In our interview with actress and food blogger Lynn Chen, she takes us on a personal journey through her motivations for pursuing acting, her memories of Taiwan, and her struggles with body image as an Asian-American woman. Lynn is probably best known for her role in popular film Saving Face – a favorite of ours at Taiwan543!

Lynn’s Mini-Bio
Astrological Signs: Dragon, Capricorn
Hometown: Cresskill, NJ
Current City: Los Angeles
Languages: English, Mandarin (like a four-year-old), French (like a one-year-old)
Favorite Quote: “Life itself is the proper binge” – Julia Child

Lynn Chen has been a performer since the tender age of 5. From her first encounter on a big stage at the Metropolitan Opera House, to singing with the Met’s Children Chorus, to acting in a production of South Pacific at Lincoln Center – her official acting debut at age 10. Lynn is undoubtedly a natural performer, but deciding whether or not to stay in the entertainment industry has always been a constant struggle for her. As a kid, when talent agents approached her parents, Lynn was adamant that she wanted to just be normal. And now?

“I feel like I’m not complete without it.”

Lynn explains her “on again, off again” relationship with the entertainment industry:

“My parents asked me if this is something I really wanted to do. I was already being pulled in and out of school every week to do performances. I was missing out on things. I told my parents, ‘I don’t want to do this. I want to be a normal kid.’ They respected it. But two years later, I had the itch again and we’re right back at trying to do acting. That’s been the theme of my life. Throughout my career, I’ve been doing five years on and a few years off. For me, I need a break. I need to remind myself why I’m in this industry. If not for any other reason than, it fulfills me artistically and creatively and I feel like I’m not complete without it. But just because I’m not at it all the time doesn’t mean I’ve completely given up.”

 

“What I realized is that every single job has it’s sh*t.”

It was when Lynn pulled away from show business that she became truly convinced of her love for acting. When asked about what she did on her breaks from show biz, she reveals that in those off-periods she thought she was done with acting for good:

“When I took these breaks in the past, I never thought I was going to come back to acting. I was sort of like, ‘I QUIT’ and wanted to see what else I could do. What I discovered every single time is that there is really nothing I love more than being on a set and the whole process of acting. What I realized is that every single job has its shit. [But] if at the end of the day, you really love what you’re doing, it makes it so that all of that crap is worth it. For me, all of that crap that I go through with acting is worth it. I feel like it’s been a decades long struggle of trying to not be an actor, because it’s so hard, and then coming to the realization every single time that this is what I’m supposed to do, I hate to say the word “supposed” because I don’t know if there’s a destiny. Who’s to say that in five years, I’m not going to quit again and find another path in my life. But for now, this is what makes me really happy. And if it makes me happy for the rest of my life, I’ll continue to embrace it.”

Destiny or not, anyone who has seen her work can’t deny her incredible screen presence and charm. What else does she hope to achieve in her career?:

“I’d love to voice a cartoon character. I’d love to do a musical. There’s just so much that I haven’t done. So many people I want to work with. So much of it is really out of my control. I think I’ve detached myself from a dream role, whereas in the past, I’ve definitely had specific ideas. I remember when I was young, I really want to be a cheerleader. It was one of the things that the cool kids at my school did and one of the things I didn’t get to do because I was performing. I wanted to be a cheerleader so badly, I thought, I’ll play a cheerleader. But I realized the other day – I’m probably too old to play a cheerleader now. I think realistically, I have to start letting go of the fantasy that I’ll have pom poms and wear a short skirt on the sideline.”

While Lynn may have given up on the pom-pom dream, she shares with us who her real-life cheerleaders are – her parents:

“They’re so supportive of every decision that I make. It’s funny because I never really expected them to be, it wasn’t until I was crossing the bridges that they presented themselves as supportive parents. Every time I’ve come to a crossroad, they’ve surprised me and have really been there for me. I have to thank them for that because it’s very difficult to stay in this industry when you have so many factors telling you negative things and telling you ‘you shouldn’t be doing this.’ Before I had my parents, now I have my husband, who tells me I’m not crazy for doing this. When you think about it, it’s just crazy! Why would anybody choose this life? But my family is just terrific, always pushing me on when I feel like what I’m doing isn’t worth doing.”

“Everyone has such an ego in this business, myself included.”

Lynn attributes her success to the strong network of supporters around her, but what advice would she give aspiring actresses who may not have such a strong support base? She discusses the sometimes brutal nature of the industry:

“My advice would be to not listen to any advice because there are so many people in this industry who will tell you they have the answers. Everyone has such an ego in this business, myself included. There’s a reason why we’re all in show business. I have heard many stories about how people have become successful and they’re all different. My advice is to take the criticism, and if it applies to you, then use it. I really feel very strongly that you have to have a balance. When you’re first starting in acting, it’s really all about sacrifice and just doing whatever it takes. As I’ve gotten more experienced in this business, I realized that you don’t really have to be so extreme. Saying no to a job or a situation that might not necessarily be very pleasant, it’s not going to ruin your career. If anything, you will regret it more if you end up doing than if you turn it down.”

To achieve the “balance” that Lynn speaks of, she says she is thoughtful about her career decisions. We asked her how decisions on which roles to play are made:

“It depends on a lot of factors. I made a lot of friends in this industry; if a friend asked me to do something, I’ll take it into consideration because I want to work with them. I know it’ll be a really fun work environment and a unique opportunity. It depends on what else I have going on in my life. It depends on financial need, sometimes I need to make enough money to pay for health insurance. You’d have to take jobs that you normally wouldn’t take to qualify for quota to have health insurance next year. There are a lot of different things. It’ll be really lovely if I ever reach the point where I can be choosy. The truth is you don’t choose your roles, they choose you.”

Lynn has worked with a bevy of talent, but who was the most fun? She raves about the unique opportunities she’s had working with David Boyle:

“He directed me in White on Rice and Surrogate Valentine. And then I got to work with him as an actor, on the last movie I did called Yes, We’re Open. Dave stepped out of the director’s chair and ended being an actor in a few scenes with me. It was just so much fun, I was like, “Whoa, is this the same guy who directed me? He’s goofy and fun.’ I just have the utmost respect for him, even though he’s a lot  younger than me. But I look up to him so much because I think he’s just such a talent. He would be one of those people I would say yes [to] without any hesitation. I trust him. I feel very lucky because I know it’s rare.”

Many actors branch out into other roles in the entertainment industry. Is that in the stars for Lynn? She shares that she is indeed already working on some “non-acting” projects:

“I’m currently writing a screenplay with a very good friend of mine who I collaborated on several projects with before we did a podcast called Actors Off.  She was one of the people who I started my food blog (The Actor’s Diet) with. Her name is Christy Meyers. She’s a very talented actress. We had started a screenplay together. It’s sort of our baby. We meet once a week. I know when the time comes to make this into a movie, we’ll definitely take the reins to be producers and creators because we want to make sure it’s made the way we want it to be made.”

 

“I remember the night market and of course, the food.”  

And, of course, we chatted with Lynn about Taiwan! When asked if she would consider doing work in Asia, she reveals that she has been yearning for an opportunity to visit Taiwan:

“I used to go [back] all the time when I was a little kid up until high school to visit family. I have very fond memories. I know it’s very different now. It’s very expensive to go to Taiwan so my husband and I have been waiting for an opportunity to bring us to Taiwan and make it so that it’s not quite as expensive and give us a reason to go besides sightseeing. That’s why I would love a work opportunity there. I hope something will present itself.”

What does Lynn remember most about Taiwan?

“I remember the night market and of course, the food. I remember how hot it was because we went in the summer. I remember mopeds and the KTV where people rented movies to watch in a room.  I also remember Voltron and Converse shoes that my mom wouldn’t let me buy in the U.S.”

Of course, Lynn remembers Taiwanese food, being the foodie that she is. We asked her where she goes for Taiwanese food in LA:

“I haven’t gone out as much in LA because my husband is vegetarian. It’s just the two of us. When I eat, I want meat so I don’t go out for Chinese food as often as I want to. There’s a place in Monterey Park that I want to try called Huge Tree Pastry, they have Taiwanese breakfast like 油條 (Chinese savory donuts) and that’s like what I fantasize about. When I’m on the East Coast with my family, all I do is eat Chinese food.”

When asked about her own cooking, Lynn shares her love for LA’s farmer markets and her opportunities to sample free food as a blogger:

“I go to the farmer’s market in my area every Sunday to get fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s all local and organic, which is one of the reasons I love living in LA. I supplement ready-made meals and leftovers. I make a lot of sandwiches and salads. For breakfast, I usually like to throw stuff into oatmeal and make crazy concoctions. I wouldn’t say I’m a good cook but that I’m good at putting flavors together. Lately, because of my food blog, I’ve had the opportunity to sample a lot of products that are already ready-made so I haven’t been cooking as much as I’d like to, partially because I’m too busy and too lazy and those packages are just there. My life as an actress is not financially fulfilling. I feel like I contribute to the grocery bills by blogging and getting free food.”

“I wanted to hold myself accountable in a public way.”

We asked Lynn how her blogs, The Actor’s Diet and Thick Dumpling Skin, were started. She shares with us a personal account of her struggle with eating:

“The Actor’s Diet started two years ago when I was taking a break from acting because I had an eating disorder from childhood. I was a binge eater most of my life and when I became an actress, I started being anorexic because I didn’t know how to control it. I started the blog then because I wanted to hold myself accountable in a public way, so that I couldn’t overeat, I couldn’t restrict my food, I just put it all out there. I took time away from acting so there was no pressure on the way I looked. I just said to myself, I’m gonna eat the way I want to eat, I’m gonna eat balanced, and I’m gonna stop putting emphasis on “good” or “bad” food. And whatever way my body ends up looking like, it’s gonna be what it ends up looking like. If people don’t like it, who cares! I had to learn that it is just their opinion and has nothing to do with me. So I started a blog from that.”

“I had always believed the stereotype that all Asian people are naturally skinny. Well, I was not naturally skinny. What’s wrong with me? “

“Thick Dumpling Skin came about because I heard Lisa Lee (former editor of Hyphen Magazine) do an interview on NPR about her struggles with weight and her experiences living in Taiwan on a forced diet. I had always believed the stereotype that you hear very often that all Asian people are naturally skinny. Well, I was not naturally skinny. I do gain weight. What’s wrong with me? When I heard Lisa, I thought, ‘I need to talk to this woman and see if we can do something.’ We didn’t know what we should do initially, maybe write a book or do a documentary and then we realized that we were both extremely busy people. We thought why not set up a community online, which became our blog. Now the site basically runs itself. We just act as editors and I’m really glad there are places to go. I just wish […] somebody who is more of an expert could help people out because Lisa and I have been through this but we are by no means experts. I’m hoping that the blog will continue to grow and eventually find an official home where it’s in good hands.”

It seems like Lynn has struggled through her body-image issues to a happy place now. We get her to dish on what part of her body she is most content with:

“I like my feet a lot. Sometimes I look at my feet and think, I can be a foot model. My toes are perfect. I love my feet. I like my body. I’m happy with it. I have a number of friends who are physically disabled and it’s very difficult for them on a day-to-day basis. The fact that I can walk and that I am active I don’t take that for granted at all.”

Lynn is down-to-earth, inspiring as an Asian-American woman with a non-conventional, yet very successful, career and truly relatable. Which one of us hasn’t had doubts about our career choices, dealt with Asian body- image stereotypes, or had a teeny obsession with food? It’s always great to know that we’re not alone. We can’t wait to see more of you on the big screen, Lynn!

Related Links:
Website: www.lynnchen.com
YouTube: LynnChenTube
Twitter: mslynnchen
The Actor’s Diet blog: www.theactorsdiet.com
Thick Dumpling Skin: www.thickdumplingskin.com

Interviewer : Candice Wang
Editor: Tiffany Hsu
Photographer: Chopper Platt