We were lucky to catch up with Mina Kim recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I see my parents in almost everything I do. I think of them every time I thank a crossing guard or a bus driver. I think of them whenever I donate to charity. I think of them when I give up my seat in the subway for a younger child or an elderly couple. I think of them when I feel like giving up and am overwhelmed. They are my sense of comfort, my home, and my pride.

My parents both immigrated from Korea during their college years, with the hopes of starting a better life for themselves and their families. I can’t even imagine how difficult this was for them as English was not their first language. They worked many part time jobs and eventually met at a flower shop in New Jersey (I always love listening to them talk about their first meeting).

As their first born, my parents raised with me with a lot of discipline and strictness, but also with so much love (although it wasn’t also shown in the most obvious ways). I would feel their love through actions rather than through words. I felt it when my dad would drive me for hours in one day to make sure that I get to school on time and when my mom saved up money for me to be able to afford my music lessons. I felt it when my parents would call and text me multiple times when I was out past my curfew, just to be ignored by my rebellious teenage self.

I’ve always been destined for a career in the arts. This was something that my mom realized very early on, and she saved a lot of money to send me to all sorts of artistic classes for piano, studio art, viola, etc. My family was a very humble household income wise and looking back, it’s actually incredible that they were able to send my three siblings and I to music lessons all the time, despite us only having one source of income. My dad worked endlessly for all of us and my mother saved up money while planning accordingly for our futures. I realize now that helping your child prepare for a career in the arts is always filled with uncertainty, so I really admire both my parents for being brave and supporting me so strongly.

My biggest regret was not realizing how hard this must be for my parents- who lived in constant stress because of our income and expenses. They are also not in their home country, so the language barrier must have made them anxious at times as well. I wish I had been more aware of our situation and worked a lot harder when I was younger, so I could make things easier for my parents.

Before choosing Acting, I was in serious training to become a Classical Pianist. I attended the Manhattan School of Music in the Pre-College division for seven years before attending New York University under the Classical Piano Performance for two years. During those two years, I was exposed to the Acting world, and I fell in love. I’m not sure when I realized it, but I felt that I absolutely had to pursue Acting.

I was so afraid of telling my parents of my decision to transfer to the Drama department, so much to the point where I told my mom about my audition the day before and didn’t tell my dad until I had gotten accepted. To my surprise, my mom easily accepted my decision after seeing how passionate I was about Theater, but my dad had expressed his doubts. I was feeling unsettled by this so I decided to bring up my uncertainties to my dad while he drove me back home after school. The rides back home were usually silent, with the sound of the radio in the background. But the conversation we had that night became one of the most memorable moments I’ve shared with my dad. My parents were never the type to shower me with validation and compliments, but that night, I felt how proud my dad was of my accomplishments.

“My daughter, I know you’ll be good at anything you do.”

My dad probably doesn’t know how much I cried in my room that night.

My parents inspire me to not only work hard at everything I do, but to also be a good person. I could not have made it this far without my parents and I feel so thankful every day. They are undoubtedly the most important people to me and I hope that I can make them proud with everything I do. I am so lucky to have been born as their daughter.

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

My name is Mina Kim and I am a 21 year old Korean American actress studying at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for a Bachelor in Drama/Theatre and am working towards two minors (TV Broadcast Journalism and Music Studies).

Before I decided to study Theatre and Acting, I was studying Classical Piano for around 12 years. It started with simple lessons on the piano until I was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music’s Pre-College division with a scholarship. My favorite memory when I was younger was eating the lunch my mom made for me in the car while she drove me to my neighborhood piano teacher’s home and having my mom sit in for all of my lessons. This made music and the arts become somewhat of a comfort to me, as it is a memory that I share with my mother.

With the training I have as a Classical Pianist, I have also been lucky enough to become a Music Director for various productions. During the Spring of 2023, I was an Assistant Music Director for the musical, “Zombie Prom” which was hosted by New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. This was a production that I especially have a lot of love towards because I was able to implement my long years of musical training towards another kind of art that I have passion for. This was an experience that has a lot of nostalgia for me personally and I was able to learn so many new things about the Theatre world.

My goal for the future is to combine all of my passions together to create something wonderful and impactful for the world. Besides wanting to become a great actress (obviously), I also dream of being a journalist and reporting on all of the artistic findings that need recognition or even remaining an active musician in the world of Theatre. I also hope to participate in creating a music soundtrack for short films in the future.

When I first entered the Drama world, I was not aware of the unique struggles that actors of Asian descent experience in the professional world. In the Summer of 2023, I was fortunate enough to participate in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) show that The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute hosted. This was the most eye-opening experience for me, as it was the first time I was able to perform on the stage after being accepted to the Drama department at NYU. I’ve always felt very out of place regarding my cultural identity, but as I was surrounded by other actors who felt the same way I did, I felt so much determination to grow more love towards the two cultural identities that make me who I am. As an artist, I hope to bring awareness and lots of love for those who also feel confusion about their racial and cultural identity- whether or not they are Asian.

No matter what, I will always remain confidently myself and I hope that my various passions towards the arts can bring a meaningful change to the world. Even if I am only able to accomplish one thing, I find that it will be so rewarding and worth all of the hardships that may come my way.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think that there is a lot of negativity around the idea of pursuing a career in the arts- especially in some traditionally Asian households. I’ve always known that I was going to have a career in the arts and it didn’t matter if it was Piano or Theatre. I just could never envision myself having an office job and working at a steady pace. I craved a life full of intense emotion, impulse, creativity, and freedom.

I went to Korea last summer to visit my grandparents after my sister’s high school graduation. By that time, I had finished my first year of official Theatre training and I was beyond excited for the next years to come. But I was really let down by some of the reactions I received when I caught up with my family members and told them that I was now studying Theatre.

I love my grandparents very much, I really do. My grandparents come from a different time than me, and they are a lot more old fashioned than my parents are, who are much more open-minded towards the arts. Pursuing a career in the arts is not really incredible or an accomplishment to my grandparents, who continuously kept praising my sister who was entering college for Mechanical Engineering and my cousin who wanted to pursue Pharmacy. It didn’t matter to my grandparents that I was going to one of the best Drama schools in the country with basically no Theatre experience beforehand. It didn’t matter that I was going to school with a full tuition scholarship. Despite their never-ending love for me, the fact that I was pursuing a career in the arts probably made me look like a fool. For the first time, the confidence I had towards my love for the arts faltered.

During my time in Korea, I met up with a cousin who I had not seen for years. We were talking about our lives and I had brought up that I was currently majoring in Acting. She then asked me, “For behind the camera?” (Referring to the film crew).

My smile faded. In that moment, my confidence disappeared. But I laughed and told her it was the other way around.

I never fit Korea’s beauty standards so I never really blamed her for the questioning look on her face. It did hurt my self esteem pretty badly though. But then, I realized that I don’t want people to see me as an actress who is only beautiful on the outside. I want my joy for the arts and my talent to be the first things a person notices about me in the professional world. I think that Korea has created this ideal that actors are only very attractive, so if you’re beautiful, you can definitely pursue this kind of career. Well…all I can say is that Theatre school has flipped that idea around for me completely. Also, I like to think that I look different from what is shown on media. Maybe it makes me unique. Special. Different.

I think that pursuing a career in the arts is extremely mentally draining and tough. You face judgement at every turn, and in the worst instances, you begin to question yourself. However, the reason why I admire artists so much is because of their never-ending determination towards their passions. I know that there will inevitably be moments where I want to give up everything I’ve worked so hard towards, but I won’t. I’ll never give up and I believe I will make it one day.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

This is going to sound so cheesy, but the reward of being an artist is the fact that I am able to create art with others. I’ve been told that being an actor is extremely lonely and I have definitely felt that at times, but you’re also surrounded by so many wonderful people who all share the same passions and determinations as you.

For me personally, there is nothing more rewarding and bittersweet than ending a project you put so much time into with everyone. During my time at NYU so far, the most impactful short film I have ever worked on was “Ms. Lee” directed by Luc Yokoi (NYU Tisch Film) who is a phenomenal filmmaker and director. This was the first film I was a lead in after starting my Drama training so it was extra special to me. However, I was not used to the hours that were put into every single shot, so I was absolutely overwhelmed and exhausted after each day was over. But every time I wanted to give up and just call it a day, I would notice that everyone was working so hard to accomplish the same goals. We were in this together. And it felt so darn amazing.

I was extremely lucky to be casted as Camden (Lead/Supporting) in an NYU TV Bootcamp series titled “The Stump”. This bootcamp class came together once a week to create a series for their class, in order to imitate the experience of working on a film set for a television series. This was a really interesting experience because I had originally had only film and theatre experience- but oh boy, what a time this was. We came together around six times throughout the semester and every shot had so much attention and care from every single actor and crew member. On the last day of filming, I was so hungry and exhausted but I literally had tears in my eyes. ‘This is what I was meant to do’, I thought. As we finished shooting the last shot, I couldn’t help but feel so emotional. Although the past six weeks were so hard, nothing would have made me quit halfway through.

Being able to create beautiful art while bringing awareness to certain issues is also such a privilege and I was so lucky to have been able to speak about my cultural identity and confusion with a monologue I wrote for the Lee Strasberg Institute of Theatre and Film’s AAPI show directed by Zhen Yu Yao, that was held in May 2023. “The Story of the Little Bird” talked about my struggles of being an Asian American artist who first began training for Piano Performance before switching over to Theatre. I was so fortunate to have been able to talk about my story and experiences as a performer. Honestly, I was so beyond anxious and nervous for this performance, as it was my first theatre performance ever. But once I stepped onto the stage, I forgot about it all. I forgot about all the self doubt and hatred I had towards myself, and I felt so much joy with every breath I took on the stage. I’m in love with that feeling. I just want to feel it again and again and again.

I had a similar experience as the lead in an original play titled “Everyone’s Name Sucks?” which was written and directed by the most incredible Jong Eun Sylvia Park. Her play taught me to embrace my flaws and negativity, as it is what makes us feel real. Although we were doing a staged reading in a small theatre, the amount of adrenaline and pride I had towards Sylvia were enormous. I am incredibly lucky to have been able to showcase her hardships regarding cultural hardships and identities through Myeong-Ji/May (Lead).

To me, acting is both a gift and a privilege. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to lose myself in my art and acting.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @notmeana

Image Credits
Chris Kim Nartay Ualikhan Michael A. Wattie