Lana: “I was hired because I was an actor and a professional dancer and I spoke Russian”

Lana was recently interviewed on the Truly Anything podcast, and she discussed several topics, including making the transition from acting to WWE.

In the interview, Lana explained how acting was huge for her being able to come in and play a specific character in the company (via Fightful):

“I was hired because I was an actor and a professional dancer and I spoke Russian. What moved me up a lot quicker than most, from NXT to the main roster, really was being an actor. I played this Russian character with an accent. She was a villain and didn’t smile. You go to developmental to learn either how to wrestle or act. Some people come in as actors and need to learn how to wrestle. Some people already know how to wrestle but maybe need to work on their acting. Acting helped me so much.

Lana also discussed not being upset with wins and losses and how her character is portrayed on WWE television:

“Obviously, everything is pre-determined and we don’t dictate who loses or write our promos. Sometimes we have some say, but sometimes Vince McMahon has an idea and you have to do what he wants. It’s always been a lot easier for me to understand that these losses are pre-determined. ‘Oh, you need me to go out there and have everyone laugh at me?’ It’s not personal, it’s a story and I’m a character. I’m not going to argue with Steven Spielberg like, ‘Why are you killing me in the movie? Why are people laughing at me? Why do you want me to lose?’ I find it funny when I work with people who get upset about these things that everyone knows it’s pre-determined. Acting helps, coming from that world.”

Lana has formed a tag team with Naomi on RAW, with the two set to earn a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles at some point after winning a No. 1 contender’s match on the Feb. 1 edition of RAW.