'The Self-Isolated Artist' Series: Vancouver Profile of Doralynn Mui
Interview compiled by Fabulist Theatre’s Vancouver correspondent Damon Bradley Jang
Doralynn Mui is an actress from Vancouver, Canada. Her first television experience was a guest starring role in APTN's pilot episode of ‘Skye and Chang’. Since then, she has been working steadily in film and TV, with recurring and guest star roles on SyFy's ‘Deadly Class’, CBC's acclaimed series, ‘The Romeo Section’, and CW's hit series, ‘The 100’.
Active in the indie film community, Doralynn has had leading roles in award-winning short films, such as ‘Mattress’ (2014), ‘Ellen Infinity’ (2016) and ‘Bunny Man’ (2018). In addition to acting, she studied in the Film program at Simon Fraser University, and has experienced roles behind the camera, such as writing, directing, set decorating, and other crew roles.
Upcoming project releases include roles in the feature film, ‘Spontaneous’ (Awesomeness Films), the indie feature, ‘Four Walls’ directed by Darcy Touhey, and the TV pilot, ‘One Of Us Is Lying’ (NBC Universal). Most recently, she portrays Joan Berkeley in Season 4 of The CW’s ‘Riverdale’. I chatted with Doralynn via email on her perspective of what has been going on with her since the pandemic was declared:
Tell me a little bit about the projects or work that got postponed, cancelled or halted due to COVID 19
The film and TV industry are now dead quiet - the studios and productions were some of the first to shut down. In-person auditions have stopped, and my agency’s office is closed. It’s a pretty uncertain time for the film industry... as if living as an actor wasn’t already uncertain enough.
How has COVID 19 trickled down into affecting other areas of your life?
My day to day has changed now that the city is holding its breath. Classes have been cancelled and I need to prep my own food - I’m not much of a cook! Weirdly, I feel like I’m being more social now than before, with LOTS of video calling and catching up. But I really, really miss being able to hug people.
How is the landscape of the Vancouver Film Industry?
Vancouver has a lot of studios around town, and there are a lot of Netflix and CW shows that are shot here (‘The Flash’, ‘Arrow’, ‘Supergirl’,’Batwoman’, ‘Riverdale’, ‘Sabrina’, etc.). We film a lot of darker toned shows here, probably thanks to our “angsty” weather, but we also shoot a lot of Hallmark shows and movies of the week. We’ve also had a lot of films shot here, like ‘Deadpool’, ‘Always Be My Maybe’, ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’, etc. Vancouver has a lot of equipment, resources and talented crew, so it’s a pretty popular filming location - lucky me!
What are you doing to keep busy?
I’ve been doing a lot of sewing! It’s something I used to do all the time, and now that I’m stuck at home with no auditions, I’ve been picking it up again. I’ve also been binge reading - before this situation I’ve only been reading to kill time on set, but now I have time to read an entire book in one sitting! I’m also trying to be active, so I’m doing some yoga and barre. And like I mentioned before, I’ve been doing a lot of virtual hang outs and meetings.
Is there any silver lining regarding this pandemic?
My dishes have finally been washed!!
What would you tell other artists who may be feeling hopeless to keep their spirits up?
We’re all in this together <3. In the meantime, call me up if you want to smoosh some of our ideas together.
Many artists have switched to online, or live streaming their work with fans and other artists. Have you used this time to connect with the creative community in this way?
Yes! I’ve been collaborating with other artists through Zoom and FB messenger, I don’t know how I’d get through this without that technology! I just did a script workshop through Zoom that turned out great - we did a read-through and discussed what was and wasn’t working to help the writer make some changes. I’m planning to do some more read-throughs of plays and scripts, and my acting class is planning some meetups just to talk and throw ideas around. I think we’re all craving that creative energy exchange at this point.
Why do you love performing?
Performing gives me an excuse to keep learning new things and explore different aspects of myself. That feeling when you’re fully immersed in a character, and you know you’ve affected someone, is so addictive. Plus, I always had a habit of making up stories and talking to myself. Now I can do that for my job!
As a nod to ‘Inside The Actor’s Studio’, here are the late James Lipton 10 final questions.
What is your favorite word?
Apparently “yay” is my catchphrase… not sure if it’s my favourite word but I admit I say it a lot.
What is your least favorite word?
Can I say two words? I LOATHE the combo: “calm down.”
What turns you on?
Vulnerability, kindness, cookies.
What turns you off?
Mansplaining, yuck.
What sound or noise do you love?
The sound of ice cream being scooped. Or maybe I just like ice cream.
What sound or noise do you hate?
The sound of those happy, chirpy birds in the morning... just let me SLEEP.
What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck gets first, asshole is a close second. I’m really into that gender neutral swear word :P
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
It was always my dream to be a part time actor, part time librarian, so that’s something I haven’t fully realized yet! I’m also obsessed with skin (wow that sounds weird), so maybe also dermatology?
What profession would you not like to do?
I think I would make a terrible accountant.
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates
You made it! Grab a plate and head to the buffet.
Connect with Doralynn on Instagram @doralynnmui