Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Chin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Melissa , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
This is a tough one for me- I would say that deep in my subconscious I always knew I wanted to pursue a creative path, but was too afraid to do so. I was raised in an ethnic household, my parents being Chinese but from Jamaica. Deviating from the typical doctor/lawyer career path is unfortunately not held in high regard in my family. Thankfully, now my parents are slowly beginning to accept my decision.
Since I was a child, I discarded any inkling of consideration to pursue a creative career in the future. When I graduated college with my B.S. in Criminology and a minor in chemistry, I had every intention of tackling the vigorous journey of medical school. I was an A- student, the overachiever type if you will, and as I began studying for my medical school entrance exam I realized that my heart wasn’t in it. I had gone to an arts middle school as a kid (Progress Village Middle Magnet School) and developed my love and passion for music through band, as well as discovered the world of musical theater. I believe my middle school was so instrumental in shaping me as a scholar, creative, and the person I am today. However, through my middle school and high school years, I was only ever an ensemble member in 4 musicals. Additionally, my whole life I’ve been in front of a camera because as a child, my mom incessantly took photos of me. In high school, I had a friend who had gotten into photography and always asked me to model for her.
My mom had (funny enough) done acting throughout her late twenties. She had an agent and had done many industrials, workplace trainings, and extra work throughout her time as an actor, but had quit because of the unpredictability of the industry. She told me about her acting experiences as a kid, and when I expressed interest in trying to follow her path, she never helped me towards that goal. However, when I decided that medical school wasn’t for me in 2020, I found an acting class, took industry-standard headshots, got an agent, and began booking gigs. I had always had it in the back of my mind to pursue, and finally took the leap!
My very first time on set was exhilarating and I felt it in my soul that this was where I wanted to be. It felt so right. I believe that God gives us passions for a reason, and I found myself dreading any other idea of work EXCEPT for acting. Sets are where I wanted to be. I love the variety this career path brings- every set I’m on, I’m a different character, and I’m constantly meeting new people who are so wonderful and genuine. I like not having the same routine every week, I am not the kind of person who could work the same 9-5 job every day. I love to create, and although it’s stressful not “knowing if you’re going to make it in the industry”, I’m loving and embracing the journey.
Melissa , 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 am an actor/model in the Tampa Bay area for commercials, film, and TV. Acting is such an unpredictable industry, and it’s never the same every day. I began my acting journey when I realized I desired variety and despised 9-5 jobs with repetitive monotonous tasks. Although I could consider myself a leader, I prefer to be a smaller piece in a bigger puzzle. I don’t need to be the mastermind behind a vision or the CEO/Head creator of a project, I love helping someone achieve their creative vision and I believe that’s exactly what an actor does. I love the experience of bringing an idea to life on a screen.
One of my acting coaches, Jen Jarackas told me something that sticks with me as I move through my auditioning journey. Each actor has their very own personality, take, and interpretation of a character. We need to stay true to ourselves and how we embody that. A problem many actors encounter is that sometimes the casting directors have a specific vision in mind and even if you give the best performance of your life, it doesn’t always fit what they pictured in their heads. On some occasions, you can change their mind by allowing them to see the character done in a different way than they imagined. Regardless, always use what YOU have to bring, and that’s what I believe sets me apart from other actors. Nobody else can be like me, or bring to the table exactly what I have because each individual is unique.
Currently, what I’m proud of is just my ability to be a working actor. I am regularly booking jobs, I consistently audition, I have a manager that I love, and commercial and film agents that are wonderful. I never envisioned I would be here, and I’m beyond proud of myself for taking the leap despite opposition from people close to me. As a first-generation child of immigrants, it’s an extremely hard feat to go against your parents wishes for a stable career in something so unpredictable such as acting. Being where I’m at is a miracle and I’m beyond excited to see where my journey takes me next.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the hardest lessons I had to unlearn was the method of deep and personal networking on a set. Throughout my life I have been taught how to network with people, however, networking on a set is a different ball game. I learned that it was inappropriate to strike up a conversation with the main talent while on a hot set (during filming), and to save deeper interactions with them during lunch breaks or after wrapping up the project. Not because of any background to main talent hierarchy, but simply because they’re trying to focus and work. To distract them is frowned upon.
When I first began acting, I would attempt to connect with everyone on set and would notice that certain groups of people would stick together. The crew would stay with the crew, the main talent would stay with the main talent, and the background talent would stay with the background talent. This often confused me as a new actor and I would make every effort to mingle with all groups to get to know the people I was working with. I worked on sets with a few name actors, and while it’s alright to wave and nod in their direction, I wanted to know them, I wanted to connect. I wanted to ask them about their journey, their experience, and their advice. Some would be curt and short with me while others would be friendly while keeping conversations short. When they would be short and curt with me I would often think that they may just be a rude person and I felt personally hurt by this interaction. As time progressed and I began to experience the dynamics on set, as well as landing my own main talent roles, I realized that they may not have been a rude person. This was simply work, and although they may want to socialize they needed to “get in the zone”, remember their lines, focus on their character, or ground themselves. Some actors need to be alone with no distractions in order to bring their best performance, others need to breathe, and others can have a friendly interaction while on set and be perfectly fine. Everyone is different, but as a rule of thumb I had to learn to not take short and curt interactions personally, and it is inconsiderate to be striking up a long deep conversation with the main talent that is trying to focus. If I was about to film a scene and I wanted to focus on what I needed to say while living in the moment, it would have been hard if someone was coming up to me trying to ask me questions while I was trying to work.
On my first movie set, I worked with an actress that I admired and wanted to speak with. I approached her between takes and introduced myself. She was very friendly and I began a conversation with her. We had a lovely interaction, but as we progressed in conversation, I noticed she was holding her script in her hand, and she began to look disengaged. I realized that maybe she was trying to focus and as soon as I was about to exit, she kindly but curtly told me that she was trying to focus on the script. Immediately I realized my mistake and apologized. When I began to book roles as main talent I began to understand the need to focus on the script before going on camera.
Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in networking on sets and getting to know the people you are working with, but within reason. Now, I briefly introduce myself, connect, and continue on my way until there is a break or the project wraps. Respecting an actor’s space on a set is important for professionalism and their focus.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
The goal or mission that I have is to spread joy and love wherever I go. I want to be a genuine light in a place that is notorious for being toxic and dark. I want to create beautiful films, and I would love to be in more films and TV shows. I want to inspire others to follow their dreams with mine, and I want to continue on this journey because I truly enjoy creating. For me, I don’t care if I become an A-list actor and make it to the Oscars although that would be nice, but just knowing that I’ve been a part of beautiful projects that I’m proud of and can share with other people is an accomplishment for me.
Some film and TV goals of mine are to be in a show like Cobra Kai, The Summer I Turned Pretty or a sitcom-style show because I absolutely love comedy. I have a background in martial arts and I would love to be in films that allow me to utilize that skill and integrate it with my acting. Commercial wise I would love to do more theme park commercials as well as travel commercials for destinations, resorts, or hotels.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @mac_melissa
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.chin.7921/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-chin-a657a815a/
Image Credits
Tan Vo and Minh Insixiangmy