Meet Jamie Wu | Actor and Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Wu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I am by nature a very risk-averse person. So the fact that I am pursuing acting and photography, two artistic avenues, is very out of my comfort zone. Growing up, everything that I did was planned and calculated so that there was as little room as possible for uncertainty, which is a definite byproduct of risk. But looking back at my life, I can confidently say that all the amazing things I’ve ever done were when I’ve risked it the most. In college, I studied abroad in Singapore and that was life changing. It opened my eyes to different cultures and definitions of success. It made me let go of chasing the “American Dream” where I’d make a 6-figure income, have kids at 30 and live in a white-picket fence house. After graduating, I left the corporate world and didn’t use my engineering degree and instead pursued acting and photography. And that opened up my eyes to dream bigger than I could’ve ever dreamed. I love that I found my calling in life so early on without having to worry about a mid-life crisis. I’m happy that I didn’t waste my time doing the 9-5 at a company that I hate. For me, risk brought freedom because I learned I didn’t have much to lose, especially as a young 22 year old. And without risk, you can’t expect high rewards. I’d rather live a life where I’ve actually lived than a life where everything was mediocre and boring.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an actor and creator. I love creating–whether that is acting, writing a script, directing a short, taking a photograph, recording my podcast or making a TikTok video, I love it all. And I think it’s because I was made in the image of my Creator, who creates! I think what sets me apart is that a lot of my ideas are inspired by God. The short film I made about my mom and her sexual harassment experience and the idea that I had to produce my own first short film both popped into my mind one day. And because I believe God created the whole universe, I know the ideas He gives me are going to be magnificent! I started acting after college. When I came back to Seattle, I took all of the acting classes I could find. Then I went to random Facebook events for filmmakers and started networking. And when I found a group of people who were also filmmakers, we started making films because we wanted to get better. Bit by bit, my love for film grew! But it isn’t an easy path because I am the only creative in my group of friends. And the hardest part is that it takes time to build your work and it isn’t a linear path. You can’t expect x,y,z just because you put in a,b,c. 90% of the auditions that I submit for, I don’t hear back. But that’s just the nature of acting. You keep working and getting better until an opportunity comes along. I overcame these challenges by not thinking too much about the end product and instead focusing on the actual doing. Instead of thinking about how many films I have been in, I think about how I can be the best actor in this short film for this weekend. If you truly love being a creative, it doesn’t matter what you create as long as you get to create. I’ve learned that it’s really about the journey and not the destination. Great things take time and if you’re not willing to wait, then maybe you are in it for the wrong reasons. I might be acting for 40 years and never get famous. But it doesn’t matter because I’ll still be making narratives that I think will impact people. I want the world to know that I’m never going to stop creating. Even if it’s not being an actor, I’ll always create some kind of content because it’s in my DNA to create.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely take them to Kerry Park or Gasworks Park. You can see the Seattle skyline, the Space Needle and the Great Wheel from those two places! There is a lot of good Vietnamese and Korean food in Federal Way and Chinese food in Chinatown. We have lots of beautiful hikes so I’d take them to Snow Lake or Gold Creek Pond!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe all of my success to God. And that might sound nebulous but really He’s changed my heart to be more courageous and daring. I look at my creative life now and it’s a complete 180 from what I was doing in school–industrial and systems engineering. Once God changed my heart to let go of controlling my future, I started to see how much of a creative person I was. And it was so scary to reject the 9-5 corporate job and pursue something so unstable but I’m a lot happier doing what I’m doing now! Even now when I act or take photos, I’ll ask Him what’s the best place to take a photo or what’s the best angle and how I should write scenes so it portrays what I’m feeling. And He responds with little thoughts that pop into my head. God’s so cool!

Website: https://jamiewu.mypixieset.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiesmiles228/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-wu-905518b1/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jamie.Wu3

Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@msjamiewu