Guest Post by Alexa Khan
After graduating from college, I embarked on a very successful and lucrative career in finance — yet I felt stuck in life. Although I loved the sense of accomplishment, challenges, and prestige that came along with my career, something was missing. I was ignoring my instincts and interests, questioning what I was doing with my life. So, in the middle of the busy intersection of Mongolia, the U.S., and my promising career in finance, I realized the time had come to pursue my true passion in the entertainment industry. I am now a Mongolian-American actress and producer with “The Steed,” Mongolia’s official submission for the 2020 Oscars’ Best International Feature category, among my producing credits — and would like to share how I got here.
I came to the U.S. as an exchange student in high school and wanted to go straight back home to Mongolia after college. Even though I had the acting bug since childhood, I took the practical route: I graduated with a finance degree from California State University, Long Beach and ended up working at financial firms for seven years. If my husband had not pushed me, I probably would have continued on this path. But I did eventually decide to make the leap. After I quit finance, I took two years of acting classes and started auditioning. Acting can be a frustrating waiting game, and that inspired me to begin producing my own content.
Next came the question of where I would live and work. Living in the States made practical sense since I had my own family with strong roots in this country. However, there wasn’t a day that I was not thinking about my family back home or my country. Growing up in Mongolia, patriotism was a shaping force in my education. The importance of our homeland was always emphasized — its untouched wilds, its unrivaled natural beauty. I believe Mongolian immigrants around the world, no matter how long they have been away, will always have strong ties to home.
Then something dawned on me: Thanks to my connections to both Mongolia and America, I have a unique voice that needs to be heard. While my two countries are different, I see what unites them. It was up to me to bridge the gap between Mongolian and Hollywood cinema. This road would fulfill both my personal and worldly needs.
Soon after I embarked on my acting/producing career, I met my producing partner Trevor Doyle, a Gulf War veteran with 20 years of experience in the industry. A longtime friend of mine from Mongolia, actor-producer Erdenebileg Ganbold, shared a desire to bring Mongolian cinema to Hollywood. So, together, we three formed Three Flames Pictures in 2017, with the goal of bringing Mongolian cinema to Hollywood and bringing a mutual awareness of culture and film to both countries. “The Steed” was the first film we agreed to produce.
Based on a famous Mongolian poem called “Brown Horse” penned by our Poet Laureate Ch. Lkhamsuren, “The Steed” is an epic tale that sees a young boy traveling across Mongolia to reunite with his beloved horse.
Making the film was its own amazing journey. It took three years to make due to the vast undertaking of financing, location scouting, and recording an original score with the Mongolian National Philharmonic Orchestra. We bought three newborn foals and trained them to play Rusty, the titular steed, and had 3,000 other horses on set. We also won the Spirit of Cinema Award at Oldenburg International Film Festival and Best Feature Film at San Diego International Film Festival.
“The Steed” was made with women in many key roles, from executive producer Naranbat Baysgalan to producer Delgertsetseg Baijamt to makeup department head Oyunsuvd Jambaldorj. Four babies were born during production, including my daughter. As challenging as it is to work during and after pregnancy, we all managed to pull it off. I was working on this film 15 minutes after my daughter was born, calling Mongolia and speaking with our director to coordinate our international crew. I remember speaking with a lady in finance who had a similar story of balancing work and family. It is interesting to think it does not matter where we are from or what field we work in — women everywhere face these types of challenges.
Even though my film career is fairly established now, there are still days that I second guess myself — especially the days when I am taking care of my kids, making phone calls, and dealing with household chores while trying to meet my project deadlines. But I know I made the right choice in leaving my finance career. As a producer and actress, I’m finally able to be completely true to who I am. Being in the entertainment industry has allowed me to express my own unique voice, embrace my background and who I am as a person, a woman of color, daughter, and mother, instead of suppressing it to fit into a certain mold.
Born and raised in Mongolia, Alexa Khan (Dulguun Batjargal) is an award-winning producer and actress. She has produced the epic “The Steed,” children’s sci-fi pic “A World Away,” and more. She’s also known for playing a bad alien captain in “A World Away” and the terrifying yet hypnotizing role of Anxiety in “Monochopsis.” As a creator and producer, Khan’s dedication, artistic talent, and passion have earned her the reputation for “turning what she touches to gold.” She enjoys spending her free time with her family, two children, and French Bulldog.
