Sahtu Press continues our new interview series with writers and creators across the globe to assist intercultural conversations on what it means to be creating in our modern times, finding our own voices, and reaching towards the outermost limits of our imagination. This month we interview acclaimed Lao American actress and creator Sydney Viengluang!
We’ve been following her work for close to a decade now, with her journey as an actress going all of the way back to 2010. Many know her for her groundbreaking role as a Lao doctor trying to save humanity in the zombie television show Z Nation starting with its third season in 2016. Others know her for roles in Scorpion (2014) and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016), as well as the film Isle of the Dead and the short Lao American film The Letter, both also released in 2016. The Letter won the Flicks4Chicks 2016 Short Film Contest Grand Prize for Diversity and Best Drama Award. She also helped to bring the Lao horror short film Bai Non: Go To Sleep to life with Phet Mahathongdy O’Donnell.
Off-camera, she has many hobbies and serves in many community roles across the country, including Laos Angeles, a network that seeks to advocate and advance Lao identity and representation in mainstream media. She is also extremely passionate about diversity and Asian American representation, helping immigrants and refugees, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
Sahtu Press: Can you tell us a little about yourself, and how did you develop an interest in the arts?
Sydney Viengluang: I was born in Vientiane, Laos. My family escaped when I was an infant, and we lived in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines for a couple years. We were eventually resettled in Wichita, KS, which is where I grew up and went to school and eventually graduated at Wichita State University with a Masters in Economics. My original plan was to come to LA to work in Finance/Accounting and eventually run a movie studio but life had other plans. I worked on the Fox Lot on my first job and after being exposed to The Biz, I decided to take my first acting class. I fell in love with it and the rest is history. I love tapping into my emotions and bringing a character to life with my experiences and background. I love connecting with a story and collaborating with other artists to help them tell it.
SP: Who do you turn to for your artistic inspirations?
SV: I don’t have one specific person that inspires me. I think any artist that chooses this life of an actor inspires me, knowing the challenges we face in this industry. It takes a lot of grit and belief in yourself and patience so anyone who is still pursuing their dreams as an artist, I am inspired by them. I like to think that everything I watch and read, whether it be TV or films or books, I can always take away at least one inspiring thing from it because some artist(s) took the time to create it.
SP: What do you feel has been a big part of successfully building a Lao American community in Hollywood?
SV: I think the organization Laos Angeles, started by my dear friend and mentor Kulap Vilaysack, has made a really big impact by bringing all of not just the Hollywood Lao Americans together, but the larger diaspora of Laos together. Without this organization, I don’t think I would’ve met and became friends with most of the Lao Americans I know today in Hollywood and the larger SoCal area.
SP: What do you feel international audiences would find interesting about the state of Lao American cinema these days?
SV: I believe we have only tapped into the tip of the iceberg of what kind of stories we can tell to the world. Also, I think they would find that we have quite a bit of horror, which I find interesting myself. I think our folklore and culture would be interesting to them as well.
SP: What’s the best compliment you’ve received for your work so far?
SV: I remember my mom telling me her Lao friend told her that her daughters saw me on Z Nation and said they wanted to be like me when they grew up. That melted my heart. Just to be able to show little girls who look like me, that they can be a part of Hollywood and felt seen is one of the best compliments I can get.
SP: What’s a direction you’d like to see Lao horror and action cinema take in the years ahead?
SV: I would like to see more of it–not just horror and action! I’d like to see more Lao filmmakers, writers, directors, and visionaries tell more of our stories, and more non-Lao people investing in the projects and getting Laos on the map as far as a place to shoot/tell stories about.
SP: How important is it for Lao community members to be involved in both the arts and community service?
SV: I believe it’s very important–however, I know we come from a community that came with nothing when we resettled as refugees in our respective countries. So I know that some, if not most, are still in survival mode. Some of us are still struggling to support ourselves and families, so arts and community service is not a part of our fore thoughts. It is a privilege to have time and the money to spend on arts and community service but I know we are moving in the right direction.
SP: What’s next for you?
SV: I starred in a digital tv series that should be coming out hopefully sometime this year. Details are under wraps but I’m excited for it to come out and finally talk about it. Because of the dual strikes last year, things have been pretty slow but I’m hoping I will have more good news to share with everyone soon!
You can keep up to date on more news from Sydney Viengluang at https://www.sydneyviengluang.com
