{"id":7130,"date":"2010-12-31T01:12:19","date_gmt":"2010-12-31T01:12:19","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-15T00:59:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T00:59:22","slug":"maurissa-tancharoen-whedon-a-hollywood-gem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=7130","title":{"rendered":"Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon – A Hollywood Gem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon is a rarity in Hollywood. Her resume includes being a television writer\/producer, singer, and actress \u2013 and she excels in each facet of her career like nobody\u2019s business. Her producing credits include \u201cDr. Horrible\u2019s Sing-Along Blog\u201d and \u201cDanceLife.\u201d Her writing credits include \u201cSpartacus: Gods Of The Arena,\u201d \u201cDollhouse,\u201d \u2018Drop Dead Diva,\u201d \u201cCommentary! The Musical,\u201d \u201cDr. Horrible\u2019s Sing-Along Blog,\u201d and \u201cOliver Beene.\u201d She was a member of the R&B girl band, \u201cPretty in Pink,\u201d and her acting credits include shows like \u201cKing of the Hill,\u201d \u201cDr. Horrible\u2019s Sing-Along Blog,\u201d and \u201cDollhouse.\u201d Currently, she works with her husband, Jed Whedon, (brother of famous writer\/producer, Joss Whedon) as a writer\/producer.
\nAsiance had the chance to catch up with the Thai-American Angeleno to get her thoughts about working in Hollywood, working with Jed, and her new and exciting projects.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Asiance: There is no doubt you\u2019re definitely talented and you know how to multitask so well. You\u2019re a writer, a singer, an actress, and a producer. Which did you become interested in first, and why?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa<\/strong>: When I was six years old, I was obsessed with \u201cThe Wizard of Oz.\u201d It would be on constant repeat in our living room by my request (or some pouting ensued). I would stand in front of the television holding a stuffed animal in a basket and act out the film in its entirety as Dorothy, and sometimes break character to take a stab at The Lollipop Guild. But I always preferred being the protagonist. <\/p>\n

Soon enough I was taking dance, piano, acting, singing lessons, etc. Clearly, I was much busier as a child than I am now! So I guess it\u2019s safe to say \u201cperforming\u201d is my first love. I still enjoy it very much and take any opportunity to do so no matter how ridiculous the result. I mean, have you seen our YouTube Channel?<\/p>\n

Watch ‘Dollhouse’<\/strong>
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Asiance: Out of all the television shows you\u2019ve had the chance to write and\/or produce, which is your favorite?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa:<\/strong> On every project I\u2019ve worked on, I\u2019ve had the invaluable privilege of working with talented people I\u2019ve always admired, but \u201cDollhouse\u201d was a special experience. It was my first television job writing with my husband, Jed, as a team, and we were given the chance to participate in every aspect of production and really dig our hands in. We learned a great deal working on \u201cDollhouse,\u201d and made some so-so friends while we were at it. <\/p>\n

Asiance: Working with a multitude of people in the entertainment industry, who has been inspirational to work with?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa:<\/strong> David Milch is one of those geniuses whose brilliance is beyond comprehension. Sometimes literally beyond comprehension. When having a conversation with him, it\u2019s good to have a dictionary handy. Despite his intimidating brain, he was always so kind to me and took a genuine interest in what I wanted to do with my life when I was working as a PA at Steven Bochco Productions. He read my plays I wrote in college, gave me notes, and encouraged me to keep going. \u201cThis writing. It\u2019s the right thing for you to do,\u201d he said. I\u2019ll always be grateful for that. Whenever I feel like I don\u2019t know what the hell I\u2019m doing on the page or in my life in general and I\u2019m itching to give up, I remember something David said during his lecture series on writing years ago, \u201cAny animal minus action is sad.\u201d Ain\u2019t that the truth? <\/p>\n

Asiance: What has been the most difficult thing you had to deal with while working in the entertainment industry? How did you overcome that difficulty?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa:<\/strong> Stress. I haven\u2019t been able overcome it yet. I keep saying I\u2019m going to learn how to meditate but even the prospect of doing that stresses me out. It\u2019s a problem that probably has nothing to do with the entertainment industry and everything to do with the fact that I\u2019m a crazy person. <\/p>\n

Asiance: In \u201cCommentary! The Musical,\u201d you sing a song in which you joke about the lack of Asians in television shows and movies. What are your thoughts about the current presence of (or lack of) Asians and Asian Americans in mainstream American entertainment?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa:<\/strong> I think the situation is improving. It seems like there is more of an Asian presence on screen now than there was just a few years ago. But so we\u2019re clear, it\u2019s totally because of my song [from \u201cCommentary! The Musical.\u201d] And on a separate note, my husband\u2019s upset about how few Caucasians he sees in Korean soap operas. <\/p>\n

Asiance: Jed and you write\/work together as husband and wife. What\u2019s your relationship like on a professional level? Do you find yourselves making a lot of compromises when working together?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa:<\/strong> People find us strange because we work together and still actually like each other. It\u2019s pretty cool; we do function really well together creatively. My weaknesses are his strengths and vice versa. Sure we have our spats over whose ideas are better, but ultimately we go with \u201cwhat works best for the story,\u201d aka \u201cmy ideas.\u201d <\/p>\n

Asiance: What projects are you currently working on? In the near future?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa:<\/strong> We\u2019re currently writing on \u201cSpartacus: Gods ff The Arena\u201d on Starz, and we try to use our spare time to focus on our own original projects. We have a pilot and feature we\u2019re really excited about so we\u2019re hoping to make something happen with either or both of those in 2011. Ya never know. And of course, \u201cDr. Horrible\u2019s Sing-Along Blog.\u201d Always \u201cDr. Horrible.\u201d <\/p>\n

Asiance: This is off topic, but have you ever been to Thailand? Do you have relatives living there? What do they think of your career success and of the shows you\u2019ve written\/produced for?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa:<\/strong> I need to go back to Thailand! I haven\u2019t been in years, it\u2019s terrible. Jed and I were supposed to go this past Christmas while my dad is out there working on a feature, but we\u2019d only be able to go for a few weeks and that just isn\u2019t enough. It\u2019d be nice to spend a substantial amount of time there. Maybe I\u2019d come back with the ability to speak more Thai. I can understand Thai but forming proper sentences is difficult for me. We\u2019re definitely making the trip next year! I\u2019m dying to see all my relatives again.<\/p>\n

Asiance: Any advice you\u2019d like to give to those who aspire to be writers, producers, singers, and\/or actors?<\/h3>\n

Maurissa:<\/strong> As long as your pursuit is for the love of it, then you\u2019re doing it right. Don\u2019t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: The Bui Brothers<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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