This A-Profiler we bring you actress, model, Mei Melancon who has worked on X-Men 3: The Last Stand and the upcoming final season of Showtime's hit series The L Word. Find out how this actress got her start, what we can expect from her in the near future, and what we can expect from her character on The L Word.

Your site URL:
www.meimelancon.net

What is your ethnicity? You've spent a lot of time in many different countries, which has been your favorite so far?
My mom is French heritage and my dad is of Chinese Japanese. Though I was raised by mom and my step-dad since I was about 2 and he is American. I would say that I love Asia, each of the countries for different reasons. I have amazing memories from growing up in Japan and visiting Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. I learned from a young age about respecting cultural differences. I have to say when we moved to the States it was a big culture shock. I also did a movie called Irreversi over in Hong Kong a few years ago and loved the people there.

Have you always wanted to be an actress? At what age did you seriously pursue acting as a career? What inspired you to become an actress?
I always thought I would be a musician and singer, but I did perform in plays when I was a kid and have always had a need to express and communicate, so I knew my calling was in The Arts in some form or the other.

What have your parents thought of your pursuit of acting? Have they been supportive?
I've been making my own decisions pretty much about my life since I was 17 but I know they just want me to be happy and have always respected my choices. They are very open minded and are happy with whatever I want to do.

Your mother taught you to play guitar at age 5 and you were in a band as a child in Japan, do you still play? Play any other instruments?
I do play guitar and at one point was starting a band with friends though it never fully materialized. I love music and will always play guitar. I play some mean cowbells. ha! Kidding.

Prior to acting, you've done a lot of modeling. Was it a natural transition from modeling into acting for you?
I think the only similarity between the two would be the fact that you are in front of the camera for both jobs. I will never say that acting was a natural transition from modeling for me, it was a conscious decision I had to make. This is a difficult business and I learned pretty quick how hard it is to be successful or get any work at all. In my experience its taking a lot of dedication and I've had to really give 100%. Modeling feels like a completely different world where you can kind of dial it in. But, I'm thankful that I was able to model as it gave me the means and time off to be able to start going out on auditions and going to acting class.

What was it like playing the villian Psylocke on X-Men 3: The Last Stand? Did you get to interact with much of the ensemble cast?
Working on such a large film was a really really good experience for me, I learned a lot. I did get to interact with the cast and have to say it was a really awesome group of actors and working with Brett Ratner was fun too. I feel honored to of been part of it.

You are now working on upcoming 6th and finale season of Showtime's hit series The L Word starting January 2009. What can you tell us about your role and what we can expect from your character's story on the show?
Well, you will have to watch to see what you can expect. ha. But, I play a character named Jamie Chen who is a social worker and works with a shelter for kids in Los Angeles. I am proud to play her as she is a woman with a lot of conviction, really cares about people, and has a big heart.

What other projects are you currently working on? What has been your favorite moment in your acting career so far? What has been your least favorite aspect?
I just finished shooting a film called SHRINK with Kevin Spacey and Robin Williams. I play Kevin Spacey's assistant. It was probably the most surreal experience of my acting career so far. Kevin Spacey was really nice and such a class act and I got to improv a bit with Robin Williams and that was so fun.

When you are not working, what do you enjoy doing? Favorite foods to eat?
I love to visit museums, art galleries, and I like to try anything new. I also love doing things outdoors. My favorite foods I have to say are Ethiopian and Japanese.

What advice do you have to those looking at pursuing acting as a career?
To always be thankful for everything that comes your way and work really really hard and give even the small things your all. Don't give up if you feel that its something that you really want.

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This issue of A-Profiler is brought to you by Nelson Wong.
Special thanks to Mei Melancon and Cindy Collins.

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