IN THE BEGINNING
US ASIANS: Could you share how a Chinese girl born in Queens became a great artist?
LYNN CHEN: I’m someone who really enjoys the arts but I don’t really consider myself “a great artist.” I’ve had supportive parents and friends who’ve given me a lot of confidence about my abilities.
US ASIANS: In what ways have your friends and family been supportive?
LYNN CHEN: The support from my folks and friends has been mostly verbal – though there have been many times that both my parents and my peers have helped out financially, with food, and setting me up with part-time jobs and whatnot.
US ASIANS: What are the basic facts on your background (i.e. brothers, sisters, parents, etc.)?
LYNN CHEN: My parents and my older brother, Morgan, are all musicians: my mom is an opera singer, my father got his PhD in ethnomusicology, and my brother is in a number of bands.
US ASIANS: Did your family immigrate from either Taiwan/Hong Kong and/or Mainland China to the United States – and when?
LYNN CHEN: Both my parents came from Taiwan in the late 60’s
| A PERSONAL LOOK |
| I was born in Queens and raised in Cresskill, NJ, where I went to elementary, middle, and high school.
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.US ASIANS: Could you share some details on the achievements of your mom (as an opera singer) and your father in ethnomusicology (in Taiwan)?
LYNN CHEN: My mother has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera House’s Ladies Chorus for over 25 years.
My father was the founding president of The Kunqu Society, Inc., which is a New York-based company devoted to the to the preservation, study, and advancement of Kunqu, a genre of Chinese musical drama.
US ASIANS: What bands has your brother been in and did he help you with your tracks that are on mp3.com?
LYNN CHEN: No, I wrote and performed all those mp3.com songs on my own, though my husband helped me record them.
My brother, Morgan, has been in various New Brunswick bands, and is currently the lead singer and guitarist for “Skyline Rodeo” that has just finised recording their c.d.
LYNN'S "MIGHTY MING" (Ming Kao Margan Michael Matthew Chen) His current project is tentatively titled “Donut On A Fat Farm”. The medium for his solo performances has evolved into a one-man show complete with guitar,sampler, delay and autoharp. Previously, he was part of a band called "The Makeout Party." Listen to the music of Lynn Chen and Ming Chen at the Asian American Artistry Music Station by clicking HERE and vote for them at our "Music Poll." |
US ASIANS: What are the priorities in your personal life and why?
LYNN CHEN: My health and happiness are important. I’m happy when my husband is happy, when my family is happy, when I’m performing, when I’m eating good food… so whatever helps me attain happiness is what I focus on.
US ASIANS: What are your favorite foods?
LYNN CHEN: I like almost everything, from crap to gourmet, vegan to BBQ. I used to be a vegetarian in high school and college, but I just couldn’t limit myself anymore. One of my favorite foods is chunky peanut butter and strawberry jam between toasted Eggo waffles. You have to toast it to perfection though, and allow the peanut butter to melt a bit, or it’ll ruin the whole experience.
US ASIANS: Who are your role models in your personal life?
LYNN CHEN: I used to idolize certain people when I was growing up – musicians and actors and people in my life. I find that I don’t do that anymore; there are many people who I find inspiring, but I don’t try to emulate them like I used to.
US ASIANS: Which people do you find inspiring?
LYNN CHEN: People who are unafraid and determined, despite whatever difficulties life has given them.
US ASIANS: Could you share how your husband has been supportive of your acting career?
LYNN CHEN: He helps me memorize my lines, he edits my acting reel and tapes my auditions, he gives me constructive criticism, and he is as enthusiastic as I am about any success that I have.
US ASIANS: What degrees did you receive from Wesleyan University and/or any other schools?
LYNN CHEN: I got a BA in Music and Women’s Studies at Wesleyan.
US ASIANS: Was it yours and/or your parents’ decision at 12 to concentrate on school?
LYNN CHEN: It was my decision – I was missing a lot of school performing, and I wanted to be able to hang out with my classmates.
US ASIANS: What prompted your decision to reenter the professional world of acting?
LYNN CHEN: I was curious to see if I could do it. It’s one of the few things I can see myself being happy doing for the rest of my life.
US ASIANS: What prompted your decision to reenter the professional world of acting?
LYNN CHEN: I was curious to see if I could do it. It’s one of the few things I can see myself being happy doing for the rest of my life. It was a decision that I made on my own.
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| Lynn's 1st B-Day and Audience |
THE "ALL" IN THE (LYNN'S) FAMILY
US ASIANS: Could you share a little about your family and how they shaped your acting career?
LYNN CHEN: My parents have always been amazing about me pursuing the acting thing – they did the research and got an agent for me when I was a kid, drove me to and from auditions and performances on a daily basis….They were always telling me that I was talented and that they would support whatever decisions I made. My brother was cool about it, too – he never whined or complained that they were focusing too much on me.
US ASIANS: Were they supportive of your endeavors that are not “in line” with what many Asian Pacific American parents would want their children to participate in?
LYNN CHEN: When I went to Wesleyan, my parents told me that my second major had to be in something non-arts related, I suppose because they wanted me to have something else to fall back on in case acting or music didn’t work out. I chose women’s studies with my music major, a decision we were all happy with.
US ASIANS: When you were young, did your parents place in you acting/dancing/music lessons?
LYNN CHEN: I took ballet for a few years when I was about 7 started studying piano about that same time, until I graduated from college. No acting lessons, I guess that’s why I’m still not used to them.
US ASIANS: Are they presently supporting your acting career?
LYNN CHEN: My parents are terrific fans; I think they’d be disappointed if I decided to quit now LYNN CHEN: I’m not a big fan of acting classes….they can be pretty expensive and I feel like I get similar training when I’m at my theater company, NiteStar. But when I first started out again, it helped me to feel free to play around with a character and to make strong decisions when acting. US ASIANS: Could you describe the training that you received at NiteStar?
TRAINING TO BE A STAR!
US ASIANS: How did you get involved with the Nitestar Program, the theater-through-education company that performs shows for students, educators and adults?
LYNN CHEN: I auditioned for NiteStar through a casting ad that I saw in Backstage.
LYNN CHEN: I’ve always had an interest in sex education, since I feel that it is important and is done poorly in most schools. It’s something that I’ve become passionate about, through NiteStar, which is why I focus my energy specifically on this program.
US ASIANS: With all the turmoil that surrounds the world and New York – what drew you to a youth program that deals in HIV/AIDS, sex education, racism, homophobia, violence, etc?
LYNN CHEN: I think it’s important to talk about this stuff, instead of pretending it doesn’t exist.
US ASIANS: How did your training with Stephanie Gilman and Cheryl Cutler (dance) maximize your talents in your acting and music career?
LYNN CHEN: Dance classes are a good way to get to know my body, and to become a more physical person when performing.
are a good way to get to know my body, and to become a more physical person when performing.are a good way to get to know my body, and to become a more physical person when performing.US ASIANS: Were the teachings of Wayne Rivera and Andrea Haring more for your music or acting career?
LYNN CHEN: I took voice lessons because I enjoy singing; I studied Linklater with Andrea Haring, but I wasn’t disciplined enough to really benefit from it.
US ASIANS: Has your ability to speak fluent Mandarin provided more opportunities for you to work as an actress and/or musician?
LYNN CHEN: I don’t speak Mandarin fluently – I can understand what my relatives say to me on an everyday basis and I can converse at a so-so level, but I’m nowhere near the point where it can help me with my career.
AND SHE CAN SING!!!
US ASIANS: Tell us about your many music gifts. Your background is seemingly based in the classical music area, in light of your expertise classical piano, oboe and guitar – while having “perfect pitch.”
LYNN CHEN: I consider myself a pianist because I’ve been playing for so long and feel very comfortable with the instrument. I am learning guitar again and can’t even remember how to play a scale on the oboe. Having a classical music background has helped me with many things, except improvisation. I wish I could cut loose and play/sing something without having it all mapped out for me first, but I just can’t. I would like to take some jazz lessons some day.
US ASIANS: How did you get involved in the recordings of “The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen (Selection: Voyaging Moon - Lead Vocalist)/Brian Vinero/Seth Weinstein and "Merrill Staton Voices" (Soloist and Chorus)/CBS Records?
LYNN CHEN: I just auditioned for the parts.
US ASIANS: When did your parents get you involved with the NYC Children’s Choir?
LYNN CHEN: The NYC Opera Children’s Chorus Director asked me to join when I was around 10-years-old. At that point, I had been a member of the Metropolitan Opera House’s Children’s Chorus for 3 years, so I was already familiar with most of the operas they needed me for.
| THE MUSIC OF LYNN CHEN'S "YPOK2" | ||||
| US ASIANS: When and how did your interest change from Opera/Broadway style to the music of your group? LYNN CHEN: I’m not a thoroughly trained singer, I haven’t had a voice lesson in years, so I don’t feel comfortable alongside professional opera/Broadway singers. I still enjoy opera/Broadway music, I just don’t feel as though I could do it justice. In the same way, I enjoy hip hop music but am fully aware that my rhyming skills suck. |
| Members of "YPOK2" | US ASIANS: What the plans of your group, YPOK2, in the future? LYNN CHEN: We are continually writing and recording.Our drummer, Nate, is in a couple of bands, “Shy Child” and “Touchdown,” so we are working around his busy schedule. We hope to be done with our demo in a few months, at which point we’ll probably play it for everyone we know. US ASIANS: Are there any songs or music from Eric Lin's "Fortune" soundtrack on your MP3.Com website? LYNN CHEN: No | |
| US ASIANS: What passions were the driving force(s) behind your music? LYNN CHEN: Most of those songs I wrote during my freshman year of college, when I spent a lot of time “finding myself.” I was in some messed up relationships that resulted in those sad little tunes. | ||||
ACTING CAREER
US ASIANS: What are the priorities in your creative life as actress and why?
LYNN CHEN: To make money, so I can pay the bills and keep acting.
US ASIANS: Besides making money to pay bills, do you have any additional acting goals?
LYNN CHEN: I would like to be rich and famous and have my choice of whatever role I wanted, but that’s not really a realistic goal. Just being able to support myself through acting is the most important thing to me.
| LYNN AND ERIC'S "FORTUNE" | |||||||||
| US ASIANS: Could you share how you got involved with Eric Lin’s “Fortune?” LYNN CHEN: Originally I had sent Eric my headshot and resume after reading the casting, and was disappointed when I hadn’t heard from him. It turns out Eric’s post office was holding a lot of his mail for some reason, so he never got my mailing, but, luckily, a friend who had my headshot recommended me to him so I was called in to audition that way. US ASIANS: How were the general responses to the film during its run at the film festivals? LYNN CHEN: People liked the movie and had good things to say about my performance. My band, YPOK2, also did music for the film and we got positive feedback on that as well.
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US ASIANS: Who are your role models in your entertainment career?
LYNN CHEN: I’d like to have a career like Parker Posey’s or Maggie Gyllenhaal’s.
like to have a career like Parker Posey’s or Maggie Gyllenhaal’s.like to have a career like Parker Posey’s or Maggie Gyllenhaal’s.
US ASIANS: Could you share what things/elements/aspects of Parker Posey or Maggie Gyllenhaal’s career are the most important things that you want to attain in your career?
LYNN CHEN: I like the characters that they play – complex, fun, hilarious, and smart women… I really enjoyed Parker Posey’s performances in “Dazed and Confused,” “Party Girl,” and all her improv in the Christopher Guest films. Maggie Gyllenhaal was great in “Secretary,” and “Donnie Darko.” They work in both indie and big budget productions, something I hope to be able to do someday.
US ASIANS: How was your experience in playing one of the children’s role in “South Pacific?” How long was the run, who were the actors, where did it play, etc.?
LYNN CHEN: “South Pacific” was a lot of fun, but I missed a lot of school because of it. Me and the other kids in the show used to take naps between shows in sleeping bags on top of dressing room tables. The run was a couple of months long at the NY State Theatre in Lincoln Center – some of the other actors that I remember involved were Tony Roberts, Susan Bigelow, and Marcia Mitzman.
US ASIANS: How was your experience in playing one of the children’s role in “South Pacific?” How long was the run, who were the actors, where did it play, etc.?
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