Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Naomi Townsend. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Naomi, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I saw this question and immediately thought, how could I ever just pinpoint one moment? There was no single realization, but rather a series of experiences that gradually led me down an artistic path.

Growing up, I was convinced I’d be a ballerina, dreaming of joining a prestigious company like the Royal Ballet. I competed internationally, winning multiple awards, and performed classical ballet pieces with the renowned Conservatory of International Style of Cultural Arts (CISCA) in major cities across China. I loved every moment of it! But as much as I focused on technique, my teachers and competition judges always highlighted something else—my passion for storytelling. They noticed how completely I immersed myself in each piece, fully committed to expressing my emotions. That’s when I started to realize that what truly captivated me wasn’t just movement, it was the storytelling within the dance. Playing Clara, visiting the Snow Queen, stepping into those imaginary worlds, that’s what I loved most.

Then came Alice in Wonderland, my first musical at age 10—the first time I acted. Looking back, I remember spending my evenings after school practicing lines, trying to get ‘into character’. Playing the role of Alice was no easy feat for a 10 year old and I was seriously dedicated. I definitely didn’t know what I was doing back then, but what mattered was my commitment and the clear love I had for the arts.

Despite all this performing growing up, I equally excelled in academics, particularly humanities subjects. At one point, I even turned down a role in the Von Trapp Family in The Sound of Music tour to focus on my studies. So when it was time to apply to college at 17, I decided to apply for an English Literature degree in the UK, except for one school—NYU. NYU had a renowned acting program and also offered a double major so I thought I could maybe do both English and Drama. It ended up being the only place I applied for Acting. It felt like a risk, but I figured, why not? And when I got in, I took it as the final sign to just go for it.

To be honest, it wasn’t until I started training in Meisner at NYU that everything truly clicked. I realised that acting, whether on screen or stage, is a way to make people feel seen and understood. And that is all we seek as human beings. I want to portray unique perspectives and underrepresented voices. Each step of storytelling, from my early days as a dancer to every role I take on now, has deepened my passion for this path. And with every performance, whether through acting, dance, or song, that feeling only grows stronger, reaffirming that this is exactly where I’m meant to be.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve always been passionate about the arts and throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to gain recognition across multiple disciplines. When I was younger, I had no clear roadmap, but in hindsight, taking on such a wide range of artistic projects shaped my path. Each experience, though different, fed into the next, expanding my creative perspective and ultimately leading me to where I am today.

Before the age of 18, I had already won multiple international awards at The American Dance Awards, Taiwan Grand Prix, American Dance Competition and more. This recognition had opened gateways in the dance world, including a scholarship to the Vienna Opera Ballet short program as well as an acceptance into the Birmingham Royal Ballet. I modelled for luxury brands like David Charles and Cissonne and starred in a headlining commercial for China Pacific Insurance Group, one of China’s top three insurance companies. I also performed the titular role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland at the Shanghai Children’s Arts Theatre and Lena in the pilot Orange Cube Project which premiered at Shanghai Film Group cinema. Yet, despite these artistic endeavours, I still wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to pursue acting.

So when I started at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, I felt very new to it all. I wasn’t a theatre kid, I was just a girl that enjoyed performing and telling stories. I realised that because of my complete newness to acting, I absorbed everything like a sponge, which led me to making the Dean’s list for two consecutive years. I auditioned and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) Shakespeare Program, the most popular NYU abroad program for actors. Whilst in London I signed with my wonderful British agent, even though I was still finishing up school. When I returned to New York for my final semester, I signed with my manager at Authentic Management—an incredibly rare opportunity for an international actor, especially before graduating. Authentic represents some of the industry’s top talent, including this year’s Academy Award winner Mikey Madison and last year’s nominee Lily Gladstone, making it even more surreal to join their roster. Around the same time, I was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art’s highly coveted BA program but ultimately chose to stay in the U.S. to pursue major opportunities, including final callbacks for Romeo and Juliet on Broadway and The Red Shoes at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London.

Since then, my career has taken off in exciting ways. I recently wrapped American Girl at A.R.T. New York and am now playing the lead in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, a sharp, timely play about corporate PR disasters and cultural identity. I’m also looking forward to the premieres of two films I shot last summer: Each Solitary Moment, a Chinese-language film by Cannes-screened director Jing Wen Fang, and Going Dark, a psychological thriller that explores power dynamics within a theater class at an all-girls Catholic school. Up next, I’ll be leading Harriet, Lylah and The Spider, a film set in New York’s Chinatown, a place that holds deep significance for me.

Every project I embark on feeds into my ever-evolving artistic journey. I feel fortunate to have met so many people along the way—my mentors, my collaborators, my directors—all significant inspirations to my future work and deepening my dedication to the craft.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

During my first semester at NYU in 2020, I landed the lead role of Lena in Orange Cube Project, a sci-fi pilot written and directed by Mark Siegemund and backed by a team of established Shanghai creatives. Filming took place in Shanghai, while I was attending NYU remotely due to COVID. There was a 12-hour time difference between Shanghai and New York, meaning my NYU classes ran from 9 PM to 3 AM local time, a time adjustment difficult in itself.

However, the real test came with the shoot schedule for the pilot. Many of my scenes were shot at dawn to capture the perfect light which meant that after finishing my NYU classes in the middle of the night, I would head straight to set at 5 AM… Sounds absolutely crazy to look back on now but I managed! Balancing coursework with the demands of a professional film set taught me immense discipline, adaptability, and resilience.

Time management and endurance is so important for an actor. I see that experience as one of the most formative moments in my career, one that challenged me to work under extreme conditions without compromising on performance, committing to the intensity of this industry.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Knowing that the story you are telling can touch people’s hearts in different ways. That’s everything. It is reading a script and immediately knowing that audiences will resonate with it. It is then being able to portray that role with truth so that the people watching can feel the same. It’s when a stranger, in a different country, watches your work and suddenly feels a little less alone. Empathy is what connects us as people. It is what people seek, and I have said this in this interview earlier, we, as people, just want to be seen and understood. As an artist, I can only hope to open people’s hearts and minds with my performances—that is the most rewarding aspect.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: naomi.townsend
• Other: IMDB: Naomi Townsend

Image Credits

Justin Chauncey Photography, James Dipietro