Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Huang.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. Pursuing better education and a diploma from the top university in Taiwan was the main goal during my school years. My parents have always been very supportive of both my academic performance and extracurricular life. As long as my grades didn’t drop drastically, they would be happy to see me doing any activities that I loved. Therefore, I was able to also have an after school life that included acting, dancing, and sports. I was in the volleyball team and drama club in junior high (7th to 9th grade), and I focused on dancing and stage performances in senior high (10th to 12th grade) and college.
Although I was lucky enough to be exposed to so many different activities that I truly loved doing, it never occurred to me that any of them could be what I do with my life at the end of the day. I graduated with a bachelor degree in Economics from National Taiwan University and started working in the field right after graduation. It was then, at 22 years old, that I started to really think about what I want. After realizing that my daytime job wasn’t for me, I joined a theatre company and trained at night. I also auditioned for some commercials in Taiwan and made little films with my filmmaker sister. I fell more and more in love with acting. It was being on stage and making art that brought the 12-year-old me back, and she reminded me what my dream once was, being an artist.
I came to Los Angeles, California, in 2016 to get more acting training and ultimately pursue an acting career here. I enrolled in the MFA Acting for Film program in New York Film Academy, and it was a life-changing experience for me. It wasn’t easy at all. All of my classmates already had solid previous training before, and most of them are native English speakers. So for me, it was learning new acting techniques, getting comfortable in the language, and understanding a different culture all at once. It was not easy, but that was why I grew so fast in so many ways. Within two years, I learned a lot about myself, regained the confidence I lost when I first came here, and of course, got better in the craft. I graduated in September 2018 and signed with Element Talent Agency afterward.
In 2019, I’ve done several commercials and ad campaigns. Some of them were acting jobs and some were prints, and they give me opportunities to learn different things on different sets. I also starred in some short films and even won a “Best Supporting Actress” role in an international film festival. I’m grateful every day that I am doing what I love, and that I have family and friends who support me all the time. My story has just started, and I am excited about what comes next!
Great, 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?
Oh, no, it hasn’t.
First of all, as a foreigner trying to make a living in America, Visa is always my biggest enemy. I didn’t come to America and naively think that I would just magically make it within a year after I graduated, so the VISA restraint really made it even harder. All I could do is just do my best to land as many roles and jobs so that my portfolio looks good enough for me to obtain an O-1 Visa.
Second of all, finance. As much as I hate to agree with some parents on this, art really isn’t the most financially secured career path. I got a student loan from the Taiwanese government so that with the amount that my parents were able to sponsor me, I could afford my master degree. Early on, when I was telling my parents that I decided to pursue acting, I told myself that I won’t get a penny from them after I graduate. It was a promise I made with myself, and I strongly intend to keep it. However, my Visa situation doesn’t allow me to wait tables or make coffees to earn some money for living. The only way I can earn money is to work in the field, acting. Therefore, sometimes, it can be hard between jobs, but I am proud and lucky to say that I am managing it.
One more thing that I struggled on mostly, self-doubt. Am I good enough? Why would they choose me? Am I improving? Is my work bad? How do I live up to my family and friends’ expectations? All these questions and more haunt me almost every day. Sometimes I’m strong enough to wave them away, but sometimes they do get me. Honestly, this doubt is normal and common for artists, but it can be the thing that hurts my work the most. I can’t audition, act, or model well when I don’t have enough confidence. I find meditation and a long deep conversation with myself the most helpful solutions when self-doubting affects me. I’m still working on it, but I’m learning to believe in myself more and more each day.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am an actress. I act in films and commercials, mainly. I also do voice-over and modeling.
In acting, I play a variety of characters, but most of them have traumas and pain deep underneath that no one else in their lives knows about. They can be the innocent ingenue or a troubled evil kid in foster care. I do more dramas, but I love doing comedies as well. I recently won a “Best Supporting Actress” award in a comedy short called “A Family Barbeque”.
I think what I have strength wise is the youth look. I play under 18 all the time, and by the way, I do kids’ voices well, too.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Our weekend routine. When I was in elementary school, my parents would take us hiking on Saturday. We had to get up at 6 am and head straight to the mountain. My mom once taught us to release our stress by rolling down the hill, and my sister and I did. It was the most freeing feeling ever. After the hike, we would grab brunch, whatever we were craving and was achievable. And before we went home and took a nap, we’d go to the DVD rental store and get four movies. Everyone got to pick one for the week. Together we would finish watching all of them by Sunday night. I love it because that was a routine that every single family member absolutely enjoyed, and that was when my dad introduced us his passion for movies. (He wouldn’t admit that he’s the one that brought us to movies. But hey, look at my sister and me, a filmmaker and an actress, coincidence?)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vivianhuangactress.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivianhuang.johua/
Image Credit:
Headshots (the two with green background) by Jeremy David, beauty/editorial shot by Kieran Khang Le Makeup by Asia Park
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