Born in Ukraine to a family of Spanish origin, actress Tetiana Dar grew up infatuated with American mysteries. Specifically, it was David Duchovny of The X-Files that not only taught her her first few words in English through subtitles but also instilled within her a love of action and adventure from a very early age. Like many teenagers, Dar felt the pressure to fulfill certain career expectations—her mom dreamed of her becoming a professional ballerina; her dad pictured a legacy of lab coats and academia. But Dar? She wanted to learn martial arts, move to the U.S., and become an FBI agent.

But, when a dear friend from high school suddenly passed away, the traumatic loss stalled that dream and dance began to take on a whole new meaning in Dar’s life. “It became a way to express my feelings and what I was going through without saying any words,” she tells me. “I started moving through the grief and survival—literally. Between classes, after school, anywhere I could. And before I knew it, almost overnight, I became part of the show business world back home in Europe. It all happened really fast.”

It wasn’t long before the artistic outlet manifested into a passion in its own right, and, at only 18 years old, Dar was invited to join Ukraine’s first season of So You Think You Can Dance (known locally as Everybody Dance!) as both a choreographer and dancer. The country was new to hip-hop, and Dar was a driving force behind its integration into Ukrainian culture. But opportunity still had borders, and she knew that, if she wanted to pursue a career in entertainment, a move would be necessary. “America was more open at the time and ready for hip-hop than Ukraine was,” she recalls.

One night in a movie theater, Dar watched John Wick—which intertwines a ballet storyline with superhuman abilities—eyes glued to the screen. It was in this moment that Dar realized, if she couldn’t be an agent herself, she would dare to portray one, hoping to follow in the footsteps of legendary action star Keanu Reeves. “That was it,” she remembers of the experience. “If I couldn’t be an agent, I could inspire people and tell stories that inspire others to fight for something bigger than they are—for justice, truth, faith and love.”

Dar enrolled herself in kung fu and acting classes and, when the chance arrived, she unexpectedly moved to Los Angeles—without luggage, money or friends—pausing dance to train professionally in theater, falling in love with the psychology of character portrayal. The first few years were rough, and consisted of many nights spent living in and out of her car. That all changed when J.J. Perry cast her in the 2022 Netflix action/horror vampire comedy, Day Shift, in which Dar appeared alongside Jamie Foxx, Meagan Good, Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg and others.

Then came another dream role: Cava on Amazon Prime’s Bosch: Legacy, the crime drama spinoff of Bosch, where Dar starred in the final three episodes, portraying the series’ main antagonist, an assassin sent to kill the main character, Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver. She was chosen to personate Operator Mila in the video games Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. (As we speak, Tetiana is shooting an action movie in Romania’s capital, with her next stop bringing her back to Call of Duty for the franchise’s upcoming installment.)

In preparations for her action roles, Dar had the opportunity to train at the private Simi Valley weapons facility, Taran Tactical Innovations, which had been on her bucket list of training locations for as long as she discovered it was where Keanu Reeves did the majority of his combat training at for the John Wick franchise. And with her background in both mixed martial arts and dance, as well as her own acting experience, it wasn’t long before Dar accelerated the ranks from trainee to trainer. 

“Taran [Butler], who is behind Taran Tactical, is the best in the world,” she says. “He’s the fastest shooter in the world and the best combat master in the world. He’s a champion in pistol, rifle and shotgun, all kinds of weapons. If you want to be the best, you have to train with the best.”

Now, as a tactical trainer, Dar’s roster includes Reeves himself, as well as many major actors. Her roster reads like a marquee, with clients including John Bernthal, Austin Butler, Chris and Luke Hemsworth, Ana de Armas, Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Cameron Diaz, Henry Cavill, Will Smith, and even Lana Del Rey. She’s worked behind the weapons handling and combat instruction of movies such as Bullet Train, John Wick: Chapter 4, Role Play, Back in Action, The Accountant 2, and—more recently—Sinners and Ballerina.

On screen, Dar has mastered how to capture the audience’s attention and win their hearts over, even when handling a gun. Off screen, she shapes the truth behind the fiction, training Hollywood’s most elite to move like warriors, hold weapons like memory and fire the weight of real consequence.

A few months ago, Dar says she finally got to meet her childhood hero Mr. Duchovny—not yet on set—but in the parking lot of a Beverly Hills medical office. “The X-Files was my lifeline,” she told him, expressing the extent of his impact on her. “It’s amazing that movies can sometimes be a form of escapism. If you think about that, how wonderful it is when you get an opportunity to do a movie that inspires people, keeps them alive during one of the hardest moments of their lives.”

But Dar isn’t just waiting for an opportunity—she’s building it. She’s up at 4:30 a.m., grinding through jiu-jitsu, judo, sword and knife training with Chad Stahelski (director of John Wick) and Jeremy Marinas at 87Eleven Action Design (the facility behind the John Wick franchise). She’s learning how to fly a helicopter and ride motorcycles, all while balancing her training schedule and prioritizing her own acting career.

Dar recently starred in the sci-fi thriller short film Forsaken Mercenary alongside Jesse Kove, presently making waves on the festival circuit, and Amazon’s modern war-drama The Friendly, which was released online this summer. Currently, she’s filming thriller Atlas King, opposite Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and UFC legend Michael Bisping, and recently wrapped her first Bollywood movie, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, with Indian superstar Yash and director Geetu Mohandas.

Beyond acting, Dar also recently launched her own production company, T&T Films, which produced the 2023 short film, Less Than Words, which follows a KGB assassin who infiltrates an underground human trafficking ring in search of her lost sister, also played by Dar.

Inspired by both the depth of Angelina Jolie’s career and scope of her humanitarian work, Dar says she wishes to be a comparable figure and voice for change—particuarly for Ukraine, a country she admits has undoubtedly shaped her storytelling: “It’s made me very open minded about art in general, and it’s made me [become] a team player,” she says. “Because in the industry that we are [in], especially if you’re a part of a team that’s creating something, you’ve got to be willing to be a part of the team, be open minded, follow the lead, or be the lead, to create something and not be scared to come up with some ideas.”

Like every great movie hero, her impossible ride isn’t over. It’s only just begun.

Photographed by  Selah Tennberg

Styled by Annie & Nora

Written by Brynn Shaffer

Hair: J Michael

Makeup: Alana Palau

Flaunt Film: Oren Buchler

Production Assistants: Melanie Perez and Zoe Swintek

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