Meet Alex Tien of San Gabriel Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Tien.

Hi Alex, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I recall it was my sophomore year at UC Riverside. I was deeply unhappy with the direction of my life. I would wake up, attend a Political Science class or some other required class, and wonder the whole time when I would ever feel happy. It was as if I lost all sense of purpose or reason to live. Then I saw a flyer for an open audition in the next seasonal production of the school. They were going to perform one of my favorite musicals, Cabaret. I thought, I cannot drag myself back into another situation where I crumbled at the face of rejection.

On the other hand, I thought, this is it, my moment to show the world who I am and my potential in entertainment. I decided to try one more time. I auditioned, and for the first time, I was excited to continue on another day. I got my first callback and stumbled through every dance sequence they wanted to see. Then, I got my first invitation phone call to ask me if I wanted to be the character Victor and a part of the ensemble cast. I said yes immediately and attended every rehearsal with so much gratitude. My time in my first serious role came with some internal challenges, being within an insular community; however, I still would choose being in the musical theater program over settling for being just a Poli Sci student. I ended my degree by taking acting classes and participating in the theater productions at UCR did so much for my mental health.

I started making my way into film after coming across an opportunity to be an extra on a film set. It was an indie short film that was directed by a friend of a friend. I realized at that point in my life what was essential; to be alert at all times and push my way into the conversation to get the opportunities I wanted. I have to be recognized by the important people who have access to what I want. I learned the worst thing that could happen was them saying no. The most regrettable decision would be not taking a chance on myself. A no is not the end of the world, and no does not necessarily mean the end, but a different path.

I came across my first stand-up comedy open mic through an Instagram post by my college’s comedy club. It was in a small pizza joint in Riverside called Aloha Pizza and Pasta. I remember not knowing what I was doing. Looking back at how far I’ve come, my writing was god awful. Surprisingly, I actually felt amazing coming off stage. I do not recall how well I did in reality, but the feeling stuck with me. People enjoy the work that came from you and was not written by somebody else. It opened a part of me I never knew was there, but always existed. Growing up, it was a challenge for me to suppress my intrusive thoughts, and the Asian American experience in Northern California was a demanding one. School after school, and test scores did not allow room for creative expression. Looking back, it makes sense that I would be on this journey of finding myself in entertainment. I would watch the latest John Oliver episode or catch up on The Daily Show. Even my mom, who probably has a different opinion from me on stand-up, is one of my biggest influences. She was not afraid to speak her mind and was always roasting people left and right. Now I get to be the class clown that my inner child wanted me to be. It was hard at first when I tried to create a consistency of attending open mics at random bars all over Southern California and the Bay Area when I visited family during break from school. I had a lot of people giving me unsolicited advice about my comedy. I kept on open-micing at small bars, big events, and comedy clubs wherever I could get stage time. I got booked into so many local shows despite the dead crowds and difficult moments where I did not want to go up.

The best things I have gotten out of comedy were the amazing acting opportunities I got through word of mouth. I got a phone call in the morning after a good set the night before, and they told me there’s a movie being made, and they wanted me as one of the characters. That call led to proof of concepts, to a feature film, and a TV series. I was recently in a commercial for DreamGirls Hair. It was the first commercial acting experience, and I got called back for more screentime. I cannot wait to see what will come next in my journey, where I finally get to join SAG-AFTRA and or be accepted to an agency. I know if I ever feel like I am not enough or not going to make it, I remind myself that my inner class clown would be so proud of me for following my dream of making people happy.

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?
One of the main challenges I face as I navigate the entertainment world is knowing whom to trust and not putting all my eggs in one basket. When I first started acting in film, a man whom I will call the Creator got me into a small extra role on a short film. At that point, I had never known the world of film, and I thought to myself, he is the highest form of which I am to achieve. He had so much knowledge about filmmaking and creating a good visual story. I was immediately infatuated with him and mixed admiration with affection. I wanted so badly for the Creator to cast me in everything, and was so distraught when he was in a film set without him, even though he had no control over casting. I became resentful of every actress he would encounter, and he would blame me for my feelings. We ended up having a “situationship”, as the young people would call it. I lost myself completely to my relationship with him, and my voice became lost in the process.

I had to find my way back into the industry without giving the most vulnerable part of me, which is where stand-up comedy came to the rescue. I wrote the most intimate details of our relationship and added absurd details with wild scenarios. I was able to turn that dark part of my journey into my art. I made sure that nobody gets to tell that narrative. Once I started getting booked into more projects and got more experience in the LA film scene, I realized he was only a small part of my journey in deciding what I wanted to do with my career. I am still grateful he came into my life, because without him, I would not be as ambitious with my goals and my mentality.

Another aspect that is very common with acting and all entertainment mediums is rejection, and knowing how to handle it internally. I’ve gotten dropped on so many projects in the very beginning of my career, and was never booked in the comedy shows I wanted to be in. It did get to me at some point, but now I see it as an opportunity to focus on different things. Whether it was not getting a callback or a no, I see it as a reason to practice for another audition. In comedy, I tried to make a clear distinction that a bad set is not a permanent end; it is ever-changing. I will have a lifetime of rejections by choosing my own path, but I remind myself that it is the path that gives me the most fulfillment.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
During the day, I work as an art instructor for a public school, but at night, I am an actor, comedian, and producer. It is interesting that the day job that pays my bills actually incorporates my passion. A lot of the students I work with get to see a small part of my creative mind when I demonstrate the usage of different art tools. When I leave my job, I go see what new opportunities are available around LA, whether it is a casting call, modeling opportunities, or self-taping. If it is self-taping, I try to shove the mess in my room to one side and pretend on my phone camera that my rental house is a professional studio. I check on every website to see if anything new pops up, and those are the moments when I would find the unexpected. I spotted a commercial project that was casting actors, and I knew enough information to come prepared. Once I was on set, I saw an opportunity to make myself noticed by portraying the character to the best of my ability. I was asked to do more and have more scene time. That has never happened to me until now. Usually, I would be assigned a role and then leave, but I was never asked to come back for more scene time. That was the DreamGirls Hair commercial project that just released on Instagram, and I was so honored to work beside Andre, the Director, and the CEOs of DreamGirls Hair.

Many people have said on film sets or in comedy shows that I stand out, even though I am 5ft tall, with my personality and showing my driveness on scene or on stage. Whether there is one person in the room or a hundred, I always go in with the mentality that I am here to do a job and to the best of my ability. I will not settle for anything less, even if it takes a while; quality in every take will show, no matter who is watching you. I never had anyone say it to me in person; it was through my observation of other people that I tried to emulate. I saw how people I admired on set or on stage would behave and act, and recognized a pattern of the work coming first. It might be hard and distracting with all the external noises, but when people are watching, I come prepared.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
For acting inspirations, I love seeing YouTubers analyze great acting and the interesting choices they make on scene. Just an Observation, the YouTube channel is amazing, and there is a playlist called Acting that he has, which goes over the most interesting performances in film and television. My favorite video is by far called Better Call Saul – How Rhea Seehorn Perfected Kim Wexler. It showed how Rhea Seehorn in Better Call Saul can portray ten different emotions with just one subtle acting choice.
For books, I recommend Acting the Basics by Bella Merlin if you are interested in the very foundation of acting. She was my professor at UCR, and I highly recommend her book as a beginner’s guide on what it takes to deliver a dynamic performance and build imagination. Another book I recommend, once done with Acting the Basics by Merlin, is The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit (also by Merlin), which focuses on acting training, the rehearsal process, and performance practice. When she discusses the internal work of an actor before the performance and during the performance, it makes it so clear to me what I have to do when I am given a script, no matter how much time I have prepared. The book definitely gave me so much guidance on being an actor in the film scene because there are so many last-minute calls, and I have to lock in immediately. Merlin’s acting-training publication is definitely a great guide for every character I’m in.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.on.camera/?hl=en

Image Credits
Tyren Payne- https://www.instagram.com/tyrensphotography/?hl=en
Chris Gamez- https://www.instagram.com/gmz_photo_213/?hl=en