You have a really impressive filmography. Can you tell me about how you got into acting?
I was a quieter child, but one thing I really liked to do was sing opera, and that's how I fell into acting. It was the weirdest thing to get hooked into - but maybe because it was so different from me, I thought of it as the ultimate challenge. My father was also really into it and classical music in general, so he would drive me to lessons and it was something we bonded over. The idea of filling up an auditorium with just your voice thrilled me; larger than life. To do opera I also had to take piano (to sight read music) and theater (to feel comfortable on stage). I got an agent around that time in Houston, and did some voiceover work. I became a bit discouraged when I learned your voice doesn't fully mature until your 40's. I don't think it was until I went to New York for college that I got serious about acting. I met my agent there at a birthday party an actor friend brought me to, and I started doing bigger projects. It's still something that's a challenge and an escape for me, and very separate from my real life.
Boyhood was one of the best movies of 2014. What was it like working with Richard Linklater?
...Watching it, as someone who grew up in Texas during that time, and getting to work with Richard Linklater was awesome. He was very empathetic, and easy to get along with. We had kind of a living script, where if it didn't feel right, you could change what you were saying, and be as truthful to the character as you wanted. I loved that he'd also lived in New York for a bit, and chosen to come to Texas and live on a farm and be around his family and chickens. I respected that he preferred that kind of life rather than be surrounded by industry people and those in the business.
Much has been said about institutional racism and Hollywood casting. How has it affected you as an Asian American actress?
I get on a rant when it comes to this subject. One of my favorite books is The Hypersexuality of Race: Performing Asian/American Women on Screen and Scene. I heard the author give a talk at NYU back in the day, and found her fascinating. She brought up the famous line from Full Metal Jacket, 'me so horny, me love you long-time', and how it was re-purposed in Lucy Liu's role in Payback, one of Lucy's first roles ever. In it, she says the same line but in a dominatrix outfit, kicking butt... If we can take what we've inherited, and spin it - take power from it and inform the roles and projects we get with our past experiences and make our roles our own- I think things could change faster.
You mentioned that Cruel Intentions is among your favorite movies and in this photo shoot, you're playing the part of Katherine. Do you relate to her character at all? How about her style?
...It seemed like Sarah Michelle Gellar had so much fun playing her, and I always admired how confident, salacious and dark she was. To blend into the last question, I think my favorite roles are those that have had experiences, where the character owns it completely and it empowers them. To a certain extent, I guess I relate to that- without those destructive tendencies. Her style is pretty emblematic of that- love the fitted formal wear and rosaries. It's a lie to say religion doesn't inform who we are, or at least, what we're hiding.
How would you describe your everyday style?
I'm super comfortable with my style. My favorite clothes are my boyfriend's and making them mine... like wearing his huge loud rugby shirt with dark jeans, high heeled boots and a fitted blazer, hair in a high bun.
Any new projects you're working on right now?
The next thing I have coming out I think is Seeds, a sci-fi film described as Lolita meets The Shining, starring myself and Trevor Long. Owen Long is the director, we shot it in Rhode Island in this really beautiful area. I think it's the perfect blend of romantic and creepy. It was the first script that I started reading late one night and finished in one sitting. I called my agent basically immediately after - it was that good - saying I was interested. The Director of Photography Eu Nah Lee and I worked together when I was back in college, and she has an amazing eye.
