CHLOE Magazine Fall / Winter 2016 Volume 7 Issue 3 | Page 21

CHLOE MAGAZINE N NOW STARRING IN THE WEINSTEIN’S SERIES, “MARCO POLO”, CHENG IS TRAVELLING THE WORLD, FEELING FULFILLED, AND LIVING THE LIFE MOST ACTORS ONLY DREAM OF. Who are you? (And yes, that can be taken as philosophically as you’d like!) Hi, I’m Olivia Cheng! Most people know me lately as the actress who plays Mei Lin on Netflix’s “Marco Polo”. I’d describe myself as your friendly neighbourhood drama geek who’ s always down for a good dance party or personal growth workshop. Why did your parents move to Edmonton/ Canada? My mom and dad immigrated to Canada separately and actually met in Edmonton protesting against a media outlet. They had different reasons for why they left Hong Kong and settled in Edmonton, but I think Canada represented hope for more and for better. It seems as though you take your life/career/ destiny into your own hands, which is very admirable. Are you happy with where your life and career are now, or do you foresee another career change? I’m really happy with where I’m at, but I also invite more. I’m not someone who’s capable of staying stagnant. Believe me, I’ve tried to stay put in my hard-won comfort bubbles because growth isn’t easy, but I feel most alive when I live with purpose. It’s funny, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off to make ends meet before I landed “Marco Polo”. The show has given me the space to breathe and reflect on where I want to go next. I don’t have all the answers yet and I pray a lot for clarity and guidance, but I know some major life expansion is around the corner. On the career front, I think it means exploring other facets of this business as I search for meaningful content to participate in, and on the life front, I want to find someone awesome to share this crazy ride with. I’m good to hit an amusement park on my own, but it’s much more fun when you’ve got a playmate to eat too much cotton candy with. Has your experience as a videographer and print journalist informed or affected the way you see the world around you and your performances in FRONT of the camera? My experience as a journalist opened my eyes in so many ways. I met people from all walks of life who were often experiencing the worst moments of their lives. It was humbling. I realized there are so many superficial things that divide us but we all feel the same hurts no matter what race or socioeconomic class we’re from. Emotion and matters of the heart are universal truths. So with every role, I always figure out what the beating heart of the character is to hopefully channel something real. People may not understand how actors do what we do but they’re affected when emotion’s authentic. They feel what you feel. We’re all connected like that. My experience as a journalist helped me understand how intelligent the heart is and to put heart into every performance as an actor.