Meet Yishan Hao | Actor

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

Hi Yishan, how do you think about risk?
I used to be a very risk-averse person. I’d always go for the safe choice. I can go to a coffee shop for ten times and always order the same drink. Gradually I found out going for the safe choice doesn’t bring me the things I want. Instead, I missed a lot of opportunities. I was scared to take risks because of the uncertainty and my imagination of every bad situation that may happen. But often times along with uncertainty, there are opportunities and surprise of life. I don’t want to be the person who limit me from stepping out of my comfort zone and making discoveries.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I think art is about truth. As an actor, I want to stay truthful to myself and find truth in my acting. This requires a lot of courage because truth means imperfection, and it is not easy to acknowledge the flaw and vulnerability of myself. But when I’m not afraid of recognize my true self, I find the characters in the script open up to me as well. One thing that helps me to find truth in acting is to have empathy, which means try to see the world without prejudice and being willing to understand others, not only in acting but also in life. So I can have deep connection with people around me and characters in the play.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I will definitely take them to the beach, like hermosa or laguna beach. We might go to Griffith to have a great view of the city. Because I really like old town Pasadena, we’ll spend an afternoon there, just hanging around and exploring the area. And we have more time, it would be nice to have a little road trip to Joshua Tree. I am a foodie, and one of the most exciting thing about LA is that you can find food all from over the world in LA. I’ll take my friends to Grand Central Market for tacos. We’ll drive to San Gabriel for authentic Chinese food and Pho. We’ll definitely have dinner at Thai town after the hike at Griffith. Also, I’ll get some guava cheese strudels from Porto’s for them before they leave to the airport.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout to Mia and Kikyou who have been supporting from the beginning of my acting career. I also want to thank my fellow actors and teachers from my professional conservatory, who are always kind, generous and loving.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yishanhao/?next=%2F