#Jing lusi instagram tv#

I sent in a couple of tapes and then had a Skype call with the casting director Terri Taylor. JL: My casting process was pretty simple. WL: How did you get cast in Crazy Rich Asians? How was the experience filming with a whole Asian casting team? The most memorable moment? I’ve learnt that the only way to tell great stories about how you want to be represented is to write them yourself.

#Jing lusi instagram tv#

It is something that is still in the works and currently with TV producers in Los Angeles. I began writing my own script, with my dream character, in my dream project. I purposely choose roles that will only reflect Asians positively, or in a new light, even if they are smaller parts.Ī couple of years ago, before Crazy Rich Asians, I became very frustrated at the lack of decent roles for Asians. I ended up playing characters that were much more positive depictions of Asians in Western society: doctors, detectives, US agents, art students.

Luckily, I never landed any of those roles. My parents came to England via an academic scholarship – where were these types of immigrants portrayed? I hated having to put on a Chinese accent, it felt racist and insulting. When I began my career 10 years ago, the only roles available to me in mainstream TV and ﬁlm were that of an immigrant, prostitute, or take-away worker. JL: Being an Asian actress in the UK certainly is not easy. WL: Growing up with a mixed background, what do you struggle with the most in your life and acting career? Have you ever thought to do something else in these years?

And now they are the most supportive parents in the world. He even offered to pay for a Masters at Harvard if I wanted to go.īut through my determination over the years, they could see that I was pursuing my passion, and when the “real jobs” began to roll in and I began to support myself financially – but most of all was happy – they got it. But it was not for me, and my dad remained in denial for a few years, hoping it was just a phase. They had, of course, hoped I would be a top-class City lawyer. My parents were quite stunned when I graduated from law school and, without any notice, enrolled in acting classes. I knew then that when I grew up, I had to find a way to re-create that sense of joy, liberation, and happiness in my work. I could sense the happiness of the audience. I had no idea what that meant at the time and when we were successful in the auditions, I found myself having the best time during rehearsals, and then the seven-week run. I was part of the children’s ensemble for Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat with Phillip Schoﬁeld when it toured and came to Southampton Mayflower. JL: I accidentally fell into performing when I was 10. What reasons made you choose to be an actress? How did your parents cope with it at that time? Do you still feel under pressure sometimes as the only child in your family? WL: In your past interviews, you said you did a Law degree for your parents. For a couple of years, I hosted the Chinese New Year celebrations in Trafalgar Square and that was a pretty spectacular way to mark the occasion too. They will usually have friends over for the most amazing meal ever, or one of their friends will have a dinner party and we go there. I normally go to my parents’ home in Southampton. Do you still celebrate CNY with your family? How? WL: The documentary about Chinese New Year you filmed for BBC a few years ago already reached over one hundred million views in China. It was the tipping point, and over the next year I came off all social media. But that was all I was showing, and I didn’t want to be part of it any longer. I wasn’t always happy, and I do not spend my life in five-star hotels or on business class flights. I realised that my posts had been contributing to that culture. Teenagers suffered from depression when unable to achieve the image of beauty, happiness, and luxurious lifestyles that surrounded them. While the topics were varied, from bullying to racism, there was an overwhelming amount of entries that had the same theme: pressure to conform to an ideal of perfection, as perpetuated by social media. In 2015, I was part of the judging panel for the Anne Frank Trust’s writing competition Generation Diary, where teenagers were invited to write a diary excerpt.

I don’t enjoy sharing my private moments with the world. JING LUSI: I once believed that social media was a necessary tool for promotion, but I never enjoyed it. WEI LIU: Can you tell me why you quit social media? You used to have Instagram and Twitter, which is considered a good way to communicate with your fans and promote yourself.