We were lucky to catch up with Becky Wu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Becky, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

To start off, the question should be for me is, what did my mother do right? Unfortunately, my father has been pretty absent since I was 11 years old so hardship started at an early age, however, my mother did the lifting for 2 after he left and it showed me what a strong, independent woman looks like and how to process grief, struggle and fight hard for yourself. I have countless stories about my mother, who sadly passed away in 2024 when I was in my early 20’s. She did leave an indelible mark on who I was and was to become. My mother was always head strong. She loved life and finding joy in all things. She wasn’t perfect, but she was incredible at teaching you life lessons. She exemplified the adage “lead by example.” She was compassionate and put others first without neglecting herself. She loved to no end and I felt that growing up. Even in my rebellious teenage years where I had to have an intervention due to partying and staying out late or not coming home at times, she fought to show me how much I was loved and that she would never give up on me.
No matter if you are an artist, business owner, or any other profession, life gives you challenges, trauma even, and we have to see ourselves as human first. My mother taught me to be a good human first and foremost and that is what I’ve brought into my artistry and profession. Empathy and compassion in all things! My mom went through some hardships when my father left her after 17 years of marriage. I was 11 at the time. My mother struggled to raise 2 teenage girls on her own, went against the grain and sought help from outside sources. For Asians, especially in the 80’s and 90’s, therapy was for “crazy people.” She put her pride aside and was progressive in her approach to healing and dealing with mental health issues. When my parents were married, there was a point in my fathers career where he was very successful and doing great financially. He told my mother that she didn’t need to work anymore. My mom felt that she still wanted to make her own income and wanted things for herself so she kept her full time job at the USPS as a clerk all while still raising 2 daughters. While raising my sister and I, I saw my mother seek spiritual guidance. She became a buddhist. Before my mother passed away, she asked me to seek spiritual guidance. She said I can choose my own and that I didn’t have to follow her path but she said, “when you are at your depth of despair, you won’t be able to pull yourself out on your own. Something bigger and greater than you will be able to help pull you out.” It was like foreshadowing what life can bring and she knew that hardship was to come. When are you in the arts, everyday can be a grind. When you are building a business, you question whether you are good enough to execute the asks of your clients. My mother taught me to love myself because she loved me so much and never gave up on who I could become as a human. So now, I can walk with confidence in myself, in my craft, in my business and how I treat others in all aspects of life. I wanted to talk more specifically about the arts or my business for this article but felt lead to talk about my foundation as a human being and the strength I was blessed to have with my mother as an example. I am very lucky indeed.

Becky, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m the founder/owner/Casting Director of Orange Street Casting which focuses mainly on Commercials, Promos, Music Videos, Film, Industrials, Print, Web and New Media and live events. I am also an seasoned actor. I had always been in front of the camera for years and with the many auditions I had been on, I was given an opportunity to work at a casting office and quickly rose to become a partner in that casting office. Several years later after that fateful opportunity, in 2017, I opened up Orange Street Casting. I feel very blessed to be working on both sides of the camera. I see things that demystify Casting and as a CD, I understand what actors go through on a visceral level. On top of having a creative mind, I have a business sense and I think a great work ethic. I want to give 150% no matter how large or small the job is. Being a woman of my word, having confidence in my expertise and responsiveness in my work is very important in what I want my clients to receive from me. Besides being able to deliver their needs and to exceed expectation, it’s very important to have good beside manner. How you communicate and connect to others is important for continued success.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that you get to see your vision or your collaboration on a vision come to life.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a creative, a big lesson I had to unlearn is that it’s ok to say no. This actually is very important as a creative and as a business person. As an artist/actor, you’re afraid of ever saying no, thinking you may be burning a bridge, or missing out on something, fear that no one will ever offer anything again, even if you are compromising a part of you by doing it. As a business owner, you may be afraid to say no to a job also because of fear that you may not get hired again. This is all untrue. I believe we all have to pay our dues when we start out in anything but if you put out good work consistently, your imposter syndrome starts to die away and realize your self worth and that NO is more powerful than you think. Saying no can make room for bigger and better things. You define that for yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.orangestreetcasting.com
• Instagram: @orangestreetcasting
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/becky-wu-4324b11b

Image Credits

Headshot Photo’s by Kane Lieu of @Kanephotography