Interview with Actor, George Q. Nguyen

George Q. Nguyen is a Vietnamese American actor based in San Francisco, California. With a passion for acting and films at a very young age, George Nguyen studied acting at The American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He has acted in independent films, which have screened at film festivals that include the San Diego Asian American Film Festival, the Damah Film Festival, the Hawaii International Film Festival and the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. He has also performed in a number of theatrical productions in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Visit George Q. Nguyen's website and view his film work on IMDb!

Read George's recent interview with The Examiner!

Dig In Magazine: What is your racial and cultural background?

George Nguyen: I'm 100% Vietnamese American. I was born in El Paso, TX but grew up in San Francisco. My parents came over here to teach Vietnamese for the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA.

DIM: Where are you based?

GN: I'm currently residing in San Francisco, CA.

DIM: When did your passion for film and acting begin?

GN: My passion began when I was still a very young child. My parents loved taking me to watch films as a kid from Disney to the James Bond franchise. I remember vividly as a kid, I was watching the Oscars and telling my parents I wanted to be an actor. I was so young, my Parents probably thought nothing of it. My first experience in theater was in elementary school and that's where I first started acting. We did plays for the school and had also performed at Macy's Downtown once.

DIM: Were you formally trained in film and if so, where were you trained?

GN: I was formally trained at The American Conservatory Theater here in SF for acting in their summer training congress and studio classes, which also offered on-camera classes. I originally majored in film in college, but switched to cell and molecular biology. I worked at A.C.T. for six years and was able to attend their classes in the evenings, which helped during my time studying science.

DIM: What types of acting have you done?

GN: I enjoy improvisation and physical acting, and I have done contemporary plays to the classics. I've mainly acted in theater and independent films.

DIM: What theatrical productions have you been in?

GN: Let's see, the shows I've been in include, "A Cabal of Hypocrites" with the American Citizen's Theater, "Merry Wives of Windsor" with Marin Shakespeare Company, "Six Degrees of Separation" with the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, "Teahouse of the August Moon" and "Sacagawea" with the Willows Theater Company, and others. The most recent play I was in was called "Meadowland" for Second Wind Theater Company.

DIM: What role did you play in "Meadowland," which was written and directed by Ian Walker for Second Wind Theater Company? What was the play about?

GN: I played the husband in Meadowland. The play, which is based on a short story called "In a grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, is also the same short story that Akira Kurasawa based his film Rashomon on. The play is about an investigator searching for clues about a murder that takes place in a grove. In his quest we see three different versions of the murder. There is also a love story that is about the investigator and his sister in law and the inner conflict with him.

DIM: What types of characters have you played in theatre and film?

GN: I've played from 10-year-old kids to 80-year-old hermits. I've played mainly character driven roles, which I enjoy.

DIM: How did you get into the film industry?

GN: I've also always been interested in film as it is a medium that goes along with acting. I studied some filmmaking in college, but I knew that my passion was more in acting. As an actor I enjoy acting in both theater and film. In Theater you have a connection with the audience and you get to go through the full arc of the play every night. As for film, I enjoy the technical aspects and understanding different camera angles and shots. Being an actor, you cannot limit yourself to one medium.

DIM: What films have you acted in?

GN: I've mainly worked in independent short and a few independent feature films.

DIM: What other film festivals have your films been featured in?

GN: I've only attended a few film festivals that include San Diego Asian American Film Festival, Damah Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival and the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival.

DIM: What film organizations do you belong to?

GN: SAG (Screen Actors Guild), AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and AEA (Actors Equity Association). I am an Equity membership candidate.

DIM: When did you become a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and how did you become eligible to join?

GN: I joined SAG back in 2007. I was eligible to join SAG from a principle role in an Industrial that I performed.

DIM: I understand that in addition to your acting work in other films, you worked as a first assistant director on the film, "Hubris: A Short Film" (2009) and as a production manager on "Bampinay" (2004), what type of film work do you prefer?

GN: I prefer acting, as that is my passion, but I enjoy helping other filmmakers and friends with their productions. As you know, a lot of independent filmmakers do not have a lot of money and I support them in their art by assisting in other ways when I can.

DIM: What types of roles would you like to play in the future?

GN: I enjoy the craft of acting in that I would love to play any type of role in the future. Every role and character you can create will be something original and different as long as you take the risk. Sometimes it will work and sometimes it will not, but at least you have taken the creative steps in developing that character or role.

DIM: What do you like to do outside of acting and film?

GN: Outside of acting and film, I like to spend time with family and friends and enjoy traveling overseas. I also enjoy doing outdoor activities like camping, swimming and hiking. I also enjoy photography.