Teaching Artist Leah Reddy spoke with actor Francis Jue about his work on Yellow Face.
Leah Reddy: What is your theatre origin story?
Francis Jue: The first live musical I ever saw was a high school production of The King and I, and my older brother was one of only two Asians in the show. But to me, they were all Siamese! I was so moved by Mrs. Anna actually crying at the end of the show! I discovered that theatre, that the arts, can articulate things that a shy, pimply, underweight Chinese kid couldn’t. I knew even then that acting was my world, that other artists were my tribe.
LR: Beyond your beginnings, were there any other formative or influential teachers or experiences in your theatrical life that you want to share?
FJ: I was never brave enough to enroll as a theatre major. But I was lucky enough to work with many artists I consider teachers and mentors and examples of how to make a life in this industry. My first professional gig was a showcase of Pacific Overtures in 1984, surrounded by other Asian American actors, each making it in this business in their own way. I never thought I’d do this for a living. But casting director Meg Simon saw me in that Pacific Overtures, and she asked me to audition to be an understudy in the Broadway production of M. Butterfly. From the beginning, I’ve been made aware that what makes you unique is your secret sauce. So I’ve always been on a quest to figure out my own opinions, tastes, convictions. Most of all, I’ve focused on WHY I am an actor and tried to make decisions with that in mind.
LR: You played this role, HYH, back in 2007. What is different – either for you in your acting process or as a person in the world – coming back to the work in 2024?
FJ: OMG!! Every cell in my body is different than I was in 2007!! And the world is in a very different place, too. Back in 2007, I played something like 16 distinct characters in Yellow Face. This time, I’m happy to focus on DHH’s relationship with his father HYH, and by extension, his relationship to his identity as American, as Chinese, as a creator, as a role model. My parents were still alive when I first did Yellow Face. I think I’m much more aware of how our parents know us in the way only our parents know us, and I miss that now.
LR: You’ve worked with both David Henry Hwang and Leigh Silverman before. What makes your collaborations with them successful, and what are the benefits of long-term collaboration for you as an actor?
FJ: I love working with David and Leigh! Their collaboration and trust and respect for everyone in the process makes it easy to be brave and honest. They are both hilarious, and also seriously intimidating artists. With them, it’s all about service to the story, and knowing why we are telling it.
LR: You’ve been active with Actors Equity throughout your career. Why has that work been important to you?
FJ: There are so many ways to be an artist in this biz. One way is to join a union and work collectively to advance this art form and this industry. Sometimes that requires being adversarial when we don’t agree with our employers. But I’ve always believed that we all have to do well for any of us to do well. That sense of being a part of something larger than oneself has been at the heart of my work as an artist, as an elected union representative, and as a trustee of the health/pension/401k funds.
LR: In a 2011 interview you said, “These days I want to be known as an Asian-American actor—not that I want to be pigeonholed. I want people to know that Asian Americans are human, too. I want them to know that we are capable of living up to the challenges that any actor is asked to meet.” What advice do you have for young or emerging actors about embracing their identity?
FJ: I believe Asians are human, and Asian Americans are American, and gay marriages are marriages, and on and on. I don’t want to be considered an actor if it means I’ve somehow “overcome” being Asian American. In fact, being Asian American is a part of what makes my acting what it is, whether I’m playing an Asian part or not. I love playing all different kinds of people, and I’ve never shied away from playing folks with accents, or servants, or people who do horrible things, or idiots, or any other aspect of what it means to be human. I encourage artists of any age to keep exploring who they are and what we are all capable of as human beings.
LR: Is there anything I haven’t asked you about that you want to share?
FJ: Come see Yellow Face! It’s a play about who gets to play who, and who gets to decide.