{"id":8159,"date":"2011-03-30T04:03:12","date_gmt":"2011-03-30T04:03:12","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-15T13:40:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:40:17","slug":"yin-chang-from-gossip-girl-to-the-prom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=8159","title":{"rendered":"Yin Chang – From Gossip Girl to the Prom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yin Chang is most recognized for her role as Nelly Yuki on CW’s “Gossip Girl”. Chang finished filming a feature film for Walt Disney Pictures as a lead character. Her movie “Prom” will be released in theaters nationwide on April 29, 2011. <\/p>\n

Chang was born and raised in New York and is the eldest of three daughters. She is of Taiwanese and Chinese, Malaysian ancestry and is raised as a Buddhist.<\/p>\n

Chang writes during her free time with plans of publishing novels, memoirs and children\u2019s books in the future. She hopes to write scripts one day and see her finished work come alive on screen.<\/p>\n

Her artistic endeavors are inspired and encouraged by her maternal grandfather, the highly respected and world-renowned artist Dr. Teng Beng Chew. According to Chang, she considers herself to be a family oriented person, \u201cI have a large but very close knit family; we\u2019re the Asian version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I love spending time with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until recently starting her professional acting career, Chang has spent all her vacations traveling around the world with her family and relatives. Her hobbies include jewelry making, playing piano, traveling, reading, baking, cooking, fishing with her father, paper crafts, photography, sketching and sewing among other things. Yin was also a classically trained pianist. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE chatted with Yin!!<\/em><\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What was your favorite part about playing Nelly Yuki on CW’s “Gossip Girl”?<\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> Nelly Yuki! I can never say her first name without saying her last name! She was a great character to play around with. It was awesome how the writers started her off as a helpless, na\u00efve bookworm who minded her own business and was sabotaged for no reason. Then as the series progressed, she observed her surroundings and quickly learned how to try and get her life back. She finally grew a pair and became rather manipulative and ultimately defeated Blair with the Yale acceptance. Just knowing how Gossip Girl fans juggled a love-hate relationship with her was my favorite part. It was incredible getting some type of reaction from the loyal fans! <\/p>\n

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\nI have so much respect for Sandra Oh. Margaret Cho is another Asian American who is just freaking awesome.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yin Chang<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

ASIANCE: Do you follow or aspire to any other Asian American woman\u2019s acting career? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> I have so much respect for Sandra Oh. She is a phenomenal actress. I find her confidence and quirkiness to be absolutely beautiful and inspiring. Margaret Cho is another Asian American who is just freaking awesome. I love her honesty and no-bullshit attitude. She definitely inspires me to stay true to myself. If I can have a combination of their careers, I\u2019d probably have an anxiety attack from being too content. <\/p>\n

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ASIANCE: Tell us about your Disney movie called “Prom” and how you landed the role. <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> PROM is a very authentic and honest coming-of-age movie that really captures teen life without having to venture on the topics of sex, violence, drugs and use of profanity. I\u2019m so proud to be a part of this movie. I can finally enjoy watching a project that I worked on with my sisters without having them close their eyes or muting the volume! I\u2019m pretty strict with them. I never let them watch full episodes of Gossip Girl, only scenes that I was in because Nelly Yuki\u2019s storyline was rather mild compared to the others. Everyone will be able to relate to PROM because our characters experience the same adventures that they do in high school and in life overall; insecurities, downfalls, excitement, decisions that impact the future and falling in love. Tweens will be excited to see what lies ahead in while adults will be reminiscing their high school memories. I play Mei Kwan, an artsy senior in high school who\u2019s one of the core members of the Prom Committee. She\u2019s also the other half of the school\u2019s \u201cperfect couple\u201d. Mei and her boyfriend Justin have their whole lives planned out together but she gradually comes in conflict with herself and explores her own individuality. I hope a lot of adults who had high school sweethearts or even college sweethearts will strongly connect with Mei and Justin\u2019s storyline. I landed this role through the normal process of auditions, callbacks and screentests. It was a grueling two month long process from the initial audition to the final screentest to the phone call with the decision. All my energy was focused on this project which was not good! My eating and sleeping habits were all thrown out of order. I felt like I was having a panic attack every day for those two months. When I got that phone call, I screamed like I would in a horror movie. I\u2019m still surprised my roommate didn\u2019t barge into my room and throw me off the balcony. Once my throat started hurting, I stopped screaming completely and started bawling. I went through this crazy roller coaster of emotions in that ten minute phone call. I couldn\u2019t wait to tell my family but I had to wait several hours till my sisters got home from school to tell them the news. I\u2019ve never been so anxious in my life. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Are you writing a script? What story would you want to tell the world? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> I worked on a script for a short film that was inspired by a song. I hope to one day make that short with my best friend. My goal isn\u2019t for it to be a big, lavish production. I just want share a story with the world, or even just one person, and hopefully garner some type of reaction whether it be positive or negative. I hope to publish a novel someday as well. I have plenty of inspiration from my amazing family and their beautiful and heartbreaking stories. Hardships, hard work, success, family values, love and heartbreak, it\u2019s all there. I grew up reading quite a few of Amy Tan\u2019s work. There was not one book where I didn\u2019t laugh out loud or cry through loads of tissue. I felt the pain and experienced the joys through her storytelling. It\u2019s all about the storytelling. I would feel so accomplished if I could touch the hearts of readers the way Amy Tan did with mine. I would also like to write a novel about Asian Americans in the entertainment industry and have the readers experience what it\u2019s like. I currently write in chunks. Whatever pops up in my mind, I just write. It\u2019ll be completely out of order, chapter wise. But I\u2019ll worry about putting it in the correct order later on. And maybe someday even further down the line, I\u2019ll hopefully publish a children\u2019s book. <\/p>\n

\n
\"Yin<\/a><\/div>\n
Yin Chang<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

ASIANCE: What do you do in your free time besides write? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> Man, I wish I could feel cool by saying that I hit the gym everyday but I\u2019m not thrilled about exercising at all. I\u2019d rather stay home and eat a tub of mac n\u2019 cheese with a bucket of fried chicken. I know that it\u2019s not the healthiest thing to do, so I try to be active by hiking. I honestly enjoy that. I room with my best friend and we\u2019re very laid back people who find the fun in almost anything. So it\u2019s like we\u2019re character acting every day. I don\u2019t watch much TV but thanks to my boyfriend, I\u2019ve been catching up on some movies and TV shows via Netflix. My boyfriend got me addicted to Nip Tuck. So recently, you would find all three of us glued to the TV during our free time on weekends. I feel it\u2019s rather necessary to mention that my Grandpa already finished all the seasons of Nip Tuck. He\u2019s pretty gangsta! <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Is there an ultimate role for you that you would like to play? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> Not much of an ultimate role, but any kind of role that portrays women in an empowering light. I\u2019m drawn to characters that are passionate, endearing, respectable and strong. I think characters that have a heartbreaking past, or something similar, are the most intriguing. At the end of the day, I would just want a role that I\u2019d be proud of. If I can make the audience emotional at any level, I\u2019d be one happy camper! <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Tell us about your grandfather, world-renowned artist Dr. Teng Beng Chew. <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> I love my Grandpa! It\u2019s because of him that my parents finally gave in to my acting bug. My parents never wanted me to be an actress because it\u2019s a very unstable career. Thankfully, my Grandpa is an artist and understands what its like to have a passion for the arts and to really go after your dreams. My Grandpa was born and raised in Malaysia and is referred to as the most qualified artist of his country. Besides his breathtaking works of art that challenges your imagination and senses, he\u2019s also internationally known for inventing a specific way of making handmade paper art and is dubbed \u201cThe Malaysian Genius of Papermaking\u201d. He earned a Fulbright scholarship to study art at the Cranbook Academy of Art in America. Then he earned his BFA and MFA at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. My Grandpa continued on to complete his PhD at New YorkUniversity. Then he was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Arts by De Montfort University Leicester, England. I\u2019m always in awe of his endless achievements, accomplishments and awards. He has a very impressive and extensive resume filled with honors and awards, international exhibitions, one-man exhibitions and inclusion in collections, to name a few. I think it\u2019s really amazing that some of my Grandpa\u2019s art was auctioned at Christie Auction House. It\u2019s one of the most prestigious auction houses that showcase some of the finest art in the world and was founded in 1766. He loves sharing his knowledge with the world through his teachings and his art. I think the coolest thing about my Grandpa is how generous he is. My Grandpa left a very successful career in America to help his country establish the very first art department at a university level in all of Malaysia, with the rest of the universities following suit. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What other actresses of your generation do you admire or want to give a shout out to? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> I\u2019ve always admired Natalie Portman\u2019s acting skills. But after seeing her intense performance in Black Swan\u2026WOW, just, wow. No words. Her educational background is actually what made her stand out the most to me. I have a lot of respect for actors and actresses who make time for education. Julia Stiles is another fantastic actress who I also admire and she attended a prestigious university as well. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: Are there any younger Asian American actresses that you would want the public to take notice? Perhaps some up and comer? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> My younger sisters Lelina and Melora. I have to say, they\u2019re not bad actresses at all. The short time that my mom allowed them to audition during school breaks, they always did a great job at the auditions. Lelina\u2019s expertise was in commercial acting and Melora\u2019s was in feature films. My mom stopped them from acting for a while because, understandably so, she wants my sisters to focus on school, sports, instruments, after school activities and clubs. As much as I\u2019d like them to jump back in the acting world, I agree that their schedules are busy. Both my sisters were the only Asians to ever represent their middle school as President. They\u2019re basically like the MVPs of all the sports they play and compete all the time. And yet they still manage to maintain their high grades in advanced courses. I\u2019m so damn proud of them. They\u2019re like my own kids because we\u2019re nearly ten years apart. Lelina is extremely dedicated to the science and research field and feels it\u2019s her true calling so I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if she doesn\u2019t return to the acting world. But my youngest sister, Melora, still has the love for acting. The very first movie she auditioned for, she booked the job. Coincidentally, her movie\u2019s main character is Ally Sheedy who starred in \u201cThe Breakfast Club\u201d, which was one of the main inspirations for my movie \u201cPROM\u201d. Trust me, when the time is right and Melora gets back into acting, she\u2019ll be one to watch out for. <\/p>\n

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\n This pilot season, especially, I\u2019ve noticed several castings specifically for Asians. Whereas, I am generally seen for \u201call\/open ethnicity\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yin Chang<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

ASIANCE: How is\/has the entertainment industry opened up for Asians and what advice would you give to girls who want to follow in your footsteps? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> It\u2019s still an uphill battle, but I definitely see an improvement from the time I first started working. This pilot season, especially, I\u2019ve noticed several castings specifically for Asians. Whereas, I am generally seen for \u201call\/open ethnicity\u201d. Networks and production companies are more flexible with the castings now. I screentested for a medical drama for a FOX pilot recently and the character specifically had a Jewish last name. The role ultimately came down to me and a young, beautiful African American woman. Frankly, I think it\u2019s great that the casting directors, director, producers and writers stepped out of the box and gave chances to actresses who were out of the character description, looks wise. I loved that they were being so flexible and open minded. I didn\u2019t end up getting the role because they were \u201cgoing for a different look\u201d, but the network told my agents they were impressed with my work and wanted me in the pilot. I didn\u2019t want to get my hopes up, but my agents called me about two weeks later and said it was official. They specifically wrote me in and created a character based off of what I auditioned with. I felt so blessed and so proud when I heard the news. This experience reminded me there are roles out there who will be given to actors and actresses based on talent and not the politics. So for those who aspire to be in this industry, know that it\u2019s not a fairytale. For every success, there will be difficult roads. It\u2019s important to set a high goal for yourself and be positive. It\u2019s good to audition for as many roles as you can that you find suitable, but don\u2019t allow yourself to be molded into someone that you can\u2019t relate to at all. <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What is your favorite thing about New York City? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> The FOOD! The energy, the air, the skyline, the cultural melting pot are all my favorites. NYC will always be my true home! <\/p>\n

ASIANCE: What is your favorite think about Los Angeles? <\/h3>\n

Yin:<\/b> I love the weather. And I really love that you go to the beach year round. <\/p>\n

credit photographer ADAM FEDDERLY<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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