In the summer of 2006, Laura Dunn,
one of my best friends and VIP
eyelash clients, discovered that I
am a funny guy. So she tried to put
me in a music reality show as a
singer’s assistant. So, I started to
take improv classes at the
Groundling. Luckily, I met Ivana
Chubbuck who is a very famous acting
coach for many stars in Hollywood.
Ivana told me that she had a studio,
so I started taking acting classes
at her studio.
It was the first time that I had
taken an acting class in my life. I
read her book
“The Power of the
Actor.” I loved her ideas about 12
steps to break down a scene to
become natural acting. I audited
other high level classes and I just
loved to hear the teachers’
critiques of students’ scenes. I
have learned a lot about real human
behavior that I use in my real life
to affect others in positive ways
and get best results. I practice
taking-in other ideas and thinking
deeply, so I can digest them
entirely. Then I react back to them
properly.
In the mean time, also I took acting
classes in another school. I had a
total of 10 scenes with 10 different
scene partners when I was in the
introductory acting class. People
laughed very much during most of my
scenes. I did not know why,
honestly. I did not try to make it
funny and it did not feel funny, but
the audience really laughed and
enjoyed my scenes.
Two of my scene partners who had bad
critiques from our teachers,
complained that they could not act
with me well in the scenes because
they could not understand my English
well. I did not think that my
English was so bad at that time
because 8 other students told me
that they understood me well. Yes, I
had a “thick as sticky rice” accent
and I was foreign born. I agreed
with the teacher and apologized in
front of class, “my English was very
bad. I am sorry.” I thought that he
was right about my English. He told
me that “if people understand me,
they would appreciate what I am
talking about.”
When people put you down, you start
to believe it. After that, each
scene he spent more time to critique
my English than the acting
techniques that I needed to learn. I
felt like he put me on the operating
table and cut into part of me to
remove my “English cancer”.
After one scene my teacher told me
that he could not understand one
word. Then he announced in front of
the class that he would let me do
the monologue alone because he
wanted me to get better at speaking
English and he did not want my
English to bother other students in
his class. “Otherwise, I will throw
you out of my class,” he threatened.
I was suddenly bored and discouraged
with monologue. Plus, my family had
been laughing at me about my unreal
dream of acting. They asked me to
work hard like them to make money.
Better than wasting time and money
for a ridiculous dream. I thought
that I would stop acting classes.
However, my acting career would not
be destroyed by my bad English. I
would not give it up. Then one big
event happened to me at that time. I
went around auditing many classes
and I met Tasha Smith who is a
rising star actress and a teacher in
Chubbuck’s studio at the advanced
level. She saved my acting career.
She interviewed me and took me under
her wing in her class. She told me
that I was a funny guy. She engaged
me and told me she would help me for
6 months with learning the 12 steps
of Ivana Chubbuck. I would be a good
actor to compare with other
students. Also, I told her that I
would take an English pronunciation
class for reducing accent at UCLA.
I love Tasha’s critiques very much
and became addicted to the acting. I
attended her class regularly. Every
single word and idea she taught in
the class I understood very well and
her critiques stayed in my head for
application to my future scenes.
That was a very magical experience.
I could not believe it. She made my
hope more real and made me more
confident in my acting. She inspired
and lifted me up about my comedy. I
worked hard on the assigned
classroom scripts with her
encouragement and knowledge and
Chubbuck’s techniques. Finally, I
made it after 6 months; I had done
very well 3 scenes in a row with my
better English. The class laughed
and loved my scenes. Then I was
promoted to the master classes that
Ivana Chubbuck taught.
No bars, no shopping - acting
classes became my mental relaxation
and I enjoyed it as entertainment
for my leisure time. I enjoy making
others laugh during my scenes and
meeting new friends in the classes.
Acting is my love and my life now.
I found out that acting helped me to
learn and deal with others in my
real life. I remember Tasha telling
the students that if you don’t put
your real natural emotions in the
scene, your audience would not get
it. The audience won’t feel the hurt
if the actors don’t really feel hurt
in their scenes. I use this idea in
my real life. If others hurt me, I
will show them how much I get hurt
from them, and make them feel hurt.
Then they feel guilty and don’t hurt
me again.
I don’t worry much if I don’t become
a famous actor. If I do, that’s
good. If I don’t, it is my fun and I
have eyelash extensions to fall back
on for income - hehehe! However, I
am very passionate and serious when
I work and perform on my scenes. My
aim and my goal are to win on
whatever I spend my positive energy
on.
I am a better comedian today not
only because of my funny instincts,
but also because of Ivana Chubbuck’s
techniques, my good and devoted
teachers (Ivana and Tasha), and good
support from friends and clients. I
am so lucky to have these
experiences in my life. I have good
and serious training by Ivana at her
studio and private coaching with
Tasha. That makes my acting
technique more thickly richer with
many features.
Thank you for supporting and helping
me to continue making others laugh
and enjoy my entertainment. It is
great happiness when you give out
your passion to make others laugh
and be happy and have fun at your
performance. Don’t you think so?
From my sense and wisdom I believe
that my comedy instincts, weird
behavior, funny gestures and
mannerisms come from the passion of
my heart. I always try to make
others happy and give them pleasure
with my many varieties of positive
ways.
Here are some questions and
answers that others have asked me
about my acting career.
Q: What would be my favorite
role type in a movie?
A: Supporting and then
character actor.
Q: Why?
A: I found out that I have my
own unique character that makes
others happy and laugh around me. It
is my instinct.
Q: What am I selling?
A: I sell my passion to make
others laugh about many aspects of
life especially in ordinary everyday
situations.
Q: Who do I most want to act
with?
A: Jim Carey , Martin
Lawrence and other actresses.
