Rising Taiwanese, Culver City-based actress Angie Lin is earning well-deserved attention for her scene-stealing role as Jennifer in Baby Day, one of the one-act plays featured in the larger Motel 66 production. That has now wrapped, but Lin has plenty going on. She stars in the award-winning indie film ‘Dive Into The Blue’, which has earned her Best Actress honors from both the Top Shorts Film Festival and the New Creators Film Awards. Lin spoke to the News about all of that and more…
When did you get interested in acting, start acting, and when did it get serious?
I’ve been interested in acting since I was a baby! My memory goes back as early as 4 years old, sulking on a swing after telling my best friend “I can’t be friends with you anymore because I’m going back to Taiwan soon and I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” I grew up going to Broadway shows with my family, visiting Disneyland and Universal Studios often, watching cartoons or anime at home, and reading Mangas. When I got older, watching Korean drama was also a big part of family time. I think these memories with family surrounding entertainment really fostered a love for acting and enriched my imagination. Throughout childhood, I performed in ballet shows, speech contests, high-school theater shows, etc. and even turned several class projects into music videos or mini movies. I was very active in the choreo scene during college as well.
However, it wasn’t until 2021 when my fantasy turned into a career. I had been very lost post-college. Out of fear for regrets, I decided to give myself a real chance to become an actress before I turn 30. I began taking classes, submitting to gigs, building my materials, and looking for an agent. The rest is history!
What was your first professional role?
I played Maya Rai in The Plaza, which was shot in 2021, now streaming on Cpics TV. My name was still “Angela Lin” back then. It was my first time signing a contract, getting paid as an actress, having an RV, experiencing professional makeup and costume! The Plaza is a mocumentary comedy about a small strip mall in Los Angeles run by immigrants. Maya Rai is a reserved but diligent restaurant worker who never complains, slacks off, or asks for help until her stress explodes one day and shocks her boss. Their bond strengthens over time as Maya learns of his personal struggles, and he learns to respect Maya’s boundaries. She might have developed a little romance with the boy next door too! (If the plaza’s hottest chick doesn’t steal him from Maya).
It was interesting to see how fast-paced TV shows are and develop a character over a longer period. I felt like I was growing with the character. As Maya became more confident and outspoken, I also believed in myself as an actress more. From then, I proceeded to reach many more milestones in my career!
How long have you lived in Culver City? How influential has the city (Screenland) been
on your career?
Culver City has always been the entertainment hub of LA in my mind, since I lived around the area for 3 years when I was still in a corporate job at Century City. I would pass by the grand= entrance of Sony every day, wishing I was in one of the cool cars that drove into the lot. The giant rainbow is not only an icon, but its colorful spirit truly emanated throughout the city. Now that I am a professional actress, Culver City is still the perfect pocket of LA to have coffee chats with other creators.
How was the Jennifer in Baby Day experience?
It was exhilarating! Baby Day is such a fun script and the director Lee Redmond really respected my artistic choices, so I felt incredibly free to play, explore and bring my own flavors into the play. Jennifer is such an unapologetic powerhouse who knows what she wants, what she deserves, and takes no bullshit. It’s quite heartwarming to see that this is the kind of role I am playing now, in comparison to the more reserved roles I used to play.
As the shows went on, my co-stars and I added more layers to our relationship and little details that created a more nuanced dynamic. Like ‘The Plaza’, I love it when we get time to dive deeper into character work and make the story our own. I can proudly say that the audience saw a different version of the play each show!
Also, the Dive Into The Blue film…
Dive Into The Blue will always have a special place in my heart. It was filmed during a pivotal point in my personal life. As an artist, I don’t believe we can truly separate our personal lives and career, because so much of our life experiences feed into our creative work. I poured all the vulnerability I was feeling at that time into the film, and I am happy to see that Dive Into The Blue has found its success around the world.
What else do you have coming up?
I have two feature films ‘S.O.S.’ and ‘DTLA’ coming up. S.O.S. follows a young girl who desperately wants to be a part of the local underground Skate/Music Collective S.O.S. Along her journey, we move through the lives of other people living in LA who crossed paths in one way or another, exploring vertical slices of their lives. DTLA follows two homeless men who found their own ways to survive in the streets of Los Angeles. After they lost a friend who suffered from PTSD, they went on a mission to complete his dream of purchasing an RV, in hopes to travel to Bay Area and reconnect with family members.
I also have a short film Withdraw coming up. It was shot on 16mm film and sponsored by Kodak. Withdraw centers around a financially strained medical student, Jesse, who becomes
entangled in a shady surrogacy program, where she faces the brutal realities of human
exploitation and moral compromise. A black and white silent film No Regrets that I wrote, directed, starred in and edited, will be screening at Broad Humor Film Festival in Santa Monica on 8/31. Another black and white silent film Cost Of Joy that I wrote, directed, starred in and edited, will be screening at Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, Paladino d’Oro Sport Film Festival, and Houston Comedy Film Festival.
Also keep an eye out for my Purina commercial. It is, without a question, my favorite job so far! I just came back from Jackie Chan Stunt Team Action Film Camp in Beijing as well, and they will be making a documentary about our camp soon!
Visit angielinofficial.com for more information.