Past & Present: Over the Moon ('13)

Q: What are you up to now?

A: At the moment I am getting ready to release Over the Moon, a Netflix animated movie musical that I've been working on for the last couple of years. It's about a young Chinese girl. Her mom dies at an early age, and when her dad wants to remarry, she decides to build a rocket to the moon and find the moon goddess Chang’e. Chang’e represents eternal love to Fei Fei, so she believes that finding Chang’e will prove that they should wait - it’s the best way to hold on to her mom. During quarantine, I have otherwise kept busy, I joined a theatre company that is making some socially-distanced immersive theatre and some other companies that are talking about equitable theatre. But a lot of the time I'm at home because theatre is shut down right now. So I’ve got quarantine hobbies like everyone else - painting, baking, making music. Decorating wise, I've made some pretty nice like layer cakes that are colored inside. Also, I've gotten some nice piping and icing tools and gone a little bit crazy with designs. I'm Chinese Filipino, so I've been trying to make Chinese and Filipino desserts. In preparation for this movie, I've been making mooncakes which are not great yet, but they'll get there. Also, Filipino desserts like brazo de mercedes and like ube flavored desserts!

Q: What did your life look like after MV?

A: I actually went to NYU for vocal performance. I think it was a little bit strange for kids coming from Silicon Valley to go into the arts. I hope it becomes more common. But I went to NYU because I could study singing, as well as get my general education, so if it didn't work out, I would have something to fall back on. But when I was there, I just got so into everything. That's when I really started doing theatre and started acting and getting into performance, and I was in a lot of shows. By senior year, we had a big showcase, and agents came to scout talent - that's where I got my TV/film/theatre as well as my voiceover agents. And so I've been auditioning ever since and had a few projects Off-Broadway, a few regional projects, and then of course, voiceover projects like this, like Over the Moon.

Q: What was it like working on this project?

A: I have been in and out of the studio for about two years. It's really just been ups, because the team that I'm working with is incredibly talented. So first of all, the director Glen Keane, he animated Aladdin, and Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. He's an amazing creator. So just anytime that you get into the studio with him and talk to him about this story and what he's seeing, it was very exciting. Because I don't work in animation normally! [...] On another hand, I mean, I'm getting to work with Asian artists who are my idols -Phillipa Soo, who was Eliza in Hamilton and Natasha in Natasha, Pierre, Sandra Oh, John Cho, Ken Jeong, Margaret Cho, and Kimiko Glenn - all of these people who I've admired are now, you know, people that I can talk to, and hopefully reach out to as mentors because I think that's what a lot of young Asian artists need. And then finally, it's just a dream come true, being able to play this young woman who is in STEM and loves her family so much that she would do anything for them. Whenever she faces a problem, she will get tunnel vision until can knock down the obstacle with critical thinking, and I just think that she's an important character for people to see. And of course, she's Chinese! I’m excited to get to share her culture as well. So every part of this project is pretty awesome! Oh, and she sings! You know, it's a really amazing musical. It’s incredible that I can share that part of my artistry as well - I love to sing.

Q: What do you want your future and career to look like?

A: Oh, well, for this project, I really hope that the Asian community is just as excited about it [...] I'm more proud of this project than anything I've ever done before, because I'm telling an Asian story that I think would have meant a lot to me, to have watched it growing up. And so moving forward [...] I hope I get to make projects that make people think [...] about what's important to them, their values. Otherwise, I hope that I get something in TV/film because it pays my bills. That would be nice.

Q: What do you think you learned from MV? A: I was in leadership and FBLA, and really spent a lot of my time, putting hours into MV. I think that's where I wanted to be, I wanted to throw myself into a different world and find a community that I could connect with all the time and take care of [...] There's always something that you can be fighting for at MV, whether or not it be a 4.0 or whatever, but I appreciate that it trains you. [...] Being in leadership, in class office and ASB, those interpersonal skills will take you very far. If you can get into a room, work hard, get the job done, all the while knowing how to be a leader and a listener - That's another thing that will take you far in your career and your life. People will like to be around you, [...] In every industry, networking is huge. Interpersonal skills are important [...] a lot of people are efficient and excellent at what they do, but if you can also make people happy as they work, you'll succeed.

Q: Were there any classes/clubs at MV that made you realize your interests?

A. No. I've grown up loving singing, but I just never really thought that it was a true viable career, to be honest. It's not that my family wasn't supportive of me. But it's just hard for a lot of kids of immigrants to try and pursue that. So if anything, MV made sure that I could kind of figure out how to find some stability, even if I was going to pursue the arts, which is important, because when you go full swing into the arts, it's hard on you. You have to know what you value, and it's okay to value stability at times more. [...] it just didn't seem like arts was an option. But it's because projects like this are coming out, and people are talking about media representation for Asian Americans and other minority groups, that, you know, hopefully, people's minds will change. So the more projects like this that come out, then the more kids might be able to convince their families that, you know, this is something that I should try. This is something I should really pursue and you should back me on this, and let's see how far we can take it!

Q: How is it trying to bring Asian representation to this project?

A: It's difficult to balance presenting Chinese culture to both an Eastern and Western audience. But all the people on this project - directors, producers, writers, animators - are dedicated to doing their research. That way they could build a world that was authentic, and then hone in on the viewpoint of my character. Through my eyes - a child's eyes - we see details that make this world feel like home for anyone, even if they've never been to China. I will also add that they tried to bring on as many Asians and Asian females as possible to the team. When you have a team that grew up with the culture, you don't have to worry about making a story feel more Asian. People just bring their family dynamic to the table. And anyone lost could get direction from someone who, let's say, visited that water town, or grew up with the story of Chang'e. With a team like that, I didn't have to focus on anything but my character.

Credits: Headshot by Emilio Madrid & Stills/Posters Courtesy of Netflix