The ‘Freaking Beautiful’ Way This ‘Nancy Drew’ Star Learned to Live in the Moment

The following Career Dispatches essay was written by Aadila Dosani, who stars as Amanda Bobbsey on The CW hit “Nancy Drew.” 

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It took me a decade to really realize what that meant. 

The moment I stepped foot onstage as a little kiddo, I knew this was all I wanted to do. I had no idea what “fame” was, that people even got paid to “act.” I just wanted to make everyone around me laugh and push the boundaries of how far I could take my sass without getting grounded!

Then, as a tween, that fire grew. I religiously watched MTV interviews with actors and actresses whose lives changed overnight, in the blink of an eye. They talked about how they were discovered at a talent show and the next thing they knew they were being asked to star in films and TV shows. I held onto those stories like they were scripture from the acting gods. 

Once I graduated high school, I left my hometown of Calgary, Alberta and found my way to Toronto, Ontario, where I was accepted into Theatre School (University of Toronto). Again, my naivety took over and I thought, This is where I will get my big break. Guess what happened: NOT THAT!  Needless to say, I had an incredible adventure, but I was no star—quite the opposite, actually. We all went through that, didn’t we?

Years went by, decades actually. From chorus lines, to silent on-camera walk-ons, to shows, to rejection after rejection, to not even being able to get a general audition, to having multiple jobs, to finally relocating to Vancouver, I finally understood what it meant when teachers and mentors would say, “Aadila, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” 

I had focused all of my years on fulfilling this dream of becoming an “Oscar-Winning Actress,” and it wasn’t until my relationship at that time ended that I was forced to take a step back and ask myself what the F I was doing. I was fortunate I was able to make a living doing commercial work and for that I will be forever grateful. However, I realized that I was gunning for this rose colored dream (the dream of becoming an “accomplished actress”) for so long that I lost who I was along the way. I forgot about the importance of relationships outside of this industry. I forgot about having fun. I forgot that I am not saving a life; that I needed to be fulfilled as a human before any doors would open for me. 

I realized I had to LEARN how to practice gratitude and the importance of self-care: I had to find myself. And I had to accept that this was all part of the process. I had to really learn not to compare my journey to others (something I still have a hard time doing). It was only then that doors started to open. 

It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy at all. Some days were better than others. Some days were dark as hell. But was it worth the work? You flipping bet it was. I’m working. Like everyone else, I have a slew of insecurities I am projecting onto myself. I only now (in 2021) can watch my work and be proud (well, sometimes! Ha!). I learned that I am much more than an actor, I am a woman who loves so many other things and only when I realized that this industry does not define me, did I start to really hone in on my power as a storyteller. I’m still not where I want to be, but for the first time in my life I am living in the moment. And it’s a freaking beautiful thing.