“I think that my refugee experience was very different than a lot of people coming to this country now,” says Milana Vayntrub in an episode of Indigenous Media’s new digital portrait series “Lives of Women.” Best known as Sloane Sandburg on NBC megahit “This Is Us,” the actress was born in the Soviet Union. Her family moved to the U.S. when she was just three years old.
“We had a lot of help when we got to America,” Vayntrub explains. She and her family received assistance with health care and education programs.
“There are moments in your life where you realize you could do nothing, but if you do, you’ll probably regret it forever,” she observes, seemingly referring to the current administration’s hostile attitude — and policies — toward refugees, and her refusal to stand by silently.
Vayntrub’s other credits include “Silicon Valley,” “Love,” and “Other Space.”
Watch the episode to hear Vayntrub open up about her childhood experience as a refugee. She also explains how following her “karmic duty” led her to pay back an organization that helped her family.
Created by Rodrigo Garcia (“Albert Nobbs,” “In Treatment”), “Lives of Women” feature 60-second episodes of women telling personal and revealing stories. “I was interested in doing something where we’re not looking at extreme lives or lives that are outrageous but lives that everyone can connect to,” Garcia has said. You can check out more episodes on the project’s YouTube page.
