This A-Profiler we bring you Joyce F. Liu, actress and aspiring producer, who was the first Asian American contestant on the TV reality show I Wanna Be a Soap Star. Find out what Liu has been doing since the show, what soap opera she would love to be on, and what her advice is for aspiring soap stars out there.

Your site URL:
www.joycefliu.com

What is your ethnicity?
Chinese American

You were the first Asian American contestant on the TV show I Wanna Be a Soap Star which started its 4th season in August 2007.  How did you find out about the show and what was the audition process like?  What was being on the show like?
I watched the very first season of the show years ago but knew nothing about the audition. My friend, who was actually the one who wanted to be on the show, told me about the open call and asked me to go with him in support. It’s the classic case of when one actor goes in for the audition but the tag-along friend is the one who gets cast.

It’s just like the open calls that you see on American Idol. We all stood in line starting at 5 a.m. and got our numbers. The first audition was an improv where they paired you up with someone else in line and gave you a situation. You performed for a casting associate. If they liked you, you got a call back for that afternoon. At that point, they gave you 3 monologues to prepare and memorize, which you performed (1 of the 3) for a panel of producers. If they liked you, you received a call later that evening along with an email with 4 new monologues for you to prepare and memorize. The 2nd call back was the next morning and you also did 1 of the monologues but this time it was in front of the 3 judges. What you don’t see on the show is that there were also about 20 other network people in chairs, watching you from off-camera. I got the call that I had made it into the final 14 the following morning. At that point, we had to undergo blood tests, psychological exams, and criminal, work and credit history checks. It took about 3 weeks before I got the final call that I had made it to the top 10 and would be on the show.

Being on the show was intense. Fun, but intense. It was an acting boot camp with a new challenge every day. We were living and breathing acting for 24 hours a day. Just when you think you’ve got down time, you’re promptly pulled away to do an “On-the-Fly” interview or be asked to blog or talk into the “Confessional” camera.

I would tell any serious actor to try this but to be ready because it’s like being in the middle of the most intense finals week in school. Your biggest final is tomorrow, you just found out that the test covers 10 chapters that you never read, and you can’t just pass the test, you have to ace it or you won’t graduate. What? Stress? Where?

What projects have you been doing since then?  Have you received a lot of exposure from I Wanna Be a Soap Star?
Since filming Soap Star back in May, I finished the full run of a theater production and shot 2 short films that are currently being submitted to the film festival circuit. I’m also slated to film a few more independent films before the end of the summer.

Since the show started airing in August, I have received some exposure in the media on such shows as Access Hollywood and Reality Remix and in print media. I’ve mostly seen the impact in the Asian American arts community in Los Angeles because this has made me more recognizable among my peers and earned me credibility as not “just another dreamer who says she’s an actor” but as really a working professional. I’ve also been getting particular attention from the soap opera casting people, since they’ve really been the ones watching the show to scout for talent.

Otherwise, people don’t come up to me and ask for my autograph or anything. I have, however, run into strangers, like at the supermarket, who will say, “You look very familiar,” and with some probing will discover that I am the Asian woman on the Soap Star show that they watch. The fun part is when they ask me for the behind-the-scenes scoop and I get to see the excitement on their faces when I answer their questions.

If you had the opportunity to join the cast of any current soap opera, which would it be?
I would love to be a part of any soap that’s on air right now, because I think they’re all great fun and great opportunities. If I was pressed for an answer, I’d say Days of our Lives (of course), Santa Barbara (which sadly, was cancelled long ago), General Hospital, or All My Children.

How did you get started in acting?  Was acting something you always knew you wanted to do or has it turned into a surprising primary career choice?
I was a ham all throughout my childhood. My brother and I had Michael Jackson’s moves down, and in my mind I was the Chinese Whitney Houston. I didn’t actually start acting until I was a freshman in college, where I joined the Asian American theatre group, “hereandnow.” That’s when I started taking acting classes at UCLA and getting on stage. Although I always loved acting, I didn’t pursue it seriously until these last several years. I had the family and societal pressures to be “practical,” so it was only after going through several grueling years of graduate school for clinical psychology that I finally found the guts to pursue my real passion of acting.

You've also had some production experience in the past, is this also an aspect of the business you might be interested in as well?
Definitely. I’m currently pursuing a certificate in film production at UCLA Extension. It’s great to be an actress and to be able to put Asian American faces out there to be seen, but you often don’t have the power to make change. I want to portray the Asian American experience in a multidimensional way, but as an actor, you’re usually at the bottom of the totem pole and subject to the whims of the people driving the ship. I want to create projects that can effect change and open minds, which means that I need to step up and produce those projects.

As an Asian American actress, have you found available roles are limited?  Have you noticed any recent changes with more Asian Pacific Americans showing up in hit television shows?
The number of roles are increasing but I still find myself cringing when I see those roles—and I see them a lot—that call for those horrible stereotypes. You know what I’m talking about: the kung-fu fighting, Coke bottle-glasses nerd with chopsticks in her hair who works in a “massage parlor” and speaks English like Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. By the way, we also have a single strand of long, white hair growing out of the mole on our right cheek. I think we should be beyond that by now. This is, after all, the 21st century.

It’s funny how cyclical the business really is. Back in the early 90’s we had a number of studio films that showcased Asian American actors and we had the sit-com, All American Girl. Asian Americans were hot, hot, hot. Then it all died down and the roles dissipated. Fast forward ten years and Asian Americans are hot again. We’re showing up on the major networks again and in lead roles. This time the characters are much more complex and real, which is a step forward, but you still have Asian Americans playing roles where they have to speak with an accent or speak in Korean or Japanese. It’s 2 steps forward, 1 step back. We are making strides with every cycle but I think we’re going to have to work particularly hard this time to ensure that Asians aren’t just “trendy” for now but rather a permanent part of the fabric, especially Asian Americans.

You are a native San Franciscan who has transplanted to Los Angeles, have you adjusted to the LA lifestyle or are you still a Northern Californian at heart?  What do you miss about San Francisco?
I am and always will be a San Francisco girl. I believe the keyword here is “granola.” I’m very vocal about Asian American rights and representation because I grew up in a city where Asian Americans were empowered to make change. Sure, I use a lot more hair styling products and have enough of a tan where I don’t glow in the dark anymore, but that doesn’t change me on the inside. I miss the overall nature of The City, where it seems like most people have their feet planted firmly on the ground and the important things in life don’t revolve around fame, money or power.

What advice do you have for other aspiring soap stars out there?
1. Be good. Work on your craft and be so good that people will never for a moment think that you got cast just because of your ethnicity.

2. Look good. Be honest with yourself about your look and what you can do to look more “soapy.” That means, up your sexiness factor, be walking fashion plates, and get in shape. Unfortunately, these are—after all—soap operas we’re talking about.

3. Be real. Get to really know what’s important to you, who you are as a person, and where your boundaries are. That’s the only way you’ll keep your head on straight, not sell yourself out and not take the “business” too personally.

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This issue of A-Profiler is brought to you by Nelson Wong.
Special thanks to Joyce F. Liu.

Photos used with permission.
Copyright retained by original copyright holder(s).