Conversations with Joe Zhang

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Zhang.

Hi Joe, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a small town in the northeast of China. My dad was a cop and my mom was an accountant. No artist in my family. I found myself interested in movies when I was little. But unfortunately, for most Chinese parents, art is for bad students. Good kids are expected to study hard in school and find a stable, well-paid job. So I followed that “normal” path until I went to high school. But I never stopped making my own art. After high school, I enter college and studied photography there. I was expected to be a photographer or a journalist.

In my second year of college, I found myself lost. I lose interested in photography and I didn’t know what I was going to do when I finish college. And then I was trying to find some actors for the short films I was working on. But none of the actors was good enough for me. So I tried to act myself and then I developed an interest in acting. That’s when I decided to apply for a Master’s degree in acting. I wanted to come to the US because I love Hollywood movies and I think I can get the best acting training here.

But I knew nothing about acting. I knew nothing about plays, I knew nothing about monologues and I know nothing about Shakespeare. My parents were against it because it’s an unknown path and they refused to support me on it. But I insisted and I told them I don’t want to regret this when I turn 40. I want to fight for what I love even for once. Because I finally found what I believed in.

So I got in touch with someone who studied Acting at UCLA. He trained me for a month and I bought a ticket to the US. I spent two months in the US by myself and went from LA to NYC for auditions. I was a stranger here, my English was not very good and I knew nothing about auditions. It was a tough time for me to stay far from home in a strange country to fight for my dreams. No one believed that I was going to succeed and all my friends thought I was joking when I told them I wanted to be an actor. My parents asked me, what are you gonna do if none of these schools want you? I said I’m going to die. They thought I was joking but actually, I wasn’t.

Luckily, here I am. I applied for over ten acting programs in the US and eventually, two programs accepted me. So this is my second year studying at Calarts. It’s tough and it has always been tough. I met a lot of good people here and they taught me a lot over the past two years. Being in the US and Calarts changed my perspective. I’m now able to look at things differently and clearly.

For me, Acting is about surviving. It’s about letting go of all the pains and sorrow tangled deep inside of my heart. It’s about speaking out all the words buried and lost in this era. For me acting is life. I can’t imagine doing other things for the rest of my life rather than acting.

But now in the crazy pandemic, things just get worse. I’m stuck in here with all the chaos and hatred going on across the country. I cannot go home because I have to finish my training here. And I have to face all the racism and prejudice against Asians, especially Chinese. But I always believe that, although life is full of questions, it’s also full of possibilities. I have to embrace it, no matter what it is. And through struggling we grow.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s a pretty tough road as I said in my story. My parents and friend were against it. I had no professional acting training before. I barely knew anything about theatre. And I’m not even a native speaker. So all of this is a challenge for me. I have to work really hard in order to keep up with the class. I have to adapt to a new culture and new perspectives. Not to mention racism.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I used to be a photographer and I did all kinds of photography. From portrait to landscape to street photography. But I was more devoted to journalism photography because I think the power lies in truth. And photography has the power of truth to wake people up and change the world.

I also did documentaries for the same reason. I made a documentary in college called “Flavour of Life”. It was about the life of the people who sell breakfast on the streets. I think understanding is the most important thing we need now in this world. Because only by understanding we can put away prejudice and conflict. So I tried to get into the life of ordinary people and show it to society in order to let their voices be heard. I also made a documentary about a rock singer who gave up his career to help street animals. Because Animal Rights is a pretty sensitive topic in China and most people don’t understand it. And animals on the streets is a really serious problem in China. So it takes a lot to fight for Animal Rights in China because there is no law for animals. So I tried to show the life of this ex-rock singer to the people in China so that there will be less misunderstanding to the good people who strive to help the animals in China.

I also did a short film about Gay Marriage in China. Because gay marriage is not legal yet in China and a lot of gay people will choose to have a fake marriage due to the pressure of their families. It’s tragedic because they cannot have a normal life and they have to pretend to be someone else. It is another problem caused by prejudice and a lack of understanding.

And now I’m an actor and I devoted most of my time to acting. I don’t have a lot of work as an actor but I’m working on it. I have a multicultural background. I’m familiar with Chinese culture and American culture. And I worked as a photographer, director, editor and screenwriter. So that gives me a unique perspective. And I think I observe this world with compassion and I always try to understand every human being from their point of view. And I think my work is always about a story. And a story is always about a human being.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I’m open to all kinds of collaborations and I’m willing to work with people from all backgrounds. I’m really happy to work on anything with anyone because I think I can always learn from other people. Just email me and it will be an honour for me to work with you.

Contact Info:

• Email: joenatural96@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natural_joe/

Image Credits:
Zibo Liu Hunter Deng