Meet Jessica Lee | Actress

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

Hi Jessica, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I never saw myself as a risk taker until 5 years ago. I moved from Hong Kong to New York by myself to pursue my acting career, without a green card or any sort of work visa, not knowing anyone. That was probably the biggest risk I have ever taken in my life.

It was a gamble for me – all or nothing.

I was an up-and-coming actress in Hong Kong, working for an online TV channel. But I didn’t feel satisfied. I was typecast and I was dying to break out of this character. When I decided to move to the States, I basically gave up everything I built in Hong Kong and had to start everything from scratch.

I spent all my savings flying back and forth Hong Kong and NYC, hiring a lawyer for O1B visa application, still paying rent while I was away, etc. I poured everything into this “American Dream”, monetarily and mentally.

And it changed my whole outlook on life, not only my career. The move opened my eyes. I was finally able to see how big the world actually is. I felt like a caged bird being set free.

If you really wanted something, you don’t even think about “risk”. You either do it or don’t. That’s how I see it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am an actress.

I started acting in Hong Kong. I went to NYC to study acting in the summer of 2017 and officially moved to NYC to further pursue my acting career in 2019 – and then the pandemic hit. Getting the artist visa to winning the green card lottery (America needs me! LOL), the whole journey feels like a roller-coaster ride. I came from having literally $0 in my bank account to being able to make a living doing what I love, and moving to LA two months ago! Sometimes I forgot how far I have gone already.

I hope my story can be somewhat inspiring to everyone out there who has a dream.

Be persistent. It’s not a race with anyone else. It’s a marathon. It’s going to be tough at times but don’t forget how much you have achieved already. Be PROUD of your progress!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Definitely go camping at Mojave Desert! I saw the MOST AMOUNT OF STARS I have ever seen in my life there. It was such a magical experience.

Since I just moved to LA not long ago, I don’t really know a lot of spots. But there’s this hole in a wall restaurant that I love in the East side – Veggie Life Restaurant. They are the BEST vegan restaurant in LA, no cap. Try their lemongrass “chicken” – you won’t regret it. All the friends I took there LOVE the food – and they are not even vegan!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom. My best friend. All my friends, who became my family in NYC.

Instagram: instagram.com/jessess

Image Credits
@kerojpeg @giuelam @knnyng_