We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Harrison Tran. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Harrison below.

Hi Harrison, thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

An important lesson that I learned during my college swimming career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (D1), which I’d say was a full-time job – being a student athlete – was to enjoy the process, by having an attitude of gratitude and not just focusing on the finish line. Those 4 years were the most physically and mentally difficult years of my life, after which the rest of my life feels like vacation, and what got me through them was this attitude of gratitude.

Today, when I juggle auditions, acting classes, my day job as a financial analyst, and food content creation, it’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling overwhelmed. Sure, self-care and a breather is often needed, but when I remember that this is what I’m here for and that I get to do exactly what I want to do right now, the stressors and hardships really don’t matter. And if I’m having a hard time seeing this, I can always look back to my student-athlete days and be grateful that I’m not dead tired and trudging around outside in negative temperatures in Wisconsin – I’m in paradise, in comparison!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m an actor with a background as a former D1 swimmer from Texas, and am currently also a financial analyst and Việt-Texas BBQ Fusion food content creator. My path into acting came a few years ago when I realized that storytelling has profoundly impacted me at pivotal moments in my life by teaching me important lessons, or helping me get through difficult times. When I thought about what I love about stories, I knew that it was the human side – to empathize deeply in order step into one’s shoes is what I aspire to be great at.

This led to my food content because I wanted to work on my voice as an instrument. Granted, I developed a BBQ obsession during Covid and have been immersing myself deeply in my Vietnamese roots, beginning with food, but the most important factor was the impetus of my aspiration to develop myself as an actor.

My unique style of content and personality is a result of how I’ve lived as a chameleon throughout the different stages of my life: a Vietnamese swimmer and student-athlete in Wisconsin, the first on my team to have an academic scholarship, a Texan in California, an actor who is also a financial analyst – the list goes on. What I enjoy is bridging the gap between these spheres and breaking down perceived walls between people. This is reflected in the unique and original unconventional recipes that I share and, I hope, my craft in breathing life into characters as an actor.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

When I first began my journey as an actor, it was fairly selfish in that I enjoyed immersing myself into the life of a character, empathizing with them, and stepping into their shoes and playing. But through my food content channel and through reconnecting with my Vietnamese roots, lately I feel called to bring people together.

For example, by creating fusion recipes, audiences are already familiar with one aspect and are then introduced to a new aspect. Through this, they are exposed to and hopefully become more receptive to different cultures.

From a more personal standpoint, I hope to help bring together Vietnamese people from all walks, whether they are Việt kiều (left Vietnam), Vietnamese-American, Vietnamese elsewhere, or Vietnamese in Vietnam. As I’ve grown closer to my Vietnamese identity, I cherish the cultural identity that we all share, even if there are differences because of where we’re from or how we grew up. I think that our core cultural fabric is beautiful, and I want to highlight it in my food content and exemplify it in my work as an actor and interactions with others in everyday life.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is that it enriches my life, even when I’m not creating. This happens because I learn about myself, other people, and the world through my work, and I come to know each of these on a deeper level. By knowing them more deeply, I, in turn, appreciate them all – this heightened attitude of gratitude just makes life better.

Contact Info:

• Website: harrisondtran.com
• Instagram: @harrisondtran
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091499093516&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@harrisondtran?si=lQ8omONij2Wvz1jA