conditions, financial backing, and safety to stun the world.
– A successful career frequently demands discipline, continuous growth, and the ability to say “no.” What professional rules have you developed over your career?
— My primary rule is demanding the utmost of myself, which naturally extends to those around me. Filming lasts 12 hours a day. After a shift, you not only have to recover, but memorize new scenes, maintain your physique, and look impeccable. It requires military discipline where your entire life is devoted to the project.
Mastering the lines and the script is non-negotiable—it is the baseline. You must construct your character’s arc, their internal conflicts, and the invisible threads connecting them even to figures they barely interact with. Without that, the audience spots the falsehood instantly.
Film production is a massive, coordinated anthill. It is demanding for everyone: gaffers, sound engineers, cinematographers, production managers. Because of that, I always honor the teamwork on set. The only thing that can genuinely throw me off balance is unprofessionalism. When someone ends up on a production by accident and fails to grasp their duties, the entire mechanism breaks down. At work, I am always intensely focused and composed, and I expect the same dedication from my colleagues.
– Imagining yourself five years from now—how do you see yourself, your career, and the projects you will be part of?
— Above all, I dream of peace and life in a free, strong Ukraine, where the horrors of war are left behind forever and we can create in peace.
I hope that five years from now, our film industry will secure robust funding, generating plenty of high-quality content, alongside bold directors and compelling dramatic material. Most importantly, I hope scripts will feature fully realized, layered lead roles for mature actors of varying ages, rather than solely young demographics.
Professionally, I see myself as an in-demand actress based in Ukraine while actively integrated into international—particularly English-speaking—projects. I want to attain that level of artistic freedom where you choose not between compromise and work, but among the finest, most profound scripts. I dream of blending large-scale cinema with independent theater tours, leading transformational retreats, and passing on experience and craft to the younger generation.
Beyond anything else, I simply want to be a happy, balanced woman. I have something to say to this world, my creative potential is vast, and I am ready to uncover new facets of my acting craft.
Photo: from the author’s archive