Rising Star Annie Chen On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

An Interview With Elana Cohen

Don’t be one of the first ones to sign in during an audition if you can help it, because depending on what you’re auditioning for, you’re either the first group to go without much time to digest the material you just learned, or you’re with casting that is still figuring out which direction to go for the character.

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Annie Chen.

Annie Chen is a Taiwan born Canadian actor. Some of Annie’s work includes voicing for Nintendo, TVO Kids, Penguin Random House, Wild brain, Nelvana, and Nickelodeon. Sharing the screen with the cast of Schitt’s Creek on Season 5 finale, as well as voicing Liann — Lego Friends The Next Chapter, and dancing for Lady Gaga as well as PSY at the Much Music Video Awards.

Some of Annie’s other favorite projects so far include Lumiere Pandora in Dragalia Lost, Frenchy in Grease the Musical at The Elgin Winter Gardens Theatre in Toronto, Polly Pocket and Designated Survivor on ABC, and current voice over projects that shall not be named. Annie immigrated to Canada at the age of six with the English vocabulary of two words — “yes” and “no”. It’s been a wild and beautiful ride thus far to say the least. — -

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I moved around a lot growing up. From Taiwan, to Indonesia, to Delta BC, then to Toronto ON where I spent the majority of my life. My parents were both working class immigrants and I have an older sister. I grew up with a lot of animals and because my mother has a thing about not neutering or spaying them so we often ended up with large litters. I had 30 hamsters at one point and they lived in the tub of a bathroom that we dedicated to them. There was one hamster that kept escaping and getting stuck in the walls of the house. We had many family rescue missions for that hamster. One of which included little me sitting on the floor of the bathroom for hours with a piece of cheese at the end of a wire that I made from a coat hanger… waiting.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I am first generation Taiwanese Canadian, when I moved here I was given an English name because that’s what you do. At first it was Sandy, but my father thought that was a boy’s name so we had a family meeting where we decided on “Annie” from Anne of Green Gables (my sister picked it for me). I wanted to be Belle or Ariel… haha, I’m really glad we didn’t end up going with my idea. My native birth name is “I-Ling.” In my country they pick your name from a set of words with the most luck attached to your birth date. My birth name means “Bright Actress.” I discovered this later on and felt like it was a sign that I was on the right path.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I had a life changing injury back in 2021 that required surgery on my hip. On the day of my surgery I was told I had a callback for a series regular role on Nickelodeon. I set up my mic on one leg then 9 days post op I showed up on zoom in crutches and did the whole audition sitting down on a high chair for two characters. Casting had asked us to record on our end, then send over the files after the audition. We were getting to the end of the audition and I felt like I had been rocking it only to realize I HAD NOT BEEN RECORDING THE WHOLE TIME. I re-did both characters and sent it over but of course was in my head about it all. I found out a few weeks later that I booked the show *insert hair flip*

It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

My first gig in the industry fresh out of school was dancing for Lady Gaga at the Much Music Video Awards. We were performing to “Born This Way” and a handful of us were chosen to be placed inside human sized balloons at the start of the number to create the illusion of the placenta. Well, the only way to get inside the balloon was to aggressively stuff our head then the rest of our body into it’s tiny opening as fast as possible so to not lose air and possibly suffocate. Kinda like a retrograde birthing process. I was the initial guinea pig and I was wearing loose fitting Hammer pants that day and a thong. After the upper half of my body was in the balloon I was instructed to pull the latex down to my feet. While doing so my Hammer pants came down with it and I was left butt naked in the transparent balloon — mortified. Lesson learned: do not wear Hammer pants to work.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

The most exciting project I can talk about right now is voicing Liann on Lego Friends: The Next Chapter. Lego developed a new line of the next generation of friends to have more diversity and representation. My character is part of the main friends and she is such a joy to play. We had many positive feedback from the Lego fans, and it’s really exciting to see the figurines pop up in different toy stores and places like Disneyland. Our first release “The Lego Friends Movie” has over 3 million views thus far. Of course there are other exciting voice projects in post production that I’d love to talk about soon.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

I would say accept and lean into the failure because it is inevitable and so much of it is out of your control. Reframe your self-talk from “I’m not good enough” to “What did I love about what I presented and what could I have done better?” Lastly, always go back to the craft even if you can’t afford classes there is always an opportunity to improve. Spend time listening to your surroundings and people watching. Our job is to reflect the human experience, training does not always need to take place in a classroom.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

Firstly, I think one of the most important reasons is that it gives hope and confidence to those who have not had a voice until now. I did not see myself represented much in the media. I thought the only way for me to become an actor was to go back to my country. Secondly, it creates a platform for stories that have been happening all around us this entire time a space to be heard and witnessed. Thirdly these stories come with important lessons that can ignite more empathy within our culture.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1. Don’t be one of the first ones to sign in during an audition if you can help it, because depending on what you’re auditioning for, you’re either the first group to go without much time to digest the material you just learned, or you’re with casting that is still figuring out which direction to go for the character.

2. Always have an alt prepared. Casting wants to see that you have range as an actor.

3. If you’re not good with talking about yourself without rambling then prepare a short introduction ahead of time. It helps to make a great first impression.

4. Advocate for yourself! Ask for what you need to get the job done. Whether that’s “I need a chair for this scene” during an audition or taking a moment after receiving directions before doing a take.

5. You’ve got about 15 seconds to wow casting and grab their attention so don’t wait till midway or the end to throw in your best work!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

I have a pre-game ritual before I go into anything. Whether it’s an audition, a show, a shoot, a recording session etc, I always WARM UP and then I do a COOL DOWN after the job is done. I don’t just go home or run to the next audition etc right away. Treat acting like a sport and approach it with the same principles as an athlete. Oh, and get your butt into therapy. Work out some of those traumas and false stories you are sitting on because trust me, the work will bring it out and if you don’t know how to process it, burn out could be around the corner.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love to start a non for profit organization that connects artists to affordable mental health treatment and empower them to lead an abundant life. I’ve struggled with chronic depression and loads of anxiety my whole life. I love my job but it can get very lonely and the lows can get very low. I often say my job is horrible for my mental health and with the pandemic I think it’s brought more separation than ever before. Especially for the voiceover community.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There have been many who have generously donated their time and helped me become the actor I am today. However, one fond memory I have was on Designated Survivor. I had tricky dialogue to deliver that day and it was at the end of the scene where a big chunk of the series regulars were in. I got in my head and kept flubbing my lines. I was terrified and certain that I would be fired. During the break Paulo Costanzo (Lyor Boone) whom I just met that day, took me aside and gave me a pep talk. He said “I know there isn’t a lot of room for mistakes on this set, so you just ask for what you need to get the job done.” I felt an instant relief. After the break I got it on the first take.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

This isn’t necessarily meant to be a “life lesson quote” but I took it as one. It’s from Finding Nemo where Dory sings “just keep swimming.” From there on I started using #justkeepswimming as a reminder that whatever happens just keep going. Grit and resilience are the most important traits in this industry. You have to be able to stick it out when it gets tough.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

This is such a hard one….. I would say Eric Bauza or Tara Strong. I know, I picked two. They are voice legends and I have so much respect for their work. Eric just won an Emmy for playing Bugs Bunny and Tara voiced many of my favorite cartoons like Power Puff Girls and Teen Titans. Oh, and they’re both Canadians hailing from my hometown Toronto, so thats always a plus.

How can our readers follow you online?

I use @annie8chen for all my social media handles!

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!