We’re looking forward to introducing you to Chris Lam. Check out our conversation below.
Chris, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
My 2 kitties, Nemesis and Eris have brought me joy. Adopting cats was the best decision of my life. I’m so grateful to my parents for caring for them when I was recently traveling, but I notice that I can be more calm when they are around me. I especially get joy when Nemesis shows me her belly and lets me rub it. It doesn’t happen every day, sadly.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Chris Lam. I’m a queer, gay, nonbinary, genderfluid, Taiwanese Cantonese American. Like many creatives in LA, in this economy: I act, I write, and I produce. You might have seen me on BuzzFeed several years ago (I feel so old writing this), or the Salesforce ad I acted in that played during the 2024 Olympics. I’m currently grinding my tush off to get more voice acting work. I’m the typical queer who grew up on Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Yugioh, as well as Kingdom Hearts, Persona 3, and Final Fantasy X. And I’m the typical Asian American creative who studied engineering in college, joined a theater club, and then, much to my parents’ horror, decided to try my hand at being creative in Hollywood despite my degree. I also lift weights, love makeup, and… had a country music phase in high school. I blame the Reba sitcom.
I’m currently training like a madman in voice acting and having a blast. I’m hoping to book a lot of animation, video game, and commercial gigs in the near future. It’s been something I’ve finally given myself permission to pursue his subsection of acting after admiring voice actors since I was a kid. I’m also working on some comedy pilots, as well as my own short queer psychological horror film that I’m planning to submit to film festivals next year.
I was told I would mellow out in my thirties, but it hasn’t happened yet, as you can see… I can’t help exploring different modes of creativity and seeing what blossoms into a greater passion. I’m a real class fiend. Sorry to my wallet.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
This is a bit embarrassing, but I would take my favorite scenes from Sailor Moon and try to reenact them to a T. Even though it was animation, I would try to match the timing of the unrealistic physicalities and every intonation of the English dub, including the transformation sequences. As I’m writing this, I’m genuinely surprised that I didn’t injure myself while dancing around in the living room… I also asked my parents and sister to play other characters in the scenes, and get pissed when they didn’t take it as seriously as I did or get a word wrong.
There was also a time where I tried reciting lines from the show to intimidate some bullies. It surprisingly didn’t work.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“Gurl, nobody really knows what the fuck they are doing… Not even your parents a lot of the time.” I have a deep seated fear of not belonging. I often wonder to myself if I’m any good at what I’m doing and if everyone is just too… socially polite to tell me that I’m out of my depth. But thanks to a lot of therapy, I’ve become comfortable with looking a little stupid or “cringe.” We are all works in progress, despite current culture trying to convince us that acting indifferent of everything makes people more street smart or intellectual. It’s okay to try, and learn from your hiccups. It’s not failing. It’s learning. Anyone that frames learning as failing or “a mistake” is not worth my time.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That it values diversity and that the legacy folks have this incredible ability to recognize untapped talent. My peers all know folks who are so insanely talented, yet can’t seem to book or sign with an agent to save their life. I’ve been told that I am on the right path from a handful of people, while I’ve also had my days ruined by a “veteran” who heard my work and so confidently believed that I didn’t do any preparation, when I very much did. I don’t think those people realize that they deeply believe their way is the only way.
I don’t doubt that things have gotten better since 10 years ago, but anyone with a pair of eyes can recognize that the people with hiring power are still primarily caucasian, straight and cis. I refuse to sit solely in gratitude for how far the industry has come, because people like me still deserve much more for what we are putting into this business: our time, our love, our passion, and most of all, our money. I’m sure there are a few examples that people could throw at me of LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC celebrities to argue against my criticisms, but said examples likely had a lot of privilege and support that is not widely known, much like many other A-list celebrities. And at the end of the day, it is still the same people as 10-20 years ago who allow people like me into their projects. The operative word being “allow.” They still have the power to say yes or no depending on their mood that day, no matter if we are working “four times as hard”, how “undeniable” we are, or how much we “learn to love the process”. In my opinion, there is still a large power imbalance that is only slightly tipped out of fear of being shamed online.
Mediocrity still finds its way into this business. Nobody high up will ever admit it, but I’ve seen in my past 10 years in LA how conventional looks or a deep, “masculine” voice is conflated with talent. So it’s not just about talent, no matter what anyone says. It’s also about persistence. Letting the industry know that you are like an incurable STD and that you aren’t going away, no matter how much they pick at you. And that’s why it’s so important to find your people. Community is what is going to keep you going. And I admit that loving the process also helps you stay in it.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If immortality were real, what would you build?
I would start my own production empire. I would invest everything I can into making it the best production company it can be, and become a cornerstone of the industry.
I would fund projects that are deemed “too risky” by the rest of the industry, make them successes, and watch the industry try to catch up. I would pay crew and cast above market rates. I would start a school that would be known as THE place to go as a QTBIPOC creatives to break into the industry, and hire staff who all share the same mission of making this industry better, finding untapped, diverse talent, and give them the opportunities to stumble and grow that they weren’t given elsewhere.
We can only do so much to shift such an established business like film/tv, but if I’m immortal, I would have all the time in the world to push the needle to where it needs to be. Plus, if anyone rich tried to order a hit on me for all the amazing work I’m doing… I’d survive. So that’s a big plus.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chrislam.tv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onewingedchris/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialchrislam
- Other: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/onewingedchrisl
