ichelle Krusiec is full of surprises. Start with her name. It's jarring to have it paired with features of a full-blooded Taiwanese. When Michelle was five her natural parents gave her up for adoption to her aunt who is married to an American surnamed Krusiec. The couple brought Michelle to the States. She has called them "mom" and "dad" ever since, the same terms she still uses in referring to her natural parents.
Another surprise for an actor with such an un-Asian name is the number of rank Asian stereotypes she has portrayed.
She's played a white-washed sorority girl in the independent film Pumpkin, a Chinese nanny who bears her employer's illegitimate child on ER, even a topless, massage parlor girl who speaks with a heavy Japanese accent on HBO's now defunct The Mind of the Married Man.
"I actually took a lot of pride in playing those characters because I was told initially I couldn't play them," says Krusiec.
Fortunately, Krusiec is best known for a memorable and very un-stereotypical portrayal of the love-shy *** Wil in Alice Wu's 2004 film, Saving Face. She plays a NY surgeon who struggles to find a balance between pleasing her overbearing Ma, played by Joan Chen, and showing her love for hot girlfriend Vivian, played by Lynn Chen.
"In my opinion, it was a perfect script and I knew it was a gem of a project to be a part of," Krusiec says, "when I was being considered for Wil, I think I leapt out of my pants."
Saving Face won the 2005 Golden Horse Audience Choice Award.
With her pretty face and long list of prime-time credits, it's only a matter of time before Krusiec cements her Hollywood-fixture status. Her performance as O'Brien's daughter from the future, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, endeared her to trekkies. Her performance as the perky Sui Blake on NBC's teen comedy series One World made her a big-sister figure for teeny boppers. And her role as host of the Discovery Channel's show, Travelers, proved that she was more than your typical girly girl. She could rough it with the best of them. In fact, Krusiec's favorite locale was about as hardcore back-to-the-elements as it gets, Ghana.
"Its the first time I experienced voodoo and meeting people who have a culture worshiping voodoo," Krusiec says "I also experienced my very first sacrifice and I was asked to drink from a sacrificial bowl that had goat's blood in it and all kinds of specialties that the local witches had put into this concoction."
Michelle Krusiec was born on October 2, 1974 in Taiwan. She was adopted and brought over to the States at the age of 5, by her aunt and uncle so her mother could better take care of her two brothers. She grew up under the influence of her strict mother.
"[My mom] gave me opportunities my siblings in Taiwan didn't have, so she was a lot stricter with my thinking: You've got to take responsibility for your life and who you are. I started getting gray hair at 12."
Krusiec's big break came while working at a dim sum restaurant at the age of 12. She was talent spotted by one of the customers.
"It sucked," she says, referring to the white homogeneity of her hometown.
Since early childhood Krusiec had known she wanted to be either a vocalist or a dancer. But it wasn't until high school that she began to actively pursue the performance arts. She enrolled in an arts academy, Virginia Governor's Magnet School for the Arts.
"I didn't really start studying theater and acting though, what I call legitimate acting until high school," Krusiec recalls, "that's when I joined an art school. That was what started my career in terms of acting."
Afterwards she attended Virginia Tech and graduated with a Theatre and English Degree. It was at Oxford while studying Shakespeare and woman's literature on scholarship, that Krusiec decided to devote more energy towards performance. She first entered the television spotlight as the host of the Discovery Channel show, Travelers. Out of the more than 50 locations she visited while hosting Travelers.
After hosting Travelers for two seasons, Krusiec went on to play Sui Blake on the teen series, One World. An ex-baseball player, David Blake adopts problem kids from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Krusiec played one of them. The show aired from September 1998 through January 2001. Although not a critical hit, it showcased Krusiec's ability to carry a co-starring role. Since then Krusiec has landed herself a number of recurring roles on shows like FOX's Titus, PBS's Mind on Science, and HBO's now defunct The Mind of the Married Man.
Despite over 30 appearances on prime-time shows and several recurring roles, Krusiec still has to fight for plum parts. Unlike co-star Lynn Chen, Krusiec was not the clear choice for her character. She met with producer Teddy Zee in May 2003. She wasn't offered the role until a few months later.
Krusiec is currently working on turning her one woman show, "Made in Taiwan," into a t.v. pilot. It is based off a mini-script she penned in college.
GS: What was the most challenging aspect of portraying the tomboy *** Wil in Saving Face?
AW: The most challenging part of playing Wil was that I had to be billingual in English and Mandarin. I spoke very little Mandarin and what little I knew was really poor, so the task of learning mandarin in a very short amount of time was daunting. Having to perform in Mandarin opposite a talented actress like Joan Chen was pretty intimidating as well so I wanted to be sure that I could have a strong understanding of the language. I studied Mandarin for a couple months for about 5 hours a day.
GS: Describe shooting the love scenes with Lynn Chen
AW: It only took about 20 minutes to shoot. The anxiety leading up to it was longer. I was pretty nervous, because I wasn't sure what to expect. Both Lynn and I did a good job of trying to keep things calm and casual, but you could feel an undercurrent of nerves. We did a couple of takes and planned out some basic movements, but what you see on screen is pretty organic. Lynn also has really soft skin, so in between takes we would just lay there and chill out. I think I have soft skin too, but Lynn has never mentioned that to me.
GS: What compelled you to audition?
AW: I really fell in love with the story. It was poignant and so well told that I just wanted to be anyone in the movie at first. I thought Alice did such a remarkable job with all the characters that I was thoroughly impressed with her abilities as a writer and I was just eager to meet her.
GS: Tell us a little about turning your one woman show "Made in Taiwan" into a tv pilot.
AW: I'm in the process of selling it as a pitch idea, but it is only in its beginning stages. However, the creation of the stage show Made in Taiwan began years ago in college. It first began as an essay deconstructing my relationship to my mother. It was combined with a playwriting class and I later intended to perform it. It's taken me a number of years to slowly craft the story, but it's one of my proudest accomplishments. I feel as a story, it is both entertaining and deeply moving and as a writer, I like to think I wrote something very special. It's been a very rewarding process. The story is about a Mother who is obsessed with her husband's alleged adultery and raises her daughter in reaction to these eccentric fears.
GS: Paint a picture of your early childhood for us including a few Kodak moments
AW: Early childhood -- I remember not having a lot of money growing up and one day, a girl in the neighborhood got a bike for her birthday. Well, all of the neighborhood kids got to learn how to ride her bike that day. Each one of us took turns learning on her bike and her father or mother would push each one of us off on the bike, until we each got the hang of it. I really remember that very vividly.
One of the things my mom used to do was pack my lunches in elementary school. She used to pack the weirdest chinese food too, like marinated turkey drumsticks the size of like my whole arm. She would wrap it up in aluminum foil and I'd have to unwrap this huge turkey leg in front of all these white kids and eat it. I was so embarrassed. One time she packed a porkchop sandwich which was two pieces of bread, a porkchop and a whole tomato.
GS: What were some of the upsides to being brought up in a bicultural adoptive household?
AW: The upside to growing up bi-culturally is that you get to glean values from both Western American culture and the Chinese culture. For example, I have a good work ethic and I'm very grateful for things in America that I think most people take for granted. On the American side, I love the American sensibility for fun and a good time. I also think Americans, compared with other countries, have a high tolerance for diversity.
GS: What's the hardest part of growing up in an adoptive bicultural household?
AW: The downside is that sometimes you have difficulty reconciling your two cultures. For example, when it comes to family, the Chinese culture stresses money and family. When it comes to American culture, it's about individuality and cutting ties from your parents. Obviously, this becomes a difficult notion to balance as you get older and are trying to find your own voice as an adult. Instead, you are forced to feel like you owe your parents for the life you've been given in America. This can really cause problems in your decision making.
GS: Do you have any siblings?
AW: I have 2 older brothers. I love them like crazy.
GS: What was it like growing up in a mostly caucasian community?
AW: It sucked.
GS: What kind of student were you?
AW: High school is not a time I like to think about, quite frankly. I made straight As and thought I was really mature. It turns out I was just a dork.
GS: Were your parents supportive of your decision to pursue entertainment?
AW: Not until I started making money from it.
GS: How did family and friends react to your onscreen nudity?
AW: I haven't asked them and they haven't volunteered anything. It's pretty vulnerable to have to do that so I think of it as part of my work and nothing else. I might have heard someone say that they thought I had perky boobs and I'd have to agree with them.
GS: Where are you currently living?
AW: I live in LA.
GS: What is your process for memorizing a script?
AW: I try not to memorize unless I have to. Instead, I work on why I'm saying what I'm saying and focus on the thoughts that naturally lead from one thought to the next. If a script is poorly written, I end up having to memorize because the thoughts are disjointed. If it's a good script, usually memorizing isn't an issue.
GS: On average, how many hours a day are spent on set?
AW: When I'm on set, you come in first thing and get your hair and makeup done. You usually wait around for the camera and crew to set up lights. Then you do a rehearsal, then the camera guys adjust lights and set, then you try and get a take in. You do that over and over again until you are done with the shot. Then you move to another setup and it starts all over. That will happen for 10-12 hours. The actual time you spend in front of the camera can be as little as 1-2 hours at the very most depending on the size of your role, because so much technical work is involved in getting each shot. It's a complex and also very ensemble heavy process - a lot of people are involved. It can also be boring and exhausting occupying yourself while you are waiting, so you have to be smart with yourself and not get worn out.
GS: How do you celebrate when you complete a project you're particularly proud of?
AW: I eat. A lot. And then I go out into the sun.
GS: What is your exercise/fitness regimen like?
AW: Right now, I haven't exercised in over 6 months. I was a fitness fanatic in the past, taking dance classes and fitness classes almost 6 days a week. I think I just got a little worn out and so I've been taking a break. I think it's good to eat in moderation and do things where you are applying yourself both physically and mentally. Working out just to work out can be pretty dull.
GS: What are your favorite pastimes?
AW: I love to dance, listen to new music, catch up on films. I love trying anything new and I really love to travel.
GS: Any favorite television shows?
AW: I love Curb Your Enthusiasm
GS: Favorite movies?
AW: Cinema Paradiso, Aliens, Betty Blue, Bladerunner, Forrest Gump.
GS: Favorite designers?
AW: Twinkle, Marc Jacob, Diesel.
GS: Are you currently seeing anyone?
AW: Yes.
GS: How did you meet?
AW: With our eyes.
GS: What is the least pleasant part of your day?
AW: The part where I'm so tired I just want to relax, but as I'm about to sit down, my doggie Stella looks up at me with her sad eyes and tells me I'm a lousy mom for not walking her.
GS: What is the most pleasant part of your day?
AW: When I first wake up and I feel like today, anything can happen!
GS: What do you consider the pinnacle of your career?
AW: I'm not sure if I'm able to see that. I am so immersed in it, I think you can only see things like that when you have some distance.
GS: What do you consider the least pleasant part of your career?
AW: The unpredictability of this business can really wear you down. I also can't stand the egos which you seem to encounter from time to time; you sometimes wonder if there is a God.
GS: Describe your dream role
AW: My dream role is working with a visionary team of people who are all working with the same amount of passion, faith and respect for one another and in the story we are all trying to tell.
GS: How do your amp yourself up for an audition?
AW: Actually, I don't amp, I try to relax. Usually amping means nervous energy and I prefer to be more grounded when I work unless I'm doing something which requires a lot of physical stamina like improvisation and I need to be in my body rather than in my head. Then I might do a lot of stretching and freeing movements with my body.
GS: Are you interested in pursuing work behind the camera?
AW: At the moment, I most interested in continuing my work as an actor. Later on, I feel I will naturally gravitate towards directing and/or other talents when the time is right. I am very interested in continuing my writing and hope that desire will never go away.
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