What is your name?
Karoliina Manela Rajapaksa-Yapa Tuovinen
What is your classification or job?
Picture Editor
What was your first union job?
I was an Assistant Editor on the 5th season of the sitcom, Cougar Town. It opened the door to a lot of opportunities and working in comedy is really fun.
List the credits you’re most proud of.
I’m really grateful that I have had the chance to work in different genres and formats with stellar collaborators: Unaccustomed Earth, Forever, Station Eleven, Grace and Frankie, Manhunt, Schooled, Little Stones, I Am Comic, Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.
What is your guilty pleasure – TV shows or movies?
Anything that makes me laugh. Sketch comedy. Absurd stories or characters. Something silly and smart if the stars align.
What is your personal or professional mantra?
I don’t think I have a mantra per se, but a few concepts that I think about are:
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.
Compartmentalize.
Know where your line is drawn.
What was your favorite childhood food dish?
Bittera Appa. A crispy, bowl-shaped fermented rice flour and coconut milk pancake with a soft egg cooked in the center. And, Karjalanpiirakka. A rye-crusted, rice porridge-filled savory pie topped with egg butter. Chef’s kiss to both!
How has your cultural identity shaped your career choices?
My multicultural background (Sri Lankan and Finnish) has allowed me to avoid being labeled or put in a box. It has helped me to see the world and people as unique individuals with common aspirations and goals. I tend to gravitate towards characters and stories that expand the scope of the dominant cultural lens.
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