If you watched A Nutcracker Christmas and/or The Good Witch season five, more than likely you saw the actress Tina Jung (though you may not have realized it at the time). I remembered seeing her in that memorable episode of Good Witch last season (the one about the prince), and I was honored that she agreed to an interview with me. It is with great joy that I am sharing our chat with my readers today!

Photo credit: Meru Photography

RH: Why/How did you choose to pursue a career as an actress? What kind of training have you had to prepare you for this career?

TJ: I was inspired to be an actor ever since I was a little kid. Both my parents were actors in Korea when they were younger, so I grew up watching their work and I wanted to do what they did. I loved performing in general, whether it was school plays, church plays, talent shows, contests, acting camp–you name it. If there was a stage, I would be the first to sign up to be on it.

After I graduated from high school, I immediately auditioned and got into the acting conservatory at York University for their theatre program and graduated there with a BFA Specialized Honors. I got an agent right out of theatre school and began taking on-camera classes in the city to keep the training going.

What was your first professional on-screen credit? What are your memories of that job?

Man Seeking Woman

My first on-screen credit was for a show called Man Seeking Woman with Jay Baruchel. I was in a dinner party scene with four other couples. I met a lot of new people who were all very pleasant to work with, and they taught me a lot about the industry starting out. I just remember Jay being really funny on set, and we all shared a lot of laughs filming that scene overnight. It was my first time stepping foot on an actual television set, getting a fitting done, seeing my name on a call sheet, having my own trailer…it was all very overwhelming, but I was super excited from start to end.  It was a memorable experience.

I think your first recurring role was on Make It Pop. How did that role come about? What is most memorable about being a part of that show?

I actually was going to pass on the audition! I was in the middle of moving and I packed up everything in my place, ready to go. When I got the call to audition, they wanted me to dress up because the character, Hye Jung Ko, was a fashion designer. I then had to go through all my boxes and open them up to find nice clothes to wear and head to the audition. I heard back a few days later and found out that I booked the role.

Make It Pop

Being on that set was great, I met a lot of people who I’m still friends with today and got a chance to meet and work with Steve Scaini, who I then ended up working with on other projects like Good Witch and Odd Squad. Make It Pop was very fun, colourful and upbeat show with music, dance, fashion and humour. I’ve never been on a Nickelodeon show prior to that, but it was cool to see the whole behind the scene process of creating musical numbers, dance routines and cute outfits.

Your first Hallmark movie was A Nutcracker Christmas.  What did you know about Hallmark before booking this role? What did you enjoy about filming this movie?

I knew that Hallmark created such wonderful and dreamy movies around Christmas time and a lot of my friends were booking parts for these films. I’m a sucker for Christmas movies during the holidays, so when the chance came to audition for A Nutcracker Christmas, I jumped on the opportunity. It was a small role as a barista where my character takes the order and hands out hot chocolates to the leads played by Amy Acker and Sophia Lucia. At the time I was actually a barista at Starbucks, so I think having that knowledge of drink orders helped with the audition process. I got off work, went straight to the audition wearing the apron, brought in a sharpie, and improved various drink orders at the audition, and the director was laughing. When I got the part and I was on set, the director told me to do exactly what I did at the audition and voila! A fun scene that resulted from that experience.

You were also a part of Kim’s Convenience.  What was special to you about being a part of this series?

I first saw Kim’s Convenience on the Soulpepper stage back in 2012. I just remember sitting in the audience completely immersed in the story. It was the first time a play reflected my life, and I finally saw representation of an Asian family on stage. I was laughing then crying then laughing again following every second of the story. I fell in love with the play.

Kim’s Convenience

When I heard they were creating a tv show about it, I literally screamed in my kitchen when I got the call to audition. I went through a few rounds of auditions, and I didn’t end up booking it. but they were so kind to invite me to play a different character, Jeanie Park. To be a part of a production that shows diversity and celebrates representation meant a lot to me personally, and to get a chance to leave my footprint in that world was even more special.

Please tell us about your work on the short film Meeting Mommy. I understand you had multiple roles in front of and behind the scenes. How did that experience cause you to grow professionally?

There is a wonderful program through ACTRA called YEAA Shorts and it gives young actors the chance to create and produce your own work giving guidance and partnership with William F. Whites. It was my first time dabbling with writing, and I wanted to learn more behind the camera. I thought I would give it a go by submitting to the program. When we got in, my project partner and I co-wrote and co-produced what is now Meeting Mommy. It was my first time wearing multiple hats during the whole process and it was such a challenge, but so rewarding at the same time. The feeling where you’re learning as you go and imputing a lot of your thoughts and ideas into a project is very fulfilling. You learn how to think quickly on your feet, communicate better with other team members, and put all your focus into something that becomes your number one priority. After it premiered at ReelWorld Festival, Meeting Mommy went on to have a successful run at various other festivals like the Reel Asian Film Festival, Asians on Film, Oxford Film Festival and was selected as the semi-finalist at the NBCUniversal Film Festival.

Last Christmas, you made a Freeform Christmas movie, No Sleep ‘Til Christmas.  What did you enjoy about your role and experience?

The thing I love most about acting is that for every project, you get to step into the shoes of a new character with different personalities. For No Sleep ‘Til Christmas, I played Vivian, a young law student who works as a bartender at her local bar. She’s tough, cool, no-BS-cut-to-the-chase type girl who is loyal to her friend and boss Billy. I loved working with Dave Annable; he is a generous actor, very fun to be around and just makes you feel comfortable on set. Phil Traill, the director, just wanted everyone to have fun and play in every scene which really made the set feel more of a professional playground. Lots of laughs were shared every day.

Hallmark viewers recently saw you on Good Witch. What did you know about this series before booking your role? What did you enjoy about your character? Any favorite filming moments?

© NOELTY

I knew that Good Witch was a series of films before it became a television series and it had a very popular following! I loved that I got a chance to be in a fairy tale story for an episode. Oliva is a sweet person who just wants a chance at finding true love with someone who shares the same passion of poetry as her, and it just so happens that person is a prince. Throughout the episode, she goes on a roller coaster of emotions with the audience and it was such joy to be able to get a chance to play Olivia. It was my third project teaming up with the director. Steve and I previously worked on Make It Pop and Odd Squad, and we joked that it was our small MIP reunion when we found out Dale Whibley was also in the episode as Luke.

Any other upcoming works?

This summer, I wrapped on the set of Queen of the Morning Calm, an independent feature written and directed by Gloria Kim. Without giving too much away, the story follows a young mother raising her ten-year-old daughter in a toxic environment where they must learn to depend on each other to get out of that lifestyle; it’s an empowering mother-daughter story set here in Toronto. It’s a dark, dramatic piece, very different from anything I have ever done to date, and I’m very proud of the work I did on that film.

As an Asian woman in the industry, have you experienced cultural and/or gender bias? How have you seen this begin to change in the industry?

I think certainly in the past there weren’t a lot of Asian representation on screen and it was hard to see an actor that looked like me growing up here. In the rare times that I have seen them, it was often small one-liners or one scene as stereotypical roles. However, times are changing now where Hollywood is trying to show more diversity on-screen and we are now getting bigger roles as leads and having the stories center around us breaking off those stereotypes.  I think I’m coming in at a good time where I can take part in changing the viewpoints and proudly be one of many voices who are fighting to break the glass ceiling. The important thing is that we are all in the same boat to fight for diversity and have representation on screen.

Did you do anything special this past summer?

I began another writing project that I hope to get it on its feet sometime next year. It’s in early stages of story development to share anything about it, but it’s something I’m really excited to create and give life to and see where that goes!

Photo credit: Meru Photography

I love the fact that more and more Asians are appearing not only on Hallmark movies and shows but also throughout the film and TV industry as a whole. Diversity and the promotion of strong female characters are two things about which I am passionate, and I couldn’t be more delighted than to witness the success of actresses like Tina who have proceeded to invest the labor and time necessary to make it in this fiercely competitive business. I am always grateful when actresses like her find their niche and continue to make a difference in their corner of the world, and the fact that she has appeared on Hallmark and elsewhere is something that causes me to cheer for her ongoing advancement. If you have not seen A Nutcracker Christmas nor her episode in the most recent season of Good Witch, I invite you to check both out on the various legal streaming sites (Amazon Prime, Google Play, etc) while keeping your eyes peeled for the next time that Christmas movie of hers may return to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Additionally, if you are so inclined, I invite you to check out Tina’s links below and consider following her where applicable. I am incredibly excited about the project she is writing and developing, and I look forward to extending my support to her career for many years to come!

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