Renegades | Isabella Wei on Finding Her Confidence

Welcome to Renegades, Gold House’s newsletter series spotlighting Asian Pacific leaders and creatives who are carving their own paths and defying stereotypes along the way. This week, we sat down with actress and dancer Isabella Wei. Born and raised in Hong Kong, the young performer made her on-screen debut in the thriller series 1899, and will soon make her feature film debut in The Crow, in theaters August 23.

What did you want to be when you were growing up, and how does that compare to where you are now?

When I was growing up, I actually wanted to be a dancer. So, I'd always been quite artistic, and I started dancing maybe when I was about 8. I did a little bit of jazz dance at school, and then I really started to get into it when I was maybe 11 or 12. I did a lot of contemporary and hip-hop dance. As I got older, I stumbled upon acting, sort of by luck and by chance. And I love it.

So, I still dance whenever I can, and I think it's something that's always going to be with me forever. It has actually come in quite handy with a few other projects as well, just being able to pick up choreography and things. I wouldn't say I strayed too far off from what I wanted to be when I grew up.

You’ve previously cited the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation as the start of your acting journey, with founder Lindsey McAlister nudging you to audition for 1899. Looking back, how has the YAF influenced your performance style and choices? 

Well, the first and kind-of-only acting project that I did with the Hong Kong Youth Foundation was a play in which I played the antagonist. So it was quite a dark, maybe a little bit of a dark, story. And I definitely played a dark character. With both 1899 and The Crow, the theme of tragedy, or this dark atmosphere that permeates, is quite a common theme.

Maybe I gravitate towards that. Maybe that type of character really resonates with me. I think the incredible thing from the Hong Kong Youth Foundation was they gave us a lot of freedom and autonomy to take our own artistic choices. Growing into my own actor, and not following a specific method or a regiment that should be right, but it's more right for me: that was the biggest takeaway that I got from the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, and now has seeped into the other jobs I've done.

Your breakout role as Ling Yi in 1899 was spectacular. What was the transition like, jumping into a major Netflix series, and the transition now going into a blockbuster film?

It was pretty crazy, at the time, because I had basically no prior acting experience. I remember auditioning sort of as a joke, thinking that I would just do it for fun. And I had no idea how to do a self-tape or anything that that would entail. So realizing that I was going to go to Berlin and start shooting was groundbreaking for me. 

It was definitely intimidating, especially because I knew that I was stepping into a world with incredible, very, very accomplished, actors from all over Europe. And also being the youngest on set, it fed into a little bit of my insecurity. But throughout the process of filming, I just really got to know everyone. And it became a really enjoyable experience, that everyone was so willing to help out this new actress, which I was so lucky to have. 

The Crow was actually pretty soon after 1899 had wrapped. It was about half a year after. So I went back to Hong Kong, and then I finished high school. Then I started doing The Crow. So I think the biggest takeaway, and the biggest transition was really just my confidence. Going into 1889, I was super nervous and maybe a bit insecure. Going into The Crow, I really felt like, “Yeah, it's okay. Like, I can be here and I deserve to be here.” It was a good motivation and starting point, having had 1899. 

Your role in The Crow is a pivotal one, as Zadie is the catalyst for everything that unfolds. How did you prepare for the role, from the emotional backstory to the physicality of the character?

My dance actually helped a lot with the physicality of it. I didn't expect it so much in the character when I had just read the audition scenes, but I was actually really pleased by the amount of technicality that went into Zadie’s character and physical technicality as well.

My dance background definitely helped me with the quick changes that would happen on set, timings of things, because there's a lot of people doing a lot of different jobs to make sure that the magic of the scene happens in the way that it does. So oftentimes, my job as Zadie became super technical, remembering the timing and the placement and things like that. So that was definitely super helpful. 

And in terms of the emotional backstory, the amazing thing that was similar between me and Zadie was that we were both very young. Though Zadie’s trying to do the right thing, she, at the same time, is naive. She really had the good of her friends in her heart, but gets everyone into a little bit of trouble. And I think I can really relate to that feeling of maybe naivety and having good intentions, but maybe not being sure of how to depict them in the right way yet.

Aside from that, just seeing the makeup and seeing the locations and the costume really helped me get into character, and really imagine what Zadie is like, because I guess we look very different and we are very different. Just being able to see all of that really helped me.

Both 1899 and The Crow have elements of the supernatural, horror, and mystery. Why do these genres interest you as an actor? Or is this just sheer coincidence?

I'm not sure, to be honest. I think it might be some sort of coincidence, but at the same time, I think I'm really drawn to characters that are super different from me.

It's always really interesting for me to draw on, I guess, not my own experiences and try to put myself into someone else's shoes, go through things that I never have gone through in my personal life. Everything that's happened with Zadie, and the position that she's been put in and even her tragic ending, I find it really incredible to have material like that to work with, to try to immerse myself into a different person or a different character. I gravitate towards that. Maybe that's the reason. But it also could just be the stars and we'll never know. 

We’re also really excited to see High Wire, an upcoming film directed by Calif Chong wherein you play a British-Chinese takeaway girl discovering artistic bravery and freedom via a traveling circus. What drew you to the project, and what do you hope audiences take away from it?

That was, I think, one of the one of my favorite projects to date, just because I think it's such an important story to be told about the Asian experience. I learned so much being on that film. I grew up in Hong Kong, so I never really experienced what it was like to be a minority in the UK or anywhere.

Speaking to the director and speaking to a lot of the cast members on the film as well, I got to understand and learn about a lot of different experiences of people and people of color coming to countries in the West. Yeah, I'm super excited to see that out.

We were shedding light on the intricacy and the importance of the circus nowadays. I think people often think that it's a dying art, but really it's incredible. I've gotten the privilege of working really closely with them throughout the project, as well as working with this amazing Hong Kong actor, Dominic Lam, who played my dad: understanding that strained relationship and how the Asian experience can sometimes not support the arts as well as we hope. But, you know, our parents always have our best interests in mind. So there's a lot of really interesting key takeaways that will come from High Wire. And I think the main thing is the Asian experience in the West.

Lightning Round

Favorite dance move: The Dougie.

Best superpower: Flying. I just feel like it's so convenient. Like, imagine you had to go somewhere and there was really bad traffic, and you went, “Well, I could fly.” And then you just went!

Favorite comfort food: Char Siu Lo Mein, or Char Siu Fan, which is a Hong Kong dish, which is basically just barbecue pork and rice or barbecue pork and noodles.

Dream director to work with: Scott Frank. I love his work: he directed The Queen's Gambit, and that was one of the first series that I really got my teeth into. And after that, I was just completely drawn to his directing style and the way that he used the fluidity of the camera to depict the rest of the story. So hopefully, one day, I get to be on the receiving end of the magic. 

Advice you'd give your younger self: Everything happens for a reason. Try not to stress about things because everything will play out the way it's meant to play out.