Samantha Wan: From the Director’s Chair

Written by Jasmine Chen 

I can’t even remember now how I met Samantha, but she’s one of those people that once you’ve met, you’re so happy that you did, there’s really no point looking back. Sam radiates warmth with her full hearted laugh and the kind of smile that lights up a room.

It must have been through the theatre community that we met, because if you didn’t know, Samantha is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, which also happens to be where Sandra Oh is an alumnus. I say that, because for Asian women in the arts, it’s impossible to not think about the trailblazers who made it possible for us to have a presence in the industry.

I came to know Samantha as an actor in Toronto, where she quickly went on to write and direct her own content. In 2015, she wrote and performed in Sudden Master, a coming of age story within a martial arts epic. Shortly after, Second Jen, the series she co-created and co-starred in with Amanda Joy, premiered in 2016, earning a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Comedy Series. The series was groundbreaking in that it featured two Asian female leads and went on to enjoy three seasons. Since wrapping Second Jen, Samantha starred in Global TVs Private Eyes, and will soon be seen in Andrew Phung’s new family sitcom Run The Burbs, premiering January 5th on CBC.

I recently sat down with Samantha to hear her unique perspective within the industry, and where her creative endeavors are taking her next.

With your experience as a racialized performer, and now sitting in the director’s chair, what is something that you advocate for when you’re directing?

Samantha: So, this movie that I directed after Second Jen, as the director, they gave me a lot of leeway, and a lot of say. For example, a thing I had more control over was, and you'll probably feel this too, is makeup for BIPOC actors. Creating a space where we could have a conversation. Because my male actor was Black, and my female actor was half-Asian. So, right out of the gate, I was like, “You've got to tell me if you're not happy with your makeup. You have to tell me, because that’s a thing.” It’s a thing, and it’s very difficult to have a conversation as an actor with the makeup artist, to be like, “I don’t like what’s going on.” 

For our readers, could you explain? Why might performers have an issue with their makeup? What are some of the pitfalls that usually happen? 

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Samantha: This is an area that I think falls between the cracks often, that people don’t really think about. So, the makeup you do on a Caucasian eye versus an Asian eye, is very different. For Asian women, being an Asian woman myself, and an actor, the eyeliner is a big deal, because if you do eyeliner wrong on me, you make my eyes look smaller. Or, because of my eyelid, makeup disappears on my eyes. You need to put more on than you think. And so, I’ve had many experiences where the Caucasian actors look beautiful, and I look like I’m wearing either nothing, because the makeup artist was too scared to put stuff on me, or my eyeliner is weird, like they haven't really figured out how to accentuate my eye to look good, because they don’t know.

It’s a very uncomfortable thing to bring up, because as the actor, you don’t have a lot of power, and often, the makeup artists think they’re doing a great job, and they’re unaware, because they don’t know what it could look like. It’s an uncomfortable conversation for all of us. And then, for my Black friends or my South Asian friends who have darker skin tones, their biggest problem is usually matching their colour. 

I had one of my actors come up to me, and he’s like, “What do you think?” And I was like, “It looks fine.” And he said, “I look like I’m wearing makeup.” And I said, “You do look like you're wearing makeup.” And he said, “It’s because the foundation doesn't match.” “Oh, I didn’t know that. Okay.” So, I said, “All right, let’s go back.” And again, I think this has to be a conversation where we’re not blaming anyone for not being good at their job, it’s that we just don’t have enough BIPOC leads for people to practice on. So, I was really happy to be in charge, to say, “No one’s at fault, but we are going to take the time to fix this, and we’re going to have a discussion about it. Let’s make sure there’s a check-in with the actors,” and being a person there for the actors to talk to. That was really important to me. 

Note: This is actually such a prevalent issue that on December 16, 2021 UBCP/ACTRA (the Film/TV actors union) and the Canadian Media Producers Association and The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers issued a joint bulletin where productions would be required to have the proper skill set, consultation, and products to meet the hair and makeup needs of BIPOC performers.

How would you describe your artistic journey and how you’ve grown as a director?

Samantha: I feel like basically everything I’ve learned has culminated into directing. Being an actor, a writer, a producer, all of those things make directing way easier. I think I’ve really grown in the sense that I can lead a team. I can lead a team and know exactly how to talk to the writers, and not only that, but I know what they’ve been through. So, I feel like I know what to ask for. And the same with the actors. It’s funny, when I directed this feature, they’re like, “Oh, you're new,” and I’m like, “I’m not new.” And they were very shocked. Because I already know more than a lot of directors on how certain processes work, because I’ve done it. I think my visual sense has really developed as well, because I used to be a visual artist before this. I used to draw and paint. 

When I’m behind the camera, I actually feel like I’m developing my own visual style and taste, which is inspired by Wes Anderson, Wong Kar Wai, Taika Waititi, which I’m very excited by. But the thing that I’ve found I could lean on the most as a director is, I always know how to deliver performances from actors, and give them the space to do it. Naturally I’m always looking for that story. As a writer, as an actor, you immediately always think, what’s the conflict? What’s the obstacle? What’s the goal?

Speaking of goals, what are yours? 

Samantha: I think my main goal is to make great movies and films with BIPOC leads. I’m just keeping it that simple for myself. When I did this last feature, I was like, I just want BIPOC leads. I’m realizing that sometimes you can’t get more complicated than that for a while, because that’s the first step. So, that’s my intention, and just making them shine. I had a teacher, who said, “At the end of the day, if you strip away all of the show, all of the lights, all of the cameras, you should be able to have just an actor telling a story, and be fascinated.” And that is my intention when I do a scene. If I took away everything, and I just put a camera on two people talking, and having a dynamic, I want to be interested. I want to tell real stories with them. Now, if I put two people of colour in there, it just heightens it in a different way. 

That’s where my love for theatre comes from, and for actors, is like, let’s just watch humans be humans. That’s so yummy for me. That’s where my inspiration comes from.

To learn more, follow Samantha on Instagram and Twitter @thesamanthawan and be sure to check out her performance on CBC’s Run The Burbs.

About the writer, Jasmine Chen

JASMINE CHEN IS A PROUD CHINESE-CANADIAN WOMAN WHOSE LIFELONG STUDY OF THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN THE FOUNDATION OF HER ARTISTIC WORK. HER PASSION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, HISTORY AND HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY CAN BE FOUND IN HER WORK ON AND OFF STAGE. JASMINE IS AN ARTS EDUCATOR, BUT ALSO AN ETERNAL STUDENT; HER BELIEF IN CONTINUED TRAINING ALLOWS HER TO EVOLVE AS A CULTURAL CONTRIBUTOR. AN AVID TRAVELLER, FOODIE AND NATURE LOVER — JASMINE LIVES A NOMADIC LIFE, BUT SHE WILL ALWAYS CALL TORONTO HOME.

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