Victoria G Interviews Eva-Marie Kung

Victoria G: What inspired you to become an actress?

Eva-Marie Kung: I remember seeing Casablanca when I was very young and my mom explained the whole idea of pretending and film sets. The idea of being any person, at any time in History, anywhere in the world? I immediately decided this was the most intriguing and alluring existence, although I did play with the idea of backups: astronaut (don't ask), doctor, pianist, dancer or marine biologist (blame Free Willy for that one). At the end of the day, though I still adore ballet, I just simply wasn't talented enough nor had the bones for it. Astronaut immediately went out the window by the age of nine when I tried the food (to be fair, I didn't realise you were meant to microwave it...), but I did end up studying Zoology at UCL. I also continued piano for a long time before stopping when I moved to London permanently, but music remains a deep love of mine. My parents had built successful careers fighting for human rights, and I imagine my interest in medicine was driven by a hope to emulate that positive effect on the world. I even did a stint in Histology and Biomedical science at a pre-college program at BrownUniversity. But something essential quickly dawned on me: empathy, which was the driving factor in wanting to help, would be the one thing I would likely have to switch off to do such a career effectively and professionally. You simply can't operate on someone or work in war zones if you're crying at the horrific sights you see. Acting on the other hand requires not only a huge amount of empathy to portray people and their stories, but also to challenge your judgements and stretch it to characters you may not naturally relate to or even like. Perhaps I was weak, or perhaps just knew I had enough sensitivity and enthusiasm to share. So I chose acting, hoping perhaps one day to also use my voice and potential platform to bring attention to causes of importance. And, who knows? Maybe one day I'll play an expert medical scientist in space who plays the piano and saves children. I was also very lucky because once I was certain to act, my parents were at once very realistic (my mother said I might as well start waiting tables then and there) but also extremely supportive. I found out later that my maternal grandparents had worked in the industry in the States, and though I never had the joy of knowing either of them, it then felt like I was continuing a tradition. Even at times when things haven't been progressing or have been downright gloomy-looking, I can genuinely say no other industry has ever appealed to me, at least not enough. I knew acting would be tough, so I stuck with it. I think you have to be in this business for the right reasons and be utterly realistic about it: it's not a career for the faint-hearted. I can't imagine enduring the instability, insecurity, occasional psychological and physical damage, improbability, unfairness, inconsistency or constant failures that are the norm unless it's an absolute vocation. But when you finally get past all the bureaucracy and auditions and get lucky enough to finally do your job and it's a project you like? Pure magic.

VG: Who are your acting inspirations?

EMK: We grew up with a lot of classics on VHS, and so I might be tragically old-school about this. I remember falling in love with Gregory Peck, Rosalind Russell, Lauren Bacall, Yul Brynner, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Alain Delon ... From more recent actors, I'd say Cate Blanchett, James Spader, Viggo Mortensen, Alfred Molina, Mads Mikkelsen, Laurence Fishburne, Brendan Fraser, Lupita Nyong'o, Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Son Ye-jin, Jeff Bridges, Daniel Kaluuya, Benicio Del Toro... I could just go on and on. For comedy projects, my two personal faves are Dan Levy and Andre Braugher (99!). I guess you could say what they all have in common is a certain wisdom to their performances. They can play forceful, even dangerous, and mysterious but also extremely vulnerable and fragile. That balance is so difficult: to be so layered and detailed in the work. They're the greats in my mind, I'd love to get even close to mastering my craft as they have.

VG: What is your favorite thing about acting?

EMK: You know when you play as a kid? You create a world in between reality and your suspended moment? That feeling. When you are in a moment with a group, doing something so unique and personal and intense that you bond with them forever, in all the work and intimacy within the team. A team you may never be with together again and yet feels always familiar. Bonding together over the ridiculousness and yet utter seriousness of creating a magic trick - the trick of turning the unglamorous mess, chaos of electronics, cold rooms, long hours, repeated failures, repetitive takes into something precious: an immersive experience to move, affect and touch an audience by taking them on the journey. The beauty of being anyone in any career in any era, to be everyone and no one in particular. To turn a pile of papier-mâché into a terrifying relic, a floating tennis ball into a great nemesis, a blank wall into a dying lover... the pure contradiction of the industry is what I love. The open secrecy of it all, the total freedom from reality. The warmth of the lights, the triumph of finally actually doing the job you worked for. It is a space within a space, a strange world that falls in the cracks of society yet is a primary influencer on it. It affects everyone and everything, in every household and every cultural reference, and yet is so strange and dysfunctional in its creative beauty. I feel at home there because it doesn't belong to a particular place. It feels like absolute freedom and total escapism.