A Fil-Am Actor’s life: Alain Uy

Alain Uy

Third of a series

LOS ANGELES—Alain Uy has directed performers like Pharrell Williams and Pitbull and Fil-Am comedian Jo Koy but acting continues to be his main passion.

Born in Dagupan City (he’s my fellow Pangasinense), Alain moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of 6. In his freshman year in college, Alain decided to join a study abroad program at Oxford University where he discovered his love for the theater and acting.

Alain’s TV credits include “ER,” “Veronica Mars,” “Parenthood” and “Monk.” Most recently, he was in “The Passage” and “True Detective” Season 2.

Alain is also in the cast of Apple TV’s upcoming comedy-drama, “The Morning Show,” with Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carrell.

In addition to acting, Alain is also a producer, director and writer. He directed several short films, including “Dream,” starring Pharrell Williams.

Alain has also directed some of today’s biggest music stars, including Drake, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kanye West and Lauryn Hill.

He said, “I wrote, directed and produced a short film called ‘Keep It Moving: Chapter 2’ where Beyoncé and Jay-Z did a cameo. Kanye West and Rihanna were also in it. It was a brief moment but it was amazing.

“But the one person that stood out was Pharrell Williams. I directed a commercial for his i am OTHER foundation. He was extremely generous and inspiring. I’ve been very fortunate, having had the pleasure of working with so many talented people.”

Asked if he has been back to Dagupan, Alain answered, “Yes! I have been back to Dagupan several times since my family moved to LA in 1984. I went back in 1994, 2004 and 2011. I grew up speaking Pangasinense and Tagalog. But I don’t speak either dialects very well anymore. I still understand them, though. My dad is from Dagupan and my mom is from Lingayen.”

Excerpts from our chat:

How would you describe your journey as an actor so far? It’s been a crazy ride so far. If you told the 18-year-old version of me that I’d still be in this industry 20 years later and making a solid living doing it, I probably would’ve laughed in your face in disbelief.

At the time, there weren’t many roles for me. So it was difficult to project where I would be 20 years into the game. Being an actor has been both the most exhilarating and frustrating thing I have ever done at this point of my life. And I’m loving every minute of it.

How do you prepare for an audition? Any good luck rituals, etc.? I don’t have one singular way in which I prepare for an audition. I treat each audition differently because an approach that might work for one character might not work for another. But before I start to work on the character, I always read the script/sides several times over. I analyze everything first.

I start to think about who the character is before the particular scene or scenes I’m auditioning for, what purposes the character serves in the greater context of overall story, what the character is trying to achieve, and what secret my character has.

Once I get a good sense of what the answers are to those questions, that’s when I try to play with different techniques that might fit—sense of memory, flashes, or any of the many techniques I’ve learned along the way—that will help me connect to the audition piece. And then I rehearse, rehearse and rehearse.

What is the most frustrating part of trying to land roles in Hollywood? Hollywood is an interesting place. It’s one of the strangest industries in which being the best in the room doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the job. I’ve learned throughout the years that there are so many variables in which the producer/network/studio execs will decide on who they want to hire for the job.

There have been so many times in my career where I was “pinned” or the “top choice” or I was the only one testing for the role. Only to find out that I didn’t get the role because I was too old, too young, or (insert whatever reason here).

For example, I recently booked a part in a big movie to play opposite Natalie Portman, only to find out a few days before the start of production that they decided to recast the role as an African-American woman. Which is to say, it’s out of your control sometimes.

It can be frustrating but also liberating at times. Because if you’ve done your job and left everything in the room, then you can be at peace and move on to the next audition. At that point, it doesn’t matter. They either like you for it or not.

How do you handle rejection? You don’t. I don’t care how many times I’ve been rejected or turned down. There’s no real way to handle rejection. It hurts. But what really helps me is knowing that the feeling is only temporary. I know I was prepared and I did the best I could in that room.

And if I didn’t get the part, so be it. There’s always going to be another “big audition” or another “this role is perfect for me!” moment.

Have there been times when you almost gave up? What motivated you to keep trying? Oh, I’ve given up several times. Doubt will always creep in. It’s human nature. But what motivates me to keep trying is the belief in myself that this is what I was born to do. I can’t see myself doing anything else. My son is also a huge source of motivation for me these days. I want to set a great example for him—to show him that perseverance is the key to success.

Do you, as an actor of color, feel that opportunities for minority actors are improving or getting worse? As an actor of color, I can definitely feel and see that opportunities for minority actors are improving. It’s a far cry from where we were when I first started, but there’s so much more room to grow.

As more and more Asian-American writers, directors and producers create more narratives with our voice, I think we’ll have many more opportunities to really flex what we can do as a community. And I’m here for all of it. I’m excited.

Are you encouraged by the acclaim that three recent films focusing on Asian-American stories—“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Always Be My Maybe” and “The Farewell”—received? Absolutely! All of them have been great in allowing the wider audience a chance to hear our stories. As the saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” I’m really excited for the filmmakers and writers who now have new opportunities to get their stories produced.

What’s your stand on whitewashing—or the casting practice in which white actors are cast in nonwhite character roles—in Hollywood? It’s definitely disappointing to me that whitewashing happens. It’s been going on for years. But to go back to the statement I made about “a rising tide lifts all boats,” with the success of films such as “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Always Be My Maybe,” “The Farewell” as well as movies like “Black Panther” that show the bankability of movies and films that star people of color, the reasoning behind whitewashing roles in movies because of financial consideration is now irrelevant.

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