Meet Kate Nguyen

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kate Nguyen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Confidence and building up my self-esteem did not happen overnight. With anything, it takes time. I still have days where I don’t feel as confident. But what I’ve found that has helped me the most is surrounding myself with supportive and positive people who will lift me up, and appreciate me for me.

I was a very shy kid growing up. I didn’t speak to anyone unless I was spoken to, and I’m still that way sometimes. Being shy is never ever a bad thing, but I think the wrong people in your life will make it seem like it’s this awful thing and that you should change yourself. The right people will understand that that is who you are, and will appreciate that part of you. They will make you feel comfortable, even during the silence, and help bring out the confidence that you didn’t know you already had in you.

Pushing myself outside of my comfort zone has also helped me grow my confidence. Even though I was such a shy kid, I still wanted to do all the things that I enjoyed, without fear. So I joined choir, and eventually did more choir all throughout high school, and even pushed myself to audition for the school musical. I knew if I didn’t push myself and do all these things in school, I would be holding myself back from the things that brought me joy, so I just had to do it and trust that I would be okay in the process.

Having uplifting and supportive people in my life, and making the decision to push myself early on, has led me to where I am now with my confidence and has helped me so much in my current acting journey.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am an actress, and have worked on several projects in and around San Diego since 2022. I remember I was really struggling after having just graduated college during the pandemic. Post graduation depression is so real. I was unsure of my future, and I just wanted to find something that I could look forward to amongst all the chaos during that time. I started studying under acting coach Terry Ross, and since then have participated in 48 hour films, and have taken on some audition and improv workshops.

I was also in a play called Every Day Vanilla that debuted here in San Diego. Being cast in that was a big deal for me. The play centered around the perspective of a young Filipina American, and showcased an all-Asian cast. Being of Filipino and Vietnamese descent, this was huge. Representation is so rare, and that’s why it matters. I was lucky to have been a part of that story.

My most recent project was a short film called “YOU + ME WILL ALWAYS BE BACK THEN”, which is currently on its festival run. This is another project that happened to be a majority Filipino-American cast and crew, and it was a very supportive and affirming shoot. I can’t wait to see where else the film takes us!

With all projects, I want to be thoughtful about what I choose to do, and getting to act in ones that recognize and celebrate my heritage mean everything to me. I would never have the confidence that I have now, if it weren’t for opportunities like these. I hope by continuing to act in projects that highlight Asian American representation, it will help spark confidence in someone else.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey as an actress are showing up with kindness, having an open mind, and being okay with rejection.

A lot of time on set is waiting around for your scene to actually be filmed. Although it may seem taxing, you might be tired whatever, everyone else is doing their job on set to make sure you look great. So just be kind. Show up and be kind to your fellow castmates, be friendly to the crew. No matter what is going through your mind in that moment, make sure to show appreciation because everyone on set is working hard towards a similar goal.

We are so used to staying in our comfortable bubbles, but practicing open-mindedness really does help you dive into a role. Sometimes you will play characters that you never thought to play, or you don’t think really fit you. It is not about what fits you but what fits the character. Their reactions, their attitudes, their appearance will be different from yours, but you have to be open to exploring those things in order to understand that character.

I recently had to give up an audition because they needed someone without tattoos, and I have a few. Of course I was bummed. But I realized there was nothing I could do about it, and just accepted that the role wasn’t supposed to be mine. You accept it, you move on, and that rejection will bring you something better.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking to connect with other creatives. We could help each other self tape, practice lines, or simply connect. Sometimes you just need someone to listen, and provide added support along your creative journey. Cinematographers, directors, photographers especially! Anyone that wants to chat, or collaborate on a project, you can reach me on instagram @katelagn.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @katelagn
• Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14042556/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_kate%2520nguyen

Image Credits

Chris Jon Photography, Studio Luniste