Teen shows seem to offer richer opportunities for young Asian American actors these days. But what’s it like actually being “that Asian on that show”? We find out from actresses Ashley Argota (True Jackson, VP), Jolene Purdy (Gigantic) and Nikki Soohoo (The Lovely Bones) in our teen roundtable.
On playing dumb:
“To play the ditzy girl was kind of a change. I think a lot of people think it’s really funny that I play the ditzy girl and they’re like, “wow, you’re not the brainiac on the show! You’re really stupid! This is really funny!”
-Ashley Argota
On being different:
“Everyone around me was Asian so being half, there’s already something off about you. Everyone was really good at math and quiet. I was the only one that was like, “Yea! Let’s sing! Let’s be loud!” so they didn’t really take to me or get it. I had to really not care what other people thought when I wanted to do musical theatre and performed in the talent shows. It was tough growing up.”
-Jolene Purdy
On arts vs. education:
“I think to be a better actor, you have to be more educated. The more educated you are, the more you know about yourself and the more you know about yourself, the better you will be able to express yourself.”
-Nikki Soohoo
For more, check out this video below:
Photography | Audrey Cho
Video | Luke Dejoras
Special Thanks | Royal/T, Katrina Guevara, Allen Lee
The teen roundtable is currently in print in Audrey Magazine’s spring issue. Subscribe or purchase Audrey Magazine here.
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