This A-Profiler we bring you Dani Miura, an actress, model, vocalist who may look younger than she is but has veteran experience in the entertainment world. Perhaps most recognizable as her role as young girl on Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator, she also is working on her current album which she hopes to release at the end of 2008. Find out how she got started, if her young look has hindered her, and how she has managed to overcome anorexia.

Your site URL:
www.danimiura.com

What is your ethnicity?
I am half Japanese/Hawaiian, and Irish, German, Polish, French. Basically I have A LOT in me. Haha.

You've been singing and dancing since you were very young. Have you always had a love for music? Were you encouraged by your parents to pursue music?
From the time I could talk, I can remember just hearing songs once and memorizing them off of just that one time it would play. It amazed people. And I realized how over anyone at school, I would just sing my heart out. I'd be as loud as I could because I'd get so into it. No one could stop me at that point. I absolutely knew from the second I opened my mouth that this was what I wanted to do with my life. It's just a love for me that I couldn't live without. It's like breathing for me. Christian music has always been my calling. And my parents...they've always supported my music. They both actually sing and have AMAZING voices themselves and my uncle on my mom's side is a phenomenal guitarist. I'm talking Santana status. So music is in my blood. It's kind of a family thing. My little brother's taking it up now too. He's the lead singer in his band. It's pretty awesome.

How did you get your start in acting? What memories do you have of your first role?
Well first, I started in modeling. I got discovered in a mall at age 7. Then about a month or so later, after seeing my outgoing personality and how tiny and young looking I was for my age. They asked me if I'd ever considered acting. The funniest part is that not too long before that, I told my mom I wanted to be like those kids in the Captain Crunch commercials. Haha. Once I started classes, I knew this wasn't just a phase. It was my passion.

Which do you enjoy most, music or acting?
Oh gosh. This is a question I've never been able to answer and actually pick and choose. I honestly love them both equally. I'd love to get into something with acting AND singing. Like a "High School Musical" sort of thing. As cheesy as that sounds... Or something like "Across the Universe". Then I'd be in heaven!

Many people may have seen you on Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator. How did you get started with the program?
My manager knew my family background (My mom's a 911 communicator, my dad's a sergeant for the police, and my aunts and uncles are cops) so she knew I probably grew up with the knowledge of how the law works. It's important to kind of have a good understanding of what you're getting into with this type of program. So she asked me if I'd be interested. And, of course, I jumped at the chance! I absolutely loved the idea of being able to kind of get into the family business and do something good for the world, while still doing what I really love to do which is acting.

You've got a very young look to you, do you think that has helped or hindered you in getting acting roles?
You know what... It can honestly do both. I've mainly found that it's helped me. I mean, I don't get sent out to play 17 year olds very often because realistically if you look at me, you wouldn't think I even drive haha. So I mainly go out for the 13-14 year old roles and I have a much better shot at getting those. I've accepted the fact that I'm probably never gonna play my age. And it will probably be a long time before I even play in my upper teens. I find that there's a longevity to my career by looking younger. So I don't mind if I lose out on a few roles here and there by looking younger.

I understand you are planning on focusing on your music. What can you tell us about any planned album release? Are there any tracks currently available for fans to listen to now?
I'm actually going to be flying back and fourth to Nashville a lot this year to record. I'm crossing my fingers to have an album done by the end of this year. As for a release? Those things can take forever. I've also focused on writing my own music, so that takes a little bit of time as well. Even after you're done recording. Maybe next year sometime. Anyone can go listen to my latest tracks at: www.myspace.com/danijaydenmusic. Some are covers, but I have quite a few originals up there. And hopefully much more to come!

You've managed to overcome and deal with a lot in life, mainly dealing with anorexia and being diagnosed with lupus. Have dealing with such things made you stronger in your life? What advice do you have for others dealing with anorexia?
To me, it's all life experience. I'm so glad I went through it and came out a million times stronger. It's a fight, that's for sure. I've been 4 years without a Anorexic relapse. I think it's almost safe to say it's pretty much fixed. People say it can't be cured, that it's a disease... but my personal experience is that if you want to get better bad enough and you work super hard to get through it and not just "over" it. You can fix anything. If I can get through it, anyone can. I battled it for 9 years of my life. So I didn't really know what it was like to eat normally. But I had support and love all over the place. I saw how much it hurt my family and my friends. That was my motivation for stopping. Then it slowly become about me, and how I wanted to recover. As for my lupus, well that's another fight. But really... It's not so bad. I can think of SO many things that would be so much worse to have been diagnosed with. It's really made me a much stronger person. I'm a little more aware of the little things around me that are amazing. I live my life to the fullest everyday and I appreciate things I probably would have never appreciated before. Don't get me wrong, it's a battle. But it's all mind over matter and how you take care of yourself. If I had the mindset "I'm gonna die, so what's the point?" I would never get through it. You can live a perfectly long and healthy life with Lupus. It's all about getting through the bad moments by thinking positively and really utilizing the people in your life that love you. I know with out my family, my fiance Peter, and my best friend Megan to help me get through it and to vent all of my bad times to... I'd have a much harder time.

In your spare time, what are you favorite things to do? Hobbies? Interests?
I LOVE LOVE LOVEEEE to draw, song write, dance, and swim. I used to be a big time competitive swimmer before I moved out here. It was a choice between a professional swimming career or moving out here and pursuing my real passion. But I still love to go out and swim laps. Just for fun. And drawing is what I'm actually going to school for... Graphic Design to be specific. Songwriting and dancing are my big ways of expressing myself. If I feel like crying my eyes out or jumping for joy, those are the first things I do. I feel so good after doing them. It definitely keeps me grounded and away from all the bad things in Hollywood. I'm not at all a partier and I don't go to clubs... So I like to do things that will keep me on the right track and away from all of that.

What advice do you have for other aspiring artists who want to sing, dance, or act?
Honestly, if this is what you love... go for it. Don't hold back, don't be scared. Just do it. It's a hard business, but honestly, if you're patient, you work hard, and you stay positive you will get there. It's all about just believing that you can do it. There are some tough things to get through in the business. There's criticism, type casting, and a million things that they'll want to change about you. But if you embrace all those things and use them to your advantage, nothing will hold you back.

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This issue of A-Profiler is brought to you by Nelson Wong.
Special thanks to Dani Miura.

Photos used with permission.
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