10 Questions for Actress, Director Lynn Chen

10 Questions for Actress, Director Lynn Chen

14 Sep, 2018

To continue our 10th Anniversary celebration we’re revisiting interviews and talent from the early days of Dig In Magazine. Back in April of 2011, we spoke with the talented, intelligent and beautiful Lynn Chen [“Saving Face” (2004), “Silicon Valley (2014), “The Affair” (2018), “Nice Girls Crew” (2012-2013)], who at the time was on the film festival circuit with “Surrogate Valentine” (2011) and then its sequel “Daylight Savings” (2012). Back then she was purely focused on the acting side of things, but flash forward to 2018, Chen is now starring in and directing the second sequel to the above mentioned movies called “I Will Make You Mine.” Check out and support Lynn’s newly launched “I Will Make You Mine” Kickstarter campaign! It was great to catch up with the seasoned actress and first time director after all these years and find out more about her evolution from acting to directing.

Dig In Magazine: What were you up to in 2011 when we first spoke?

Lynn Chen: I was very involved in the purely acting side of things then – I was on the film festival circuit with “Surrogate Valentine” and jumped right into making its sequel, “Daylight Savings.” 2011 was the year before my father passed away – my perspective on life really shifted after that.

DIM: How has your career evolved since then?

LC: I was dabbling in the culinary world for several years – my blogs “The Actor’s Diet” and “Thick Dumpling Skin” were young and the whole food/body image world was new and exciting to me. I made a bunch of viral videos centered around eating and sharing my struggles and worked with outlets like BuzzFeed, Hello Giggles, Tastemade, and the National Organization for Women (NOW). I also started volunteering with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), where I am still an spokesperson for today.

I never stopped acting, but I’ve refocused my energy in the narrative world again, since discovering I have a serious gluten allergy over a year ago. So now I’m also writing, and directing – which bring us to our next question…

Actress, Director Lynn Chen directing I Will Make You Mine | Photo by Eric Yang

Actress, Director Lynn Chen directing “I Will Make You Mine”
Photo by Eric Yang

DIM: What’s your newest project?

LC: Those two movies I talked about in the beginning of this interview – “Surrogate Valentine” and “Daylight Savings?” Well, I actually just finished directing half of the second sequel, called “I Will Make You Mine.” I also wrote, am producing, and starring in the movie. We are currently raising money on Kickstarter for our upcoming November shoot. Would appreciate any support!

DIM: What’s the biggest highlight and challenge of directing?

LC: I love carrying out my ideas and seeing them come to life. Collaborating is so much fun, because you get to see other artists’ takes on things – I’m always blown away whenever an actor or one of my producers suggests something new about a scene that I thought I knew inside/out. The biggest challenge is the emotional roller coaster of it all, which takes its toll on you physically as well.

DIM: Why direct?

LC: I honestly did not set out to become a director or a filmmaker. I’m doing it purely because I feel called to tell this story. Luckily, I enjoy it, because if I didn’t I’d go mad.

Director Lynn Chen directing Goh Nakamura and Yea-Ming Chen in “I Will Make You Mine” | Photo by Eric Yang

Lynn Chen directing Goh Nakamura and Yea-Ming Chen in “I Will Make You Mine”
Photo by Eric Yang

DIM: What recent movies/TV shows have you worked on?

LC: I’m in two movies, “The Chinese Cop” and “Go Back to China” – both written/directed by Asian-American women. Those should be hitting the festival circuit soon. I also did a small recurring role on “The Affair” which is on Showtime – but I’ve a feeling my character was cut out!

DIM: What has been your favorite character to play?

LC: Well right now it’s “Rachel” in the “Surrogate Valentine” series because she’s fresh in my head and I got to play her the longest. It’s a unique situation that won’t happen again – I first met her through Dave Boyle‘s (Learn more about Dave Boyle’s work on Dig In Magazine) eyes and now in “I Will Make You Mine” I got to really inhabit her mind and see who she is.

Actress, Director Lynn Chen directing I Will Make You Mine | Photo by Eric Yang

Lynn Chen working on her new project, “I Will Make You Mine”
Photo by Eric Yang

DIM: What do you like to do in your free time?

LC: I’ve got an incredible husband and amazing friends, but I really relish being by myself. Going to the movies solo is one my favorite things to do (thanks, Moviepass). Also, eating in my car listening to podcasts. You can often find me in a parking lot with a pint of Halo Top, crying over some self-help episode.

DIM: What’s your blog’s “The Actor’s Diet” main intention?

LC: I have no intention for my blog these days other than to share what’s going on in my life and things that I truly love and recommend.

DIM: What can we expect from you in the future?

LC: I really hope the next time we catch up, I’ll still be hoping and dreaming. That’s a difficult thing to do in Hollywood.

[Top featured photo: Actress/Director Lynn Chen with actress Yea-Ming Chen | Photo by Eric Yang]

About the author

Cindy Maram

Cindy Maram is a Dancer, Public Speaker and our Founder & Editor-in-Chief of the entertainment, fashion and arts publication, Dig IN Magazine. She is an accredited film critic for Cannes Film Festival in the South of France, Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, SFFilm Festival and CAAMFest, as well as a runway fashion photographer and editor for London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. She also serves as a professional sports photographer and writer. She is a prolific art critic providing media coverage for Art Basel Miami Beach and surrounding Miami Art Week fairs. As a creator, Cindy is a writer, vlogger, podcaster, social media strategist and manager possessing a Bachelor's Degree from UC Davis and Master's Degree completing graduate work in Mass Communications + Popular Culture Studies with an emphasis in Film/Marketing/Writing from Cal State Fullerton. Further, she is producer of independent feature length and short films, and is committed to supporting the visibility of underrepresented groups in the media and film industry.

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