April 17, 2025

Breaking Barriers: Amber Afzali's Journey to "Rule Breakers"

Breaking Barriers: Amber Afzali's Journey to "Rule Breakers"

Send us a text

What happens when cultural identity, activism, and groundbreaking storytelling converge? Amber Afzali brings this powerful intersection to life as she joins us to discuss her starring role in "Rule Breakers," the inspiring Angel Studios film that chronicles Afghanistan's first all-girls robotics team.

Born to Afghan immigrant parents and raised in America, Amber shares her unique journey of balancing dual identities while developing a deep passion for her cultural heritage. This passion eventually led her to study international relations with a focus on Afghanistan at the University of Pennsylvania, laying the groundwork for both her activism and, unexpectedly, her acting career. When the opportunity to audition for "Rule Breakers" emerged, it represented the perfect union of her academic interests and creative aspirations—a chance to tell an Afghan story that defies stereotypes.

The film itself marks a significant departure from typical portrayals of Afghanistan in Western media. Rather than centering on conflict and war, "Rule Breakers" celebrates the determination, brilliance, and resilience of young Afghan women breaking barriers in STEM fields. Amber portrays Esen, a shy hardware engineer whose character arc mirrors the actress's own childhood journey of finding her voice. Working alongside established actors like Phoebe Waller-Bridge and forming genuine bonds with her castmates created what Amber describes as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a debut feature film role.

Through our conversation, Amber reveals how the on-screen chemistry among the actresses playing the robotics team naturally evolved from their shared backgrounds and mutual support—mirroring the very dynamics portrayed in the film. This authentic connection has resonated deeply with audiences worldwide as "Rule Breakers" continues to inspire viewers through its theatrical run and on the Angel Guild streaming platform.

Ready to be moved by a story of breaking barriers against all odds? Follow Amber's journey on Instagram @AmberAfzali, check out "Rule Breakers" on Angel Guild, and join us in celebrating the powerful intersection of art, activism, and authentic representation.

Want to be a guest on Living the Dream with Curveball? Send Curtis Jackson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1628631536976x919760049303001600

00:00 - Introduction to Amber Afzali

02:14 - Amber's Afghan American Journey

04:41 - Activism and Community Work

06:49 - The "Rule Breakers" Film Story

10:13 - Working with the Cast

14:15 - Where to Watch and Future Plans

WEBVTT

00:00:00.420 --> 00:00:08.390
Welcome to the Living the Dream Podcast with Curveball, if you believe you can achieve.

00:00:08.390 --> 00:00:24.493
Welcome to the Living the Dream with Curveball Podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate and inspire.

00:00:24.493 --> 00:00:29.263
I interview guests that teach, motivate and inspire.

00:00:29.263 --> 00:00:31.047
Today, I am joined by actress and activist Amber Afzali.

00:00:31.047 --> 00:00:41.246
Amber is going to be playing one of the lead roles in the Angel Studio indie film that's highly anticipated, called Rule Breakers.

00:00:41.246 --> 00:00:52.110
This film is based on Afghanistan's first all-girls robotic team, and Amber is going to be playing one of the team members.

00:00:52.110 --> 00:00:56.945
She is also a passionate activist and she is really passionate about this film.

00:00:56.945 --> 00:01:03.128
So we're going to be talking to her about the film and everything that she's up to as far as activism.

00:01:03.128 --> 00:01:05.393
So, amber, thank you so much for joining me today.

00:01:06.219 --> 00:01:07.323
Thank you so much for having me.

00:01:07.323 --> 00:01:08.287
It's a pleasure to be here.

00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:12.668
Well, why don't you start off by telling the listeners a little bit about yourself?

00:01:14.010 --> 00:01:15.281
Yeah, absolutely so.

00:01:15.281 --> 00:01:16.927
My name is Amber Afzali.

00:01:16.927 --> 00:01:20.149
I am starring in the film Rule Breakers.

00:01:20.149 --> 00:01:21.010
I play Esen.

00:01:21.010 --> 00:01:24.748
I was born in Vegas but now I live in California.

00:01:24.748 --> 00:01:30.548
I moved when I was fairly young I wasn't acting earlier to kind of break me out of my shell.

00:01:30.548 --> 00:01:35.887
My parents put me in but I didn't pursue it as a career or get back into it.

00:01:35.887 --> 00:01:54.902
Really until recently I went to University of Pennsylvania, studied political science and psychology and right, I'm just always excited to find new projects that really connect with me on an emotional level, on a cultural level or just something that I think is very entertaining.

00:01:54.902 --> 00:02:02.805
So I'm very excited to be here and I'm very excited to talk a little bit more about the film and about my experience.

00:02:04.368 --> 00:02:13.903
Well, before we get into that kind of tell the listeners about you know your parents and your journey that you know you guys went through so you can get to where you are now.

00:02:14.885 --> 00:02:15.888
Absolutely so.

00:02:15.888 --> 00:02:16.949
My parents.

00:02:16.949 --> 00:02:18.993
They're both Afghan immigrants.

00:02:18.993 --> 00:02:22.806
They came from Afghanistan at a fairly young age.

00:02:22.806 --> 00:02:25.693
Out of Afghanistan to my mom, went to Germany.

00:02:25.693 --> 00:02:53.704
My dad had a couple stops before making his way to California and I think when they had us, something that they really wanted to make sure that we had was an appreciation for our culture and understanding of the language and just being able to balance the Afghan identity with being an American as well, and that kind of brought me, you know, with all of the things that were happening with Afghanistan as I was growing up.

00:02:53.704 --> 00:03:06.081
It kind of led me to a path of being really interested in the Afghan community and Afghanistan itself and all of the turmoil in the region, but all of the incredible things that also come out of that region.

00:03:06.081 --> 00:03:11.542
And so it led me to a place where I was very passionate about learning more about my culture.

00:03:11.542 --> 00:03:21.932
And so I decided to study political science with a concentration in international relations in order to focus on Afghanistan and on the South Asian Middle Eastern region.

00:03:22.981 --> 00:03:30.209
And I was studying that in university and my parents have always been supportive of anything that I've set my mind to.

00:03:30.209 --> 00:03:45.597
They've always been very proud that I'm just being myself and stepping into my true nature, and so when the opportunity arose for me to continue or to start acting again, they were absolutely supportive.

00:03:45.597 --> 00:03:55.669
They didn't know in what capacity I would be doing this, if I would be leaving behind my educational background or if I would be juggling both, and definitely was the latter.

00:03:55.669 --> 00:04:11.590
I decided to juggle both and they were very proud when I my first project was a project that related so strongly to my passion for Afghanistan, for the culture, for the people and for just highlighting what Afghan girls can do.

00:04:11.590 --> 00:04:27.303
So that was a very exciting project, I think, for all of us, in that I could connect all of my interests into one beautiful piece of art, and they've been very supportive of my acting career from the get-go, but especially since that project.

00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:32.036
Well, you also are an activist.

00:04:32.036 --> 00:04:39.279
You know you're a very passionate activist, so tell the listeners you know about your activism and why you're so passionate about it.

00:04:41.225 --> 00:04:42.267
I think I'm.

00:04:42.267 --> 00:05:00.709
You know, I never considered myself to be an activist when I was growing up and when I was speaking up on Afghanistan or when I was sharing my experiences being an Afghan American girl or when I was just trying to learn more about Afghanistan and a byproduct of that was my classmates ended up learning more because I would ask those sorts of questions.

00:05:00.709 --> 00:05:20.995
So at the time I honestly thought it was just something of my curiosity that kind of led me to this place, and I think the more that I've learned about sort of the stereotypes of that region, the injustices from that region, so many different things, I just became more and more passionate and it fueled my activism.

00:05:20.995 --> 00:05:31.543
It fueled how much I wanted to talk about the situation, how much I wanted to do for my community, and so since then I've worked with refugee communities that are predominantly Afghan.

00:05:31.543 --> 00:05:37.343
I've been a part of the Afghan American community organization in the ways that I could be.

00:05:37.985 --> 00:06:05.817
I have studied Afghanistan in my classes so that I could raise awareness about it and I've written several papers on the refugee experience and those things, I think, help me get a better from the academic side, help me get a better understanding of what theories there are, what opportunities there are and where the gaps are for my community, and so my goal now is to just be able to speak up on where those gaps are and hopefully be able to fill them in whatever way that I community.

00:06:05.771 --> 00:06:08.891
And so my goal now is to just be able to speak up on where those gaps are and hopefully be able to fill them in whatever way that I can.

00:06:08.891 --> 00:06:19.954
And the best way, I think, for youth who might have limited resources or limited funds, to be able to be an activist for the community is just to raise awareness and speak up and be a part of their community.

00:06:19.954 --> 00:06:42.199
And so that's really what I've been trying to do these days and I am very grateful that I've been able to do that now with this project specifically and that's been very exciting that Rule Breakers has been kind of amplifying the Afghan American experience, you know, with the actors, as well as the Afghan experience with the incredible story of the Afghan dreamers.

00:06:44.442 --> 00:06:49.067
Okay, Well, let's jump into talking about the film Rule Breakers.

00:06:49.588 --> 00:07:14.872
Kind of tell us about the film, how you got the role and how this film came about team and it is a story of resilience, it is a story of hope and it's a story of showcasing women just, you know, breaking rules, breaking barriers and defying expectations.

00:07:14.872 --> 00:07:22.954
And the character that I play as Esen, she is one of the hardware engineers you know on her team.

00:07:22.954 --> 00:07:48.089
She is very shy and her story arc is of her finding her voice by relying on the women that are around her, by relying on the beautiful support system that she's found and built within the Afghan Dreamers team, so she's able to find her voice and it's a beautiful journey that highlights how important it is for young girls to find their voice, especially when they're from regions that may not encourage them to use their voice.

00:07:48.089 --> 00:07:51.634
And I loved playing Essen.

00:07:51.634 --> 00:07:56.403
How I got the role of Essen was through an audition that my manager had sent over.

00:07:56.403 --> 00:08:04.307
I actually auditioned for Tara and Essen and ended up getting callbacks for Essen, which I was very excited for.

00:08:04.307 --> 00:08:12.596
And it was just a process of, you know, trying to relate to the character, trying to connect on that cultural level and also trying to connect.

00:08:12.696 --> 00:08:50.302
From my personal experience as being shy, like I said, my parents threw me in acting classes when I was young to break me out of my shell, and so this was something that I kind of drew that experience from of how young girls kind of are able to break out of their shells, and so I drew on my experience to play SN, ultimately did a callback while I was on my spring break trip in Puerto Vallarta and finally we had some chemistry reads and after that, in April, my manager at the time called me and said that how would I like to go traveling around the world to film this movie?

00:08:50.302 --> 00:08:54.716
And I think I screamed and I was like you're lying, there's no way.

00:08:54.716 --> 00:08:59.347
This was my first audition, actually, so I just didn't expect it to happen that quickly.

00:08:59.347 --> 00:09:02.745
And when it happened, I was over the moon.

00:09:02.745 --> 00:09:21.817
And I was especially over the moon because I was so grateful that there was a project on Afghanistan that wasn't centered on war, that wasn't centered on the terrible things that have happened there, or that wasn't centered on, you know, military and men from other regions coming into the country and that dynamic.

00:09:22.282 --> 00:09:23.225
It was about the women.

00:09:23.225 --> 00:09:24.903
It was giving women a voice.

00:09:24.903 --> 00:09:44.628
It was giving women, you know, not only did it give them screen time, but it gave them screen time in such a beautiful and authentic way that highlighted the Afghan experience as an Afghan dreamer that highlighted how beautiful the culture can be as well, and it was in a very biased, bleak view of Afghanistan.

00:09:44.628 --> 00:09:54.923
So I was very grateful and I ran to my dorm apartment at the time and called my parents on a FaceTime call so I could record their reactions when I told them and they were so thrilled.

00:09:54.923 --> 00:09:55.768
They were thrilled.

00:09:59.260 --> 00:10:04.251
Well, tell us about some of the great actors that you played alongside in the film.

00:10:04.251 --> 00:10:08.291
You know kind of let the listeners know about that and what that was like.

00:10:08.291 --> 00:10:11.629
You know being able to work with those actors and actresses.

00:10:13.260 --> 00:10:15.005
Absolutely so.

00:10:15.005 --> 00:10:20.744
I worked first off the team of girls that I worked alongside, so myself being one of the girls.

00:10:20.744 --> 00:10:24.552
Then we have Nina Hosseinzadeh, sarah Malalro and Maryam Saraj.

00:10:24.552 --> 00:10:40.049
They're all such beautiful women beautiful, beautiful, incredibly talented women who are so supportive, and they are the definition of, you know, finding a community of women from similar, shared backgrounds that just support and uplift you.

00:10:40.049 --> 00:10:46.095
And a lot of people are talking about the chemistry through on screen and whether that was real or not.

00:10:46.095 --> 00:10:47.559
That was 100% real.

00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:50.248
We were all very close and we all got along very well.

00:10:50.248 --> 00:10:56.465
And, yeah, I always say that I was spoiled for my first time on set because, honestly, I loved working with them.

00:10:56.465 --> 00:11:04.591
I absolutely loved working with them and to this day, I'm still in contact with some of them and I'm very grateful to have gotten the chance to work alongside them.

00:11:04.591 --> 00:11:18.562
And we were all coming from different experience levels too, but for the most part, this was our first feature film project that not for all of us and so this was a very special moment, kind of felt like we were the Afghan Dreamers team having our own journey.

00:11:18.562 --> 00:11:27.547
Our own experiences, for the first time, are shared Traveling abroad for this project that we were so passionate about.

00:11:27.667 --> 00:11:30.452
Also, coach, coach Ali, played by Nourine Ghulam Ghaz.

00:11:30.452 --> 00:11:32.106
He is incredible.

00:11:32.106 --> 00:11:36.572
He is such a talented and authentic and deep, sincere actor.

00:11:36.572 --> 00:11:38.788
So very grateful I got to work with him.

00:11:38.788 --> 00:11:56.586
We both spoke the same dialect of Dari or Farsi, and so we were able to connect very, very quickly and, have you know, that language really helps bring communities together, I think, and so we were able to bond over that shared language and I'm very appreciative of that.

00:11:56.586 --> 00:11:59.577
And he's just an incredible actor with so much wisdom.

00:11:59.577 --> 00:12:03.528
He really was like our big brother on set and so that was beautiful to work with him as well.

00:12:03.528 --> 00:12:10.860
Nicole Boucheri with him as well.

00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:12.504
Nicole Boucheri, strong grounded, she's incredible, you know.

00:12:12.504 --> 00:12:20.503
She really brings so much life to Roya, brings that really strong qualities that Roya has, and I'm so grateful that I got to see her work.

00:12:20.503 --> 00:12:23.870
You know she's done some amazing projects.

00:12:23.990 --> 00:12:30.711
We were very fortunate to have her on this project with us and kind of getting to learn from her by watching her, and it was beautiful.

00:12:30.711 --> 00:12:50.212
And then Ali Fazal, also another wonderful actor that we got to work with, and I love Bollywood movies so I had actually seen him before, so it was very cool to be able to have him on set with us, although the time was brief, but he was an incredible actor to work with and just always doing improv jokes, so that was funny.

00:12:50.212 --> 00:12:57.409
And lastly, phoebe Waller-Bridge she gosh, she's incredible to work with.

00:12:57.409 --> 00:13:12.972
It was very brief that we were able to work with her, but I think backstage I just spoke about video games with her the whole time, especially Tomb Raider, because that's one of my favorites, and I think two weeks later it came out that she was writing the Tomb Raider series for Amazon, so I was blown away.

00:13:12.972 --> 00:13:17.388
But she's so genuine, she brings such a warmth to set.

00:13:17.388 --> 00:13:18.370
I'm glad I had to.

00:13:18.690 --> 00:13:36.741
I got a scene with her and I got a chance to act with her and just be in her presence and understand her acting process and how laid back she is and how strong you know she is as a person, as an advocate for women, and she's just incredible to work with.

00:13:36.741 --> 00:13:38.466
And all the other actors were incredible.

00:13:38.466 --> 00:13:46.451
We had some great talent from the Budapest and Marrakesh region, specifically the cafe owner, nasser Memarzia.

00:13:46.451 --> 00:13:48.315
He's a fantastic actor to work with.

00:13:48.315 --> 00:14:03.147
There's so many great people on set and I think by being around such talented, experienced people I was able to get a crash course, in acting on my first time on set, and I'm very appreciative of that.

00:14:03.147 --> 00:14:07.245
It was an opportunity of a lifetime for a new actor.

00:14:09.789 --> 00:14:14.460
Well, let the listeners know where they can check out the film.

00:14:15.523 --> 00:14:16.570
Absolutely so.

00:14:16.570 --> 00:14:19.941
Rule Breakers was in theaters all throughout March.

00:14:19.941 --> 00:14:30.996
It is still playing in theaters some places as well, and it is able to be streamed on the Angel Guild streaming platform, so you could definitely check it out there.

00:14:30.996 --> 00:14:39.990
And if you are an international listener, just stay tuned, because there are some international releases happening everywhere you know, at different points in time.

00:14:39.990 --> 00:14:55.251
So just stay tuned, follow at Rule Breakers Film and follow me at Amber of Zali, and I will definitely be sure to share when we have other releases, but for now, I think Angel Guild streaming platform is a reliable one, but for now, I think Angel Guild streaming platform is a reliable one.

00:14:55.272 --> 00:15:02.759
Okay, well, tell us about any upcoming projects as you can that you are going to be working on that listeners need to know about.

00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:10.365
There's nothing I can share right now, but there are definitely going to be some exciting things down the road, so stay tuned.

00:15:10.365 --> 00:15:26.365
Yes, follow my Instagram and that's where you'll once I can share, you'll be able to check out exactly what it is that I am up to, but I'm always excited to play dynamic and challenging characters and characters that really make people think or open up a dialogue, like Essendon.

00:15:26.365 --> 00:15:32.503
So hopefully audiences will stay connected with my journey and we'll see what's next.

00:15:33.510 --> 00:15:36.759
Do you have a website or just your Instagram at Amber Just?

00:15:36.941 --> 00:15:37.501
Instagram.

00:15:37.501 --> 00:15:40.960
Yeah, I should get a website or something.

00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:48.677
Instagram's my favorite platform right now out of all the social media ones too, so that's the easiest one to stay in touch and connected with me.

00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:52.136
Absolutely so close us out with some final thoughts.

00:16:02.913 --> 00:16:35.886
Maybe if that was something I forgot to touch on that you would like to discuss or talk about, or any final thoughts you have for the listeners and I also hope that audiences, when they watch the film, they leave the theaters feeling inspired, feeling motivated, and I hope that the energy and the resilience of Roya and the girls just flows through you and flows through anyone who's with you that's watching it, so that you have the courage and the determination to pursue whatever dream it is you have, and especially if, in STEM, we need more women in STEM.

00:16:37.847 --> 00:16:38.447
Absolutely.

00:16:38.447 --> 00:16:45.336
Ladies and gentlemen, please be sure to follow and keep up with everything that Amber's up to on Instagram at Amber F Sali.

00:16:45.336 --> 00:16:47.682
Check out the Rule Breakers film, follow.

00:16:47.682 --> 00:16:51.472
Share this episode to as many people as possible.

00:16:51.472 --> 00:16:53.678
Jump on your favorite podcast app.

00:16:53.678 --> 00:17:02.471
Check out the show, leave us a review, follow us.

00:17:02.471 --> 00:17:05.221
Go to wwwcurveball337.com for more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball podcast Listeners.

00:17:05.221 --> 00:17:07.126
Thank you for listening and supporting the show.

00:17:07.126 --> 00:17:11.500
Amber, thank you for all that you're doing and thank you for joining me.

00:17:12.529 --> 00:17:14.155
Thank you so much for having me Curtis.

00:17:17.029 --> 00:17:23.340
For more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball podcast, visit wwwcurveball337.com.

00:17:23.340 --> 00:17:27.519
Until next time, keep living the dream.