A Parable for Today

Netflix released Season 3 of Cobra Kai in January, and it took over everyone’s screens once again. In the latest season, Annalisa Cochrane returned as Yasmine. No longer the top dog at West Valley High School, Yasmine has fallen to the bottom of the social ladder – but this, Cochrane says, might be exactly what she needed. “As an audience, I know she fits into a small piece of it, I know she’s the mean girl. But who knows what she’s been dealing with? Now that she is finally on the other side of being bullied, she is really starting to see and have empathy for what it’s like,” she notes of her character’s arc. “We are in a world where we are so quick to cancel or judge [someone] based on surface-level facts, and we never know the full story.”

While Cochrane delves deeper into her acting career, she has found herself in another role similar to Yasmine: Addy in the new Peacock show, One of Us Is Lying, based on the best-selling young-adult novel of the same name by Karen M. McManus. “I think there’s immense pressure, because it is such a well-written character that speaks to so many people,” she says of the challenge of bringing Addy to life. “I feel the weight and the burden of wanting to do her story justice. I’m so grateful that I have an opportunity to try.”

As someone who “grew up in India for over ten years,” Cochrane had a unique experience as a child. Her parents’ community focus was social work in west-central India and Nepal, helping to start schools, clinics, and various community-driven businesses, and her mother eventually started ACE Development Fund, which provides loans and training to entrepreneurs mostly in Asia and Africa. One of those businesses she was involved in was Village Artisan, which has driven change and transformation by connecting rural artisans with urban consumers and global retailers. “My mom helped to launch the team that started Village Artisan, as well as various other businesses, many of which give tools to specifically women in impoverished communities, so they can ultimately be self-sustaining,” says Cochrane. “For example, Village Artisan sells beautiful handcrafted items, made by women who have stories to tell.”

Furthermore, Cochrane has actively supported The Dream Center, an L.A.-based non-profit that helps those affected by homelessness, hunger, and the lack of education. “Their whole idea is to help those who can’t help themselves. It’s so sad, in our world, the income and wage gaps are only widening. We should be moving into a more justice-filled world. It doesn’t necessarily feel that way when you’re driving through Los Angeles,” she shares. “It’s all of our mission and all our duty to go into these communities and try to help. When you feel so isolated and alone, the fact of going out and helping others – and not making it about yourself for once – is so empowering. Everyone needs a helping hand, and the benefits in your own life can be massive. It’s all about departure from ourselves as we embrace kindness and love, empathy, and justice.”

Writer: Savannah Dial

Photographer & Videographer: Haldane Morris

Stylist: Christina Pacelli (for TheOnly.Agency)

Stylist Assistant: Marissa Perez

Hair & Makeup: Diane Dusting

Editor: Eiko Watanabe

Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)