This A-Profiler we bring you actress Yin Chang who is current seen on the hit TV show Gossip Girl portraying the character Nelly Yuki. We caught up with Chang to find out how she got her start in acting, how she landed the role on Gossip Girl, and how she also runs a handmade jewelry business with her sisters.

Your site URL:
www.yinchangofficial.com

What is your ethnicity?
My dad is Taiwanese and my mom is Chinese, Malaysian.

You've been acting professionally for a few years now, how did you get started in acting? Was acting something you always knew you wanted to do or did you get into it unexpectedly?
About two and half years ago, I flew to Los Angeles for an acting competition and won 1st place in four different categories that I was in. The competition also allowed us to showcase our talent to the industry where several agents and managers expressed interest in representing me. My mom didn't want me to move from New York to work with agents or managers that were located in LA, so I signed with a manager in NY. My manager introduced me to agents that were also located in NY. Right after that, I started auditioning under their representation.

Acting is something that was always embedded in me. When I was younger, I always loved entertaining my family, relatives and family friends. I'd act, sing (or at least tried to sing) and dance every chance I had. When I was about five years old I would purposely stand right in front of the TV and block everyone's view so they had no choice but to watch me, haha! I would also watch my favorite Disney movies religiously until I memorized every song and almost every line. I remember my family and relatives sitting on the couch with gigantic smiles on their faces, laughing and clapping away. My grandma, especially, always encouraged me to act, sing and dance when I was younger. Even if my singing wasn't exactly soothing to her ears, she'd still say that I was fantastic. I wish she was still with us today, I know she would have had a good laugh watching Nelly Yuki with her different over-sized and colorful glasses.

What did your parents think of your desire to become an actress? Were they supportive?
My mom was a bit skeptical at first. In high school, she wanted me to pursue a career in pharmacy or business. But during my senior year of high school, I acted in a play called The Laramie Project and it was one of my best experiences in school. That summer, my mom surprised me when she decided that I should try acting for fun and to see if I was really passionate about it and where it would take me, on the condition that I continue my education. I'm currently in my senior year of college and I'm studying a double major in media and creative writing.

Both my parents are very supportive about acting, especially for an Asian family. My grandpa is extremely supportive! He has two PhD's, one of which he earned from NYU and the other an honorary doctor of art conferred by De Montfort University Leicester, UK. He was a professor at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor as well as at the University Science Malaysia. (I'm really proud of my grandpa!) He's always encouraging me to chase after my dream and no one in my family dares to disagree because he is very wise.

I know you asked if my parents are supportive, but I just had to mention my grandpa and I also have to mention my other family members who have been just as supportive since day one. My aunts, Leeann, Kelly and Christine, have always encouraged me and pulled me right off the ground when I felt like giving up. My aunt Kelly always put me first before herself and drove me everywhere and I'm very grateful for that. My younger sisters are the best sisters anyone could ever ask for. They always help me run my lines for auditions, even if it means staying up way past their bedtime. I know for a fact that I wouldn't have booked the roles I did without their help. I'm truly blessed and extremely grateful to have such a loving, supportive and encouraging family and friends.

You are currently portraying Nelly Yuki on the hit TV series Gossip Girl. How did you land that role and what was the audition process like? Have you been enjoying your role? What is an average day on the Gossip Girl set like for you?
My agent and manager submitted my information to the casting director of Gossip Girl and then I was called in for the audition. I remember rushing from class to the audition and I was stressing out because I thought I'd be late, so I grabbed a cab but we were stuck in horrendous traffic. I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack! After the audition, I rushed back to school for another class and then I got a call from my manager that afternoon for a callback the next morning. I was thrilled! After my callback, I was confident about my performance but after a few days went by, every last bit of hope I had, started to wither away. I remember being so sure that I didn't get the part because it was only about three days before the shoot. My family and friends kept telling me not to jump to conclusions yet and to wait it out a bit. So needless to say, when my manager called with the news, literally two to three days before the shoot, I almost couldn't stop screaming from excitement. After that, I went into complete shock. I didn't want to believe it until I started filming.

I never realized that Gossip Girl had such dedicated fans until I started filming. When we filmed on the Metropolitan steps, for one of the scenes back in April, there were at least 100 people crowded around. There were lots of girls screaming with joy and paparazzi following Leighton when she walked back to her trailer and the same happened with the rest of the cast. I was really shocked to witness such dedication from fans! I think it's really wonderful and flattering since the Gossip Girl fans are the ones who keep the show running.

Shooting for Gossip Girl is a nice experience, the crew members are very hardworking and everybody gets along with each other. The average day of Gossip Girl is always quite unpredictable. But lately I've had 5:30am-6am call times and we'd film throughout most of the day.

I understand that originally the Nelly Yuki character was conceptualized differently than a nerdy character. Might we expect some character development beyond the stereotypical, nerdy Asian character?
Yes, Nelly Yuki's character description was originally completely different from the nerdy one you see now. For the audition and callback, she was characterized as an Asian Upper East Sider in her junior year who's "beautiful and sexy without much effort, supremely confident", effortlessly smart and an over-achiever. The day before the shoot, I was told the producers decided to change Nelly Yuki up a bit and opted for a geeky, super-smart Asian girl. As you can see, Nelly Yuki's appearance completely snuck a 180 on us at the very last minute. I was kind of shocked because I never knew characters could be changed in such short notice, but it's been fun playing a nerd for the first time.

I honestly do not know if my character will be developed further than what she already is. Of course I would love for that to happen but I don't know anything until I have the script in my hands, which is usually a few days before we start shooting.

Are you working on any other projects in the near future? What would be your ultimate dream role?
I'm currently still working on Gossip Girl and I'm pretty busy with school and making jewelry. I've missed quite a few classes last semester due to filming and auditions but I've been really lucky not to delay any semesters, I'm a senior and I want to graduate on time! Hopefully I won't be missing too many classes this semester.

My ultimate dream role? Wow, I have quite a few. In the future, I'd love to play a character who is a positive impact to her community, holds a high position, and balances all that with her family life. As for now, I'd have to say my ultimate dream role would be a main character with superpowers, similar to X-men, I definitely wouldn't mind playing the villain either. Playing a vampire sounds pretty cool too!

You also run your own handcrafted jewelry company called LeliMelo. How did that get started?
Yes I do! When I was a senior in high school, I was really serious about a career in fashion design. I wanted to sell clothes online but in the end I decided jewelry instead. The staff of my high school and teachers and several students were so wonderful and encouraging that they bought a few things. That whole experience made me really confident in starting a jewelry business. I told my parents about it, and as the owners of their own company, naturally they encouraged me to go for it. When it came to naming my company, I wanted something that resembled what I love more than anything or anyone. Of course, my sisters were the answer, so I combined the first four letters of their names and voila, LeliMelo!

When I have the chance, I always sketch new designs and create them. I work with precious and semi-precious stones, pearls and beads, as well as the ancient lost wax technique. I'm self taught when it comes to creating jewelry with sterling silver and gold. I learned how to make rings out of wax from a professional jeweler last year and I've learned other techniques of creating different types of jewelry with wax through a book. I also attended classes at F.I.T. out of curiosity and I wanted to apply new skills to my work.

In high school I had a plan of selling jewelry first and then branching out to my own clothing designs and beauty products. But I've been sticking with jewelry for awhile now and I'm really happy with it, but you never know, things can always change!

When not running the jewelry business and acting, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Hobbies? Favorite foods or restaurants?
I love to write, most of my writings are inspired from actual events and people in my life. I like to play around with characters, stretch their personalities and put them in different situations. I really enjoy walking around the city; you can find me wandering almost anywhere, especially Central Park. There's just something so exciting yet serene about the city that you can't find elsewhere. I was in New Zealand for about a month this past summer and spent time with some of the most wonderful people who I consider family and it was amazing, to say the least. I wanted to stay there as long as I could and was pretty adamant on leaving the chaotic New York life behind. But one day I watched Hancock in Christchurch and once they showed the scenes of New York City, I started to get pretty homesick. Nothing is ever sweeter than home.

I also love to play the piano, read, cook, bake, and spend quality time with my sisters, my family and friends.

My favorite food is Japanese, I love sushi! My favorite area to eat is in St. Marks, I love the food shops there like May’s Sushi Place, Yaffa Café and Pommes Frites. I also adore cozy little shops like Alice's Teacup.

And finally, what advice do you have for other aspiring artists out there?
Don't give up. I know it sounds cliché, but it's true. I’ve booked a few guest spots on TV and national commercials here and there but they weren't consistent. Thank goodness I have a very loving and supporting family and other things to keep me busy, or I would have been a bit upset. Just consistently study your craft, work hard and keep auditioning. If you don't land the audition, think of it as practice. I know rejections are hard, but try not to take it personally. And it's always best to do other things besides acting so you have something else to concentrate on if you don't get a role. I think a lot of luck and timing also play a huge role in it. It makes me upset when I hear my actor-friends giving up their dreams. I know their time will come where a role is just perfect for them, and it wouldn't be fair to them if they just gave up. Sooner or later, you'll get there! The very best of luck!

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This issue of A-Profiler is brought to you by Nelson Wong.
Special thanks to Yin Chang and Wayne Chang.

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