Ashley Argota, 17-year-old actress/singer and current cast member of the Nickelodeon hit show True Jackson, VP (she plays the title character’s best friend and secretary, Lulu Johnson), is aware of the fact that not many Asian Americans are fortunate enough to make it big in show business so she does not take her career for granted.
“It means a lot to me to be part of True Jackson,” says Argota. “There aren’t many Asian American girls out there who are famous so to be part of that small group is an honor.”
Ashley Argota and Keke Palmer star in Nickelodeon's "True Jackson, VP."
Argota, who is Filipina American, grew up in Redlands, Calif. “I lived about an hour and half outside of Los Angeles and it was great because we lived in a quiet neighborhood so I didn’t get any of that L.A. craziness,” says Argota with a laugh. “I grew up having nice family dinners with home-cooked food. My dad was a truck driver so he couldn’t always be home, but when he was we always sat down to eat dinner together.”
Despite being part of a tremendously popular show (True Jackson, VP is now in its second season) and having her comedic talents be compared to that of Lucille Ball, Argota has managed to stay humble and levelheaded. She will be attending New York University in the fall to take up nursing. “I’m going to be just like my mommy!” says Argota. “I wanted to go into College of Nursing instead of Performing Arts because I want to do something outside of acting. I’ve been acting for a really long time and that will always be my first career choice. But in case that doesn’t work out in the long run, I want to have something to fall back on.”
Ashley Argota.
Argota, who seems to be a jack-of-all-trades, is also quite the musician and singer. She began taking vocal lessons at the age of 5 and also plays the piano. She has also begun learning how to play the guitar. Her debut CD, Ashley (2008), on New Revolution Records is currently available on iTunes and her song “CD Baby” has received rave reviews. “I’m not signed to a label right now, but I am looking to be signed to a record label soon and hopefully I’ll put out another album soon.”
Argota encourages Asian Americans who hope to make it in television, film or music to never give up. “True Jackson was supposed to be my last audition ever because I had faced so much disappointment. It was always little things as to why I didn’t get roles,” Argota shares. “I was told ‘You’re too short’ and other little things like that, but you just can’t let it get to you and keep you from doing what you really want to do. Just follow your dreams.”
Don’t miss brand-new episodes of True Jackson, VP (there’s one this Saturday), airing Saturdays, 8:30pm ET/PT on Nickelodeon. You can watch past clips here.
