JING LUSI
British-Chinese actress JING LUSI has been featured in a number of television shows and films, notably and recently as Amanda “Mandy” Ling in Crazy Rich Asians. The WOW’s editor WEI LIU talked with her about the pressure to feel perfect on Instagram, her most rewarding professional experience yet, and overcoming the challenges of a lack of diversity in media.
INTERVIEWER WEI LIU
PHOTOGRAPHER DOH LEE
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.
JING LUSI: I once believed that social media was a necessary tool for promotion, but I never enjoyed it. I don’t enjoy sharing my private moments with the world. 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. 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. Teenagers suffered from depression when unable to achieve the image of beauty, happiness, and luxurious lifestyles that surrounded them. I realised that my posts had been contributing to that culture. I wasn’t always happy, and I do not spend my life in five-star hotels or on business class flights. But that was all I was showing, and I didn’t want to be part of it any longer. It was the tipping point, and over the next year I came off all social media.
WL: The documentary about Chinese New Year you filmed for BBC a few years ago already reached over one hundred million views in China. Do you still celebrate CNY with your family? How?
JL: I do. I normally go to my parents’ home in Southampton. 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. 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.
WL: In your past interviews, you said you did a Law degree for your parents. 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?
JL: I accidentally fell into performing when I was 10. 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. 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 felt a sense of freedom on stage. I could sense the happiness of the audience. The feeling stayed with me. 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.
My parents were quite stunned when I graduated from law school and, without any notice, enrolled in acting classes. They had, of course, hoped I would be a top-class City lawyer. But it was not for me, and my dad remained in denial for a few years, hoping it was just a phase. He even offered to pay for a Masters at Harvard if I wanted to go.
But 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. And now they are the most supportive parents in the world. They are my rock.
Dress MAX MARA
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?
JL: Being an Asian actress in the UK certainly is not easy. 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. I hated the stereotypes so much. 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. Luckily, I never landed any of those roles. I ended up playing characters that were much more positive depictions of Asians in Western society: doctors, detectives, US agents, art students. I purposely choose roles that will only reflect Asians positively, or in a new light, even if they are smaller parts.
A couple of years ago, before Crazy Rich Asians, I became very frustrated at the lack of decent roles for Asians. I began writing my own script, with my dream character, in my dream project. It is something that is still in the works and currently with TV producers in Los Angeles. I’ve learnt that the only way to tell great stories about how you want to be represented is to write them yourself.
Dress DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
Jewellery VIERI
“I think Asian representation is where black representation was 10-15 years ago. There is a long way to go, and films like Crazy Rich Asians are just the beginning. It has marked a watershed moment in Hollywood, but we need more stories, writers, and actors to build upon this fantastic momentum.”
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?
JL: My casting process was pretty simple. I sent in a couple of tapes and then had a Skype call with the casting director Terri Taylor. There was already a lot of buzz around the film even during the casting phase, as I know a lot of the cast had badgered their agents to get them in for a meeting. I tend to stay oblivious to hype, it just puts more undue pressure on the process. A few weeks later, my agents informed me I had been offered the part of Amanda, and before I knew it, I was on a flight to Kuala Lumpur for what would be the most amazing professional and personal experience of my life.
Filming with an all-Asian cast changed my life. It was the first time I had looked around a cast, whether or set or at dinner or in hotel rooms, and didn’t feel like I was the minority, that I wasn’t there to tick some equal opportunities box. I was part of the majority. We all were. And over the 10-week shoot, we all became a family. Every minute on and off set was a celebration. It was the first time I finally felt proud of my heritage. I learnt to accept myself. And that is a gift most people will never get in their lifetime.
WL: Do you think a movie like CRA would change representations of Asians in media, the way there seems to be an increase in black representation?
JL: There is certainly more black representation in film, TV, and theatre because the black community has had to have their own flights in this area many years ago. There was a negative stereotype and finally, the industry woke up and realised how damaging such negative portrayals were. Now, you can clearly see a very visible black presence in leading roles. I think Asian representation is where black representation was 10-15 years ago. There is a long way to go, and films like Crazy Rich Asians is just the beginning. It has marked a watershed moment in Hollywood, but we need more stories, writers, and actors, to build upon this fantastic momentum.
WL: Would you consider working in Asia’s film market?
JL: I do speak Mandarin, but I don’t read or write it so I think that would be a problem for scripts! I also think my career belongs in the Western markets; the UK and the US I grew up in England, watching a lot of British and American TV, and it’s a culture I understand. I believe my purpose in my work is to focus on positive Asian portrayal within mainstream “white” projects and having dialogues with the writers, producers, and directors when I feel they are adopting negative representation. Sometimes it’s just a word, sometimes it’s a character, sometimes it’s an entire storyline. I ask for certain words to be dropped, props to be changed, and scenes to be reconsidered if I feel they will perpetuate bad stereotyping or mis-educate the audience. I have no problem in calling these things out on productions, so I believe my purpose lies in the Western markets.
Dress TIBI
WL: It seems Amazon studios loves to work with you, can you share something about your role in the new series The Feed?
JL: The Feed is based on a world of technological dystopia, I play a character whose storyline will hopefully challenge the audience’s perception of women, particularly that of men’s expectations of women in relationships.
WL: How was the experience working for an animated children’s TV series (Bob the Builder)?
JL: It was a lot of fun. I enjoy doing voiceover work because you can look however you want and not have make up or hair for two hours before work. It’s also a great skill learning to only use your voice. It’s a lot more exaggerated than on TV or film, so I always have to remember to be more, well, animated.
WL: Is there a genre of film you haven’t done yet that you’d love to do? What kind of role you’d love to play?
JL: I love films which character relationships; the forming of, or the breakdown of. I love Before Sunrise and Blue Valentine, which are simple two-handers, but so beautiful, real, natural, and sings to the heart. We have all experienced the first flutters of love. We have all been through the most heart-breaking separations. It is important to keep telling these stories about the best and worst of human emotion. Love is universal, as is pain, and the more we see of others’ struggles, the less lonely we will feel when we go through our own.
shirt JOSEPH
WL: We heard you are working on a writing project; can you give us more details?
JL: I am writing a dramedy set in a law firm. Ally McBeal was my childhood hero. It is a modern-day anthem for women who are successful and intelligent, and do not need saving by men. In China, they may be deemed “leftover women,” but my series is a celebration of their independence. It calls into question why there is a need to define women by their relationship status, and why so many brilliant women are conditioned to still need “rescuing.”
WL: How do you spend your spare time at home? Can you suggest some good books to read?
JL: I like to be in nature a lot. I have a dog and love to spend hours with him in the park, chilling in cafes and having coffee dates with my friends. At home I’m very quiet. I like to read, practice yoga, cook and write. I never have the TV or radio on. I can highly recommend Pure by Rose Bretecher. It is the book on which my Channel 4 TV show Pure is based. It is the story of one woman’s struggle against a lesser known form of OCD. The book is fantastically written, brutally honest, but all the while carried by humour.
WL: Any advice for other Asian women like you who want to chase a career in this industry?
JL: The industry now is very different to when I started 10 years ago. There is more focus placed on diversity and inclusion, which hopefully makes it easier for an Asian actor or actress entering now. My advice would be to carefully consider your roles. New actors tend to take any job just to gain a credit and experience. But look at the bigger picture to see if it will serve you. If you are playing a waiter in a takeaway with just a few lines in a mock Chinese accent, will this really benefit your career? I would also advise Asian actors to be more confident in turning down roles that may negatively impact on representation. It is not easy to do, but if the community can join forces and weed out offending material, then in the long run all Asian actors benefit, whatever stage of your career you are at.
WL: What’s coming up for you this year?
JL: I’m delighted that Crazy Rich Asians has been nominated for an array of awards including the Golden Globes, SAG, and Critics Choice Awards. I’m filming a new series called Gangs of London for HBO Cinemax and Sky, that will take up the majority of 2019. I can’t believe how quickly 2018 went. I feel like 2019 will fly by.
STYLIST MARISSA JIAN
HAIR STYLIST TETSUYA KANEKO
MAKEUP ARTIST HIROAKI IWATA
PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTANT LORENZO BERNI
PRODUCER WEI LIU
This profile was originally published in The WOW N° 1, 2019.