Today we’d like to introduce you to Ko Han Lai.
Hi Ko Han, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am originally from Taiwan. I am the oldest of two children in my family. Ever since I was little, I have always loved entertaining people around me. In a way, I was kind of the class clown, and at the time my natural demeanor made me a popular kid amongst all the kids my age; it also got me into quite a few troubles from time to time but everyone needs mistakes for their personal growths. As a kid, I enjoyed doing arts and crafts which resulted in my mom putting me in an art class outside of school. And later on, that landed me in an actual art class where “art” was all I studied for three years. I learned how to sketch, draw, paint, sculpt and even did Chinese calligraphy during my middle school years. I also had piano training for a few years but ultimately had to take a pause to focus on my school work. Apart from all the art-related training, I also developed an interest in building websites and graphic designing. I had a blog back then where I shared my artworks and invited all like-minded people to exchange and collaborate on various projects. And because of my love for all the CSS I was putting into designing my website, I signed myself up for Computer Science as my major from grade tenth to twelfth.
After high school, I wanted to acquire another foreign language other than English. Mainly because at the time, I went through a phase where I was all about foreign pop music, and on top of that I needed to get away from mathematics since that was pretty much all we did in “Computer Science”. So I fed two birds with one scone by attending in a language-focused university where I spent four years studying in the French language. Throughout my undergrad years, I took opportunities during summer breaks to travel to Europe to not only to “broaden my horizons”, but also to perfect my French in a way more immersive environment than I could ever ask for back in Taiwan. And just so I could keep up with my level of English proficiency, I also signed up to tutor other students in my uni where I ended up meeting some cool folks because of it. Another thing I did in my “French years” was that I took part in two school plays back-to-back. Both of the plays were done in French and I had won the title of “Best Actor” in the second year, which I also played the lead of. And since I have always had the passion in acting, dated all the way back to me being a little kid entertaining everyone around me, winning that award was the last piece of the puzzle for me. It gave me the final push and confidence to really pursuit acting.
After some intensive research online, I found New York Film Academy. I then applied for the Master’s Degree in Acting for Film and my application got accepted. So I moved to Los Angeles in the beginning of 2019 to officially embark on my acting journey. I have learned so much with my program at New York Film Academy. I was trained in various acting techniques, as well as in different fields of performing. I went through training of Shakespeare, improvisation, voice acting, on-camera/on-stage acting… etc. I also learned how to write, produce and direct a film during my time there. In May 2020, I graduated the program with honors and have been ready to take on the world since!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I mean with a global pandemic going on, I would be lying to say it has all been a smooth road. Right out of the gate, because of the lockdown I could not shoot my thesis film which I had been working on for months prior to me getting “the news”, which was terrible. But that is also how the industry works, we just never know what will happen on set until we show up to it the day of. Because I am an International student on my F1 student visa. I had to applied for the OPT (Optional Practical Training) visa extension just to be able to stay in the country, as well as being able to legally work in the States. And with the lockdown happening, career-wise it has not been the most productive for me. And since I am in the film industry which is categorized under the “art category”, I am not eligible to ask for an extension on my OPT, despite the fact there has been two lockdowns happening (so far) during the time of my OPT.
And that directly affected my benefits to work as an actor here, not to mention there was a hefty fee to be paid upfront to even apply for the OPT in the first place. To me, it feels like an unfair situation as I am sure I am not alone in this predicament. I also had troubles getting my social security number, which I could only apply once I got my work authorization card, which also happened post-graduation, thus “during the lockdown”. The social security offices have been closed since March 2020 and has no plan on opening back up anytime soon. They have only been offering in-person appointments for “dire needs” and “emergencies”. Even though I would argue, my situation is pretty dire since I cannot get paid for a job until I get my SSN. But most of the agents on the phone either denied my requests or just straight-up hung up on me. And again, had my OPT been extended, this would not have been a huge issue.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As an actor, I specialize in comedy as I have been praised by several instructors of mine that I have good comedic timing. I am also a very creative person and love to create content. When I have an idea in my head, I would not be able to proceed to do anything else unless I write down my ideas first. I am very passionate about the things I create. Growing up, I was exposed to a lot of Disney movies and shows, and that kind of piqued and extended my interest in show-tunes. I love Broadway/movie musicals. Thus I sing and I enjoy doing it. It has been a good outlet for me to express myself as well as working as a stress relief mechanism. I would say due to my upbringing in a foreign country, it sets me apart from others not only because I could offer a set of unique point-of-views in pretty much everything in life from an “outside” perspective. I am also well-traveled so in a way, I have a versatile creative input, and that comes in handy when creating a project. I also speak Mandarin, Taiwanese, English and French.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
That I have been in the military for compulsory training back in Taiwan? Haha!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: kohanlaiofficial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kohan_insta/
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ko-han-lai-678696794
- Other: imdb.me/kohanlai
Image Credits:
Sarah Sosa Kuriakose / Oro Wenita Imo Otite
