On Stage with Leng Wong
By Yvonne Lim Wilson | July 17, 2008
Local Asian actress Leng Wong talks with Asian Austin about her acting career and her latest role as Darla in "What I Want Right Now," which runs June 27-July 19, Thursday-Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 7pm, at the Vortex, 2307 Manor Rd. For more information, call 478-5282 or visit www.main.org/diffstages.
Tell us about your acting career.
I really don't know. I started taking classes with some fantastic acting coaches in
Austin and I started auditioning for anything that comes up. I started back again about two years ago after many years of not performing. My last play was in May called "Stop Kiss." I was also involved in student films and short films by local directors.
Tell us about "What I want right now" … What message do you hope people will get from the play?
"What I Want Right Now" explores what we think we want in life, and it uses a couple dealing with the husband's mortality as a vehicle. Due to the husband's terminal illness, he has suddenly developed the ability to grant wishes. The play's structure is non-linear, infused with a bit of surrealism and a good dose of wackiness. It has adult themes and language and is intended for mature audiences. I think the message is that life is uncertain; it's not perfectly laid out – focus on what's important and the "now," especially with people you care about.
Tell me about the character you play in "What I want right now"?
I play the wife, Darla, and it's a super interesting part because it's a roller coaster of a ride in emotions as she is gleeful in one scene when granted a wish of having a great body, and then frustration in one when she realizes fame is not all it's cracked up to be, and of course, underneath it all, her helplessness that she's losing her husband slowly to an illness.
Do you identify with her? Do you think many women will identify with her?
As much as I want to think that I'm my own person and I'm in total control of what I think, I can't help but realize that the constant barrage of what's considered ideal from popular media influences how I view myself. Playing this character reminds me that I have to be conscious of that at all times. My character sometimes seems shallow, wishing for physical beauty and all that, but the fact is, we all do it whether it's constantly wishing we were thinner or spending way too much money at the beauty salons.
Do you have a favorite scene or line?
My favorite scene is the scene where Darla and Bruce (the couple) are sleeping and
Darla suddenly wakes up from a dream that convinced her she knows what everyone really wants. She's trying to contain her excitement about her discovery, trying not to wake her husband, but can't manage it as she really, really wants to tell him. He keeps trying to go back to sleep everytime. Besides the comedic timing needed and the rapport between the two actors, it also really shows how much affection the characters have for each other; in fact, it always reminds me of my husband and I when I perform that scene. Favorite line: "You do realize that every time you order a BLT, someone has to kill a pig don't you? They don't grow on trees you know?"
What is your take on acting as an Asian American? Are there any special challenges that you've faced?
I think it's the same challenge faced by other minorities; we're seen only as Asians or African American or whatever our ethnicity is and so, we're boxed into stereotypical, boring roles. We need to support productions that have color-blind casting, whether they are plays, TV shows or films.
What's next for you?
Audition, audition, audition! Can't win if you don't play.
