Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Liang.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I feel like it took me a long time to get started because I still feel new but I’ve been at it for about 10 years now. Actually, I think this is my tenth year living here which, I believe, makes me an official Californian. I say new because only two years ago did I kind of “figure it out” as far as what I am doing here. Two years ago, I made my first film, a 6 and a half minute short film, and it woke me up to my purpose. I moved out here from my hometown in Orlando right after I graduated from Elon University in NC. I booked my first lead role in an indy movie on my first day living in LA and I screen-tested for a series regular on GLEE the next year (and did not get it) so I thought I had made it. I thought I was gonna get to skip the struggle and ride the wave to a lifelong career as an actor. And then I learned that that’s not a thing anymore.
Even the most famous actors have to hustle, at least a little, throughout their lives if they want a lifelong career. It took me five whole years to land my first guest star on a hit TV series, and then 3 more (including a pandemic) for me to realize that I couldn’t wait for the career I wanted, I’d have to make it from scratch. After allowing myself to write a script, even though I had never written anything before, shoot it and edit it, which I had also never done on my own before, I realized that all the preconceived notions I had about what it meant to be “professionally” creative were really just make-believe and you are capable of doing anything as long as you take the time to do it right. Since then, I have begun to build a community of my peers and we are all rising up as filmmakers together. I have collaborated with several production companies this year and produced somewhere around 10 short films as well as a feature-length film which will be coming out soon. I am filling my days with action toward my dream of story-telling, and it took me about ten years to get here.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It was smooth enough for me. I’ve had a privileged life thanks to my extremely supportive parents, and I didn’t have to share with any siblings, so I will always be grateful and truly humbled by what they’ve given me. The struggles along the way were mostly life happening. I have always struggled with my health and more recently, have started to take that struggle seriously. I struggled with my privileged career choice and there have been several times where I almost abandoned it to find actually substantial work that provided a true service to people who need it AND that paid a livable wage–I am still balancing this struggle. Above all, I have struggled with the loss of my mother who raised me virtually single-handedly and was so a part of my life that I have spent the last 4 years without her trying to understand who I really am and who I want to be in the future.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m very proud and grateful for all of my opportunities and experiences. Probably, my personal favorite and most popular work was on American Horror Story 1984. I was a trapped ghost at the camp in that season and was honestly a glorified background actor, as pointed out by one of the directors, but I didn’t care–it was one of my all-time favorite experiences because I am also a HUGE fan of the series and of all the actors I had the honor of working beside. I was on set several days including the final day of filming for the season so we felt very included in the main cast and crew by then. I will seriously always cherish that experience. Honestly, I owe much of my “success” to UDK Casting and Ryan Murphy because they gave me my first shot from the beginning with Glee but also my first job on 9-1-1, so once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart!! It is such an honor to be recognized by your idols.
The year after I lost my mom, I booked a co-star on Baskets with Zack Galifianakis and Louie Anderson which meant so much to me. Louie Anderson reminded me so much of my mother on that show, he was so brilliant and moving, so this was very special to me, and who doesn’t love Zack Galifianakis–a very brilliant and sweet man.
I filmed a scene with Eddie Murphy and Taylour Paige last year for the new Beverly Hills Cop movie that will be on Netflix this year, and that was like a very big milestone for me. First Netflix movie, but also I got to work with Eddie Murphy. The man practically raised me, and he is so many of my favorite characters since I was a child, so shooting that scene was such a dream and very surreal. I was in a table read with Kristin Chenoweth, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Like, I was in an HR meeting with JGL, my mind is still blown from that.
Finally, I am trying to become known as a filmmaker. I am very amateur still, but I have found such a passion in it. I find it’s also such an empowerment of the story, it gives me such strength and specificity in my perspective as an actor when I approach it as a filmmaker. I love supporting other artists in their vision and being a part of the world that they create, and I’d like to provide that same opportunity in return. Instead of being driven to achieve something greater than everyone else or faster than everyone else, I’m driven by building a community of creators where we all have equal opportunities and support to make them the best it can be so that we provide stories with emotional weight and relevance.
What’s next?
I am planning on producing a lot more this year while also finding a way to get paid because I can’t do one without the other. I am grateful to have a Superbowl commercial airing next week, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that I made the final cut. I have a movie coming out on Netflix this year. I am also in post-production for our fan film that we’ve created with nothing but unbridled love and obsession with the SCREAM franchise. It’s a movie that is very important to us as artists so it was part of our mission to make our dreams come true by ourselves. We will be releasing for free on YouTube soon and a trailer even sooner!
Overall, my health is going to have to take the front seat on this. I think when you are in the service industry, which is what I believe acting is, you tend to be a pleaser and put your needs conveniently to the side. I have let way too many things go for way too long and my health is a microcosm for my career. My mindset is changing as an actor. I will always feel that it is my biggest strength and the best of what I have to bring to the table. However, I am learning that my strength as an actor is very useful to my strength as a writer/director/producer/editor/etc. I hope to produce stories that I want to see in the future. I hope to play characters with depth, that have something important to say to an audience that needs to be heard and seen. I hope to help other filmmakers achieve their visions. I hope to live a healthier life mentally and physically.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/seannifer
- Facebook: Facebook.com/TheSeanLiang
- Twitter: twitter.com/seannifer
- Youtube: YouTube.com/ArgyleGargoyleComedy
- Other: IMDB.me/SeanLiang
Image Credits
BTS: 9-1-1 (FOX) BTS: American Horror Story: 1984 (FX) BTS: Baskets (FX) BTS: This Game’s Called Murder
