Meet Pascal Phoa

We recently connected with Pascal Phoa and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Pascal, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

A few years ago, I heard about the term “ikigai” from a family friend who went to Japan and told me about it. Through them, I learned about how your purpose could be defined by four things: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for. At the time, I was working as a software developer building web applications for businesses and realized that I have only fulfilled 1 of 4 of the ikigai pillars: what you can get paid for. I realized the other 3 pillars were completely missing: I was never that good in programming, I don’t really like it, and while yes technology is developing rapidly, I felt that there are always going to be enough Asian people doing software development who are all better than I could ever be. At the time, I was taking acting classes after work and I thought that doing it would really fulfill all of my pillars of ikigai: I had done a few community theatre plays in my life through auditioning, so I thought I must at least be a little bit good at it, I love the thrill I get from performing, I think the world needs to be exposed to more Asian people and their stories, and I could paid well doing it though it might take a while to get there! As an actor, this made me realize that my goal is not to book every role I audition for, but perhaps to allow the other side of the room to be open to casting an Asian person. If the role doesn’t come to me, but my audition has made them consider casting another Asian person of a different type who fits their story better, I still see that as a win at the end of the day.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a New York City based actor who grew up in Indonesia and Singapore. While I’m not juggling teaching and working artist jobs, I act in, audition for, and occasionally produce and write shows. What excites me most about being an actor is to tell stories that are live and relevant. I think it’s an incredibly rewarding vocation to be able to make people feel things in a live performance, especially these days where everyone is staying indoors and being glued to their phones more. The theatre gives people a communal permission to react to life, ask questions about themselves, and feel however they like in a way that cannot be replicated digitally so I think that’s what is so exciting about what I do!

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?

Consistency, Curiosity, Courage. That’s three Cs you. Alliteration – let’s go! I think consistency is so important because we live in such an result-oriented society that makes people feel that they are lacking when they do not see immediate results. I think results come best when you show up every day and keep working on your craft while letting go of how you want the end result to look like. Curiosity has helped me become an always-learner and (hopefully) never a know-it-all. There is ALWAYS something you can work on and staying curious in doing things differently or considering a different perspective can only sharpen your skills. Stay curious because sometimes it comes with rewarding surprises about yourself and/or the world! Lastly, being courageous has helped me develop confidence. I should have picked confidence for my last word – that would have been cooler but oh well. I think being in a feeling of discomfort has made me grow the most. I remember taking my first acting class and feeling very out of place because I was so in my head about how I look like to people when performing. But as time went on, I realize acting really isn’t about me but is about the character whose lines I am saying because the character needs to feel like a real person! People want to know who the character I am playing is and the only way to do that is through my own body, movement, shape, and voice. It’s not about Pascal. Pascal is the instrument, the character is the music, and the play is the symphony that people want to experience.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

A lot of people might not know this about me, especially my friends in the theatre world, but I am quite a religious person. I was raised and still am Catholic and while I don’t like to proselytize or talk a lot about it, it is definitely something I am grateful to have. For me, I pray for guidance, regardless of when I am overwhelmed or when things are good. It has helped me stay grounded by reminding me that nothing in life is guaranteed. I pray because honestly most of the time I don’t really know what I’m doing. Should I take this gig? Should I quit this job? Is this a good thing to do? Will people hate me if I do this? There are a lot of unknowns in my line of work and I feel really blessed to have done the things I’ve done in my acting career. I never know if something is meant for me so praying has really allowed me to remain open and let things unfold as they may. I pray so that I can be guided instead of getting an answer. The answers will come if you allow yourself to be guided. I guess it’s a bit like acting: it’s best to go with the flow instead of intellectually trying to conjure up every blocking and choice you’ve done in rehearsals. Additionally, and I think this is something that non-religious people might be able to relate to better, I have found that going out for a run or talking to my parents have helped me iron out things when they feel too much. Having a support system is really helpful for bouncing ideas and you can never go wrong with a physical activity!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pascalphoa.com
• Instagram: @pascalphoa

Image Credits

Self