Emile Aslan Lacheny Is Going Places

A Visionary Voice at the Crossroads of Cinema, Theatre, and Dream.

Portrait of a Modern Dreamer

Inside the world of a dreamer who dares to wear every creative crown—and make each one shine.

In the age of hyper-curation and digital virality, it is rare to encounter a voice that feels as timeless as it is contemporary. Yet Emile Aslan Lacheny is precisely that anomaly—an artist whose work seems to echo from the future and the past all at once. Actor. Writer. Director. Dreamer. These aren’t mere labels on a résumé. For Lacheny, they are portals—each one a means of translating the inner world into something tangible, something luminous, something that moves us.

Raised between languages, cultures, and artistic sensibilities, Lacheny is at home in the complexity of human identity. He speaks through characters, builds worlds from shadows and silence, and possesses the rare ability to make art that is both deeply introspective and universally felt. Though based in New York, his voice is global—at once Parisian in sensibility, Broadway in discipline, and cinematic in scope.

A Storyteller From the Start

Long before the stage lights, before the scripts, before the sold-out performances, there was a child who dreamed in scenes. Lacheny’s earliest memories are steeped in story: playgrounds became stages, toys became actors, and imagination was the currency he traded with. His creative instincts didn’t emerge; they were always there, quietly steering him toward a destiny in storytelling.

But unlike many in the industry who stumble into their craft, Lacheny knew. From a young age, he not only consumed stories voraciously but dissected them, questioning character motivations, memorizing scenes, and eventually creating his own. The idea of becoming a storyteller was never a fantasy; it was inevitable.

From Obsession to Craft

It’s one thing to love art. It’s another to master it. Lacheny’s evolution from a precocious dreamer to a serious creative force was marked not by external accolades, but by internal reckoning. It was in his twenties that he shifted from passion to precision, from creating “for fun” to sculpting with intent.

His first original screenplay, a horror piece titled One Night, was not only written but also optioned, a rare feat for a debut writer. And that was only the beginning. His stage work began to develop with equal force, culminating in his signature piece: E.G.G. A post-apocalyptic drama that asks urgent questions about the soul of humanity, E.G.G. was not merely a script; it became a movement.

The Rise of E.G.G. and the Birth of Between Us

In the fall of 2024, Lacheny's play E.G.G. found its home at The Tank, one of New York’s most beloved incubators for bold theatrical voices. Presented by Between Us Theatre Company, a collective co-founded by Lacheny and rooted in community, inclusion, and risk, the production was a tour de force.

The play’s premise was audacious: four humans, a single mysterious egg, and the lingering possibility of rebirth at the end of the world. What could have been bleak was instead transcendental. Audiences wept. Critics paid attention. And the production earned the distinguished title of “Best New Play Off Off Broadway” that year.

But perhaps more importantly, it signaled Lacheny’s full emergence, not just as a playwright, but as a cultural voice. With E.G.G., he did not just write a play. He created a mirror in which we saw our collective fear, our faith, and our longing for something more.

Multidisciplinary by Design

To say that Emile Aslan Lacheny wears many hats is to undersell the seamlessness with which he does so. In his world, writing, acting, and directing aren’t separate lanes; they’re part of one continuous current. Each craft speaks to the other. His understanding of character on the page enriches his performance on stage, while his instincts as an actor sharpen his directorial choices behind the scenes.

There’s an effortlessness in the way Lacheny moves between these roles, but it’s backed by deep intention. His work is precise, shaped by both intuition and discipline. Whether building a world through words or bringing one to life with performance, his throughline is always the same: story first, always.

Yet Lacheny’s work is never purely technical; it’s deeply human. Even in his most surreal or dramatic settings, he’s reaching for emotional truth. At the heart of every project lies a quiet urgency, a question that underpins it all: What does it mean to be alive?

An Artist of Emotion and Extremes

Though gentle in conversation and generous in collaboration, Lacheny’s writing is anything but tame. His narratives often spiral into extremes, psychological, moral, and existential. They test characters, and in turn, the audience. There is pain. There is beauty. There is a reflection.

Those who know his work often speak of a signature undertone, something melancholic yet strangely redemptive. His plays don’t just tell stories; they unearth them. The fears we bury, the questions we avoid, the longing we carry quietly inside, all of it finds form in his work. It’s not drama for drama’s sake. It’s an excavation of the soul.

Building with Community, Dreaming Toward Legacy

At the core of Lacheny’s philosophy is a reverence for community. It is why he co-founded Between Us Theatre Company, where immigrant and LGBTQ+ artists are not just included, they are centered. At a time when the political climate often undermines those most vulnerable, Lacheny has carved out a space for them to speak, create, and be seen.

He views art not only as a career but as a responsibility. A way of making sense of the world. A way of resisting erasure. And most of all, a way of dreaming aloud, together.

What’s Next for Emile Lacheny?

The answer, in short: everything.

Currently balancing multiple screenplays, theatrical scripts, and audition work, Lacheny is also expanding his company’s outreach and looking to deepen his presence in both film and television. With a résumé already punctuated by critical acclaim and a work ethic that rivals the greats, it’s only a matter of time before the name Emile Aslan Lacheny becomes synonymous with excellence across mediums.

And while his website, blacklist profile, and New Play Exchange offer glimpses into his repertoire, they barely scratch the surface. Because Lacheny’s greatest works are still coming—and like all great artists, he remains in motion.

The Final Word

To speak of Emile Aslan Lacheny is to speak of a future in the making. A cinematic mind with the heart of a poet. A performer who feels like a portal. A writer who dreams in empathy. He is not chasing fame or flash. He is reaching for the ineffable, for the moment when art breaks past the intellect and strikes something more sacred.

In an industry built on momentum, Emile Lacheny moves with intention. And with each step, he’s proving something undeniable: he’s not just going places.

He’s taking us with him.

Exclusive Interview with

Emile Aslan Lacheny

Let’s rewind to the beginning—how did your journey in the world of film and storytelling first begin?

It began when I was very young, about nine years old. I always knew I was going to be a storyteller and would include it in every aspect of my life. I created stories and acted out the characters with my friends at recess and on holidays, taught myself English by watching films and TV and started writing ideas down and creating storylines with my toys all throughout my youth.

What was the moment or influence that made you realize this is what you were meant to do—act, write, direct… dream?

The dream was when I saw an episode of Digimon, of all things. One of the antagonists just sacrificed himself to save the heroes, and he dies surrounded by the good guys, who all cry for his sacrifice while his evil boss laughs at how pathetic this is. I don’t know,w but it impacted my kid self emotionally, and that’s when I decided I would do this forever. More recently,y I’d say winning “Best new play Off Off Broadway of 2024” for my play E.G.G. was a good indication that I am on the right track.

Do you remember the first story you ever told—on stage, on paper, or behind the camera? What did it mean to you at the time? I started writing early but not seriously until later, same with acting. I was in my early twenties when I started to really take this seriously as a career and not just “for fun”. So my first story that I told all the way through was actually E.G.G. as far as plays go. For screenwriting it was also my very first, a horror screenplay called “One Night” that I then sold the rights to in 2020. For acting I remember typical French vaudevilles being my first forays while I was still in schools. I had a lot of fun playing either the straight man or the trickster. As someone who wears many creative hats, how do you balance acting, writing, and directing? Does one feed into the other? I don’t. Hahahaha. I usually go with the flow. They all feed one another. Writing entails understanding character and what makes them tick, which feeds into acting, which feeds into how to story, and therefore directing. I go where the opportunities take me as I know that at the end of the day, I am a storyteller, and it all feeds into my art. Which filmmakers, writers, or actors have inspired or influenced your voice and vision the most? Any surprising ones? Ooof, quite a lot. I take a lot of inspiration from multidisciplinary artists (which is more and more nowadays, which is amazing!) Tina Fey, Donald Glover, Keegan Michael Key, Jon Favreau, and Clint Eastwood are some examples. Alexandre Astier on the French side, for example, or Jean Cocteau. But truly, I think that so many artists have something beautiful and unique to say and seeing them do it in so many ways is always inspiring.

Would you say there's a recurring theme or emotional thread that runs through the work you create? If so, what drives it? Yes! People who know my work always tell me there is a common thread in it. It is strangely gloomy despite how I am in real life, and it often explores the human condition through our hopes, fears, and suffering. I love to explore extremes and usually put my characters in situations where they have no choice but to go deep into what makes them who they are and deconstruct those values. Where can audiences catch your work, whether it's films, scripts, performances, or something in between?

It’s mostly performances and scripts. I am looking forward to dip my toes deeper into film and TV as a couple of my scripts have won awards or have been optioned, and all my plays have been produced in New York, with the most recent production of my play E.G.G. winning “Best new play of 2024” Off Off Broadway. As is the nature of theatre, however, it is ephemeral, and a lot of my ar,t once done is gone and only the memory remains. But I have a website, a blacklist account and a New Play exchange profile where most of my writing work can be sampled.

Collaboration is such a vital part of the creative process—are there any artists or storytellers you’ve loved working with or hope to work with in the future? Of course! A ton! I don’t think one gets to grow as an artist or storyteller without loving collaborating. I’d be remiss to not mention Moshe Henderson, who has become a bit of a partner in crime in a lot of projects and is a part of Between Us Theatre Company that we run with other wonderful artists we know: Annie Kefalas and Zen Tunsaringkran. I strongly believe that despite the natural want to work with people we look up to and admire, it is more vital to work with your peers. That said, of course, they are artists I would absolutely die to work with, but I’ll be non-exhaustive. I’d give my kingdom to work with Spielberg or David Fincher. My firstborn to work with Jaems Gunn as a DC fanatic or Russell T. Davies as a Dr. Who fanatic. Samuel D. Hunter can do no wrong as a playwright in my book, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is a modern master. Alex Timbers is my favorite contemporary Broadway director, and on the French side, Alexandre Astier, of course, and any project with Omar Sy or anything touched by Alain Chabat or Mathieu Kassovitz.

What have been some of your most recent or proudest projects, shows, or films you’ve been part of? Obviously it would be the production of E.G.G. at the Tank that Between Us theatre company presented in November. A post-apocalyptic show about the last four humans on earth and their discovery of an Egg that contain what comes after. It was a very ambitious, fundraiser improvement of a show I had first written all the way back in 2017, now finally getting some of its potential shown. I am very proud of the cast and team that worked on it, and I believe that the final result showed what a talented bunch of storytellers we are. It was an amazing piece of theatre that people still talk about today. I feel very good about my performance in it and love diving into characters like this who are so deviously complex. Can you give us a glimpse into what you’re currently working on—or dreaming about bringing to life next?

Right now I am working on expanding the reach and community of the theatre company I am CEO of “Between Us theatre co” We have an emphasis on immigrant and LGBTQ artists and in today’s political climate especially it felt important to try to gather our communities together to at least talk and not feel so alone. Hopefully be able to create, make some art, and reflect. Be human. Art and storytelling is one of the most unique and beautiful things that humanity has to offer. It is what is left behind, so it's important to me to be a part of that creation, however I can. Other than that, I continue to write (I have two plays and a screenplay I am in various stages of writing and/or editing and I continue to audition and seek to open more doors for myself and others like me in the industry, both in theatre, literature and film. How can people follow along on your journey—online, on stage, or on screen? One of my acting mentors used to say, “See you in the movies!”—and that’s always stayed with me. You can follow my work at emilelacheny.com or on Instagram @chynelaslan, where I share updates on upcoming projects, including a recorded version of E.G.G. and more to come.