Meet Your Acting Coach: Natalia Kostrzewa
Welcome to Owning IT Acting Studio.
I'm Natalia Kostrzewa, a professional actress with 20+ years in film and TV across Ireland and the UK. With over 50 screen credits — from lead roles in ITV dramas to guest spots on Black Mirror — I bring real-world experience into the classroom.
My goal? To help you trust your instincts, own your voice, and shine on camera. Every class is a safe, supportive space to explore, take risks, and grow.
I trained at The Factory (now Bow Street Screen Acting Academy) under some of the industry's finest, including Gerry Grennell, Shimmy Marcus, and John Carney.
You can read more about The Factory in The Hollywood Reporter here
Curious about my work? Check out my credentials on:
Let’s embark on this film acting journey together and make your camera acting dreams a reality!
What sets Owning IT Acting Studio apart is the transparency of its founder, Natalia Kostrzewa.
Unlike many acting coaches whose backgrounds and experience remain vague, Natalia openly shares her own self-tapes and insights from her professional journey.
This rare level of openness allows you to make a truly informed decision about whether she's the right coach for you.
🎬 Self Tape to Screen: A Series of Success
Welcome to a behind-the-scenes look at how self-taping can truly shape a career.
This is a series showcasing real self-tapes that led to real roles—from leads in major TV dramas to standout appearances on screen.
Self-Tape for ITV Drama - Out There (Currently available to watch on ITVX )
Self-Tape for BBC Medical Drama - Casualty (Currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer)
Self-Tape for the last season of FBI International. Now available to watch on CBS.
Self-Tape for the latest BLACK MIRROR episode, Hotel Reverie. Now available to watch on Netflix.
Self-Tape for the ‘A Very Short Film About Longing’ (Currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer)
Self-Tape for the hit Harlan Coben show ‘Fool Me Once’ (Currently avaibale to watch on Netflix)
Weekly Blog from Natalia with free resources
INTERVIEWS with Natalia
Interview with
The Filmmaker’s Playbook
I had such a pleasure being interviewed by Jason Branagan on his fantastic podcast! Jason speaks with actors, film directors, and other fascinating people from across the film and TV industry, and it was an honour to be part of that lineup. In this episode, I dive into my career and the art of acting—and I also share insights about The Screen Acting GYM! If you’d like to jump straight to that part, skip ahead to 49 minutes and 52 seconds.
Thanks again, Jason, for the great conversation!
Actors often ask me why I put so much effort into my self-tapes when "Casting Directors don't care". My answer is simple: I'm not auditioning for Casting Directors. I'm auditioning for the people who often make the final decision – the producers. Here's why that changes everything.