By Susan Hornik
Anson Chen
One of Taiwan's hottest new stars is ready for his closeup in Hollywood! Anson Chen (Hsi An Chen) has had immense success as a model and acting in Asia, and is now ready to work on films here in the United States!
With the phenomenal success of the romantic movie, "Crazy Rich Asians" and "ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat, it seems the major film studios finally understand that audiences are ready to accept diverse casts. Now is the perfect time for him to pursuit his Hollywood dreams.
It all started when Chen was "discovered" by talent agents when he was in high school stating "I was a print model first. Modeling gives me a chance to demonstrate my ability to portray different characters."
Chen studied at UC-Riverside Extension and enrolled into their joint program in Los Angeles Film School. "I loved studying film in Hollywood. While I was living here, I participated in several local associations, helping them to produce and host gala events and variety shows."
Chen then completed his education in Asia, getting involved with acting in several music videos. "Now that I have started to act in television and movies, I feel like I am expanding on a whole other level. I also would really like to explore directing."
"Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks-these classic actors are my idols. Movies like 'Forest Gump,' and 'Rain Man,' I can watch over and over."
Chen enjoys the nuances of each role he takes on. "It's interesting to portray a character who slowly reveals his different layers. Acting is such a passion for me."
The young actor is currently in pre-production on "Finding The Other Half," a coproduction with TenCent that will air this spring on Fox China.
"I related to this beautiful character a lot; this is a romantic story with a pretty sad storyline," Chen acknowledged. "I have some personal love experiences that made me get involved deeply with my character as we filmed the TV series. I hope audiences can relate to my interpretation of the role. We've all gotten our hearts broken at some point."
Also, Chen starred in "The Temptation of Plastic Surgery," which recently aired via the popular platform, Iqiyi.
"I played the leading actor who is a plastic surgeon, who lost his mom due to a medical situation. I felt a strong connection to this role, because my family also means a lot to me. I found it fascinating how the character balanced his professional moments with his soft, caring heart."
When he is not auditioning, Chen spending his time writing and reading scripts. "I want to tell stories about real people, there are so many unsung heroes out there."
Chen is working on a script with a producer in Hollywood about the fun, crazy, exciting adventures of a delivery boy, "It's in its early stages but I am truly excited about it."