August Interview With Adrian Voo

Adrian, by Shawn Barber 

Introduction by Steven C. Wolff

Adrian is a quick-rising star in the film industry...  Originally from Malaysia, Adrian Voo is one of Hollywood's newest and hardest-working actors.  With multiple feature films on the release belt, various film festival nominations, a new, ground-breaking web series on the way, Adrian Voo has quickly proven that "determination conquers all," since his graduation from the New York Film Academy in 2012.

[He has appeared in these] [r]ecent media articles: 

All Indie Magazine

MTV Star Factory

SoCal [Southern California] C.I.F.F. [Creative and Innovative Film Festival]:  Dub Step [short film]...  Nominated for Best Drama...

Adrian Voo is represented by Jump Talent Management and The Brogan Agency...

WMV:  In which city and State do you live?

Adrian:  Los Angeles, California.

WMV:  What do you love most about being an actor?

Adrian:  It’s my little way of never growing up.  I grew up an only-child; I always loved playing make-believe.

WMV:  What inspires you?

Adrian:  One of my favorite quotes is:

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving." –-Lao Tzu.

The people, experiences and lessons I’ve found along my journey always inspire me.

LA Libertad:  Do you speak any foreign languages?

Adrian:  I also speak Bahasa [the official language of Indonesia] and Cantonese [standard Chinese].

WMV:  What is the hardest part of your job?

Adrian:  The hardest part is that every project comes to an end.  Wrapping a project is always sad for me; the reality of this industry is that you constantly move between projects, and your time together comes to an abrupt end, every time.

WMV:  Your website indicates that you named your dogs after the Dalmatians in Disney's 101 Dalmatians, and your IMDb page mentions that you own a Dalmatian.  How many pets do you have, of what species and/or breeds, and what, specifically, are their names?

Adrian:  I have a Dalmatian named Two-Tone, who just turned four in July.  My parents have a Dalmatian named Jewel and a Doberman Pinscher named Champion.

WMV:  Who was the "she" in She Wants Me, and who did she want?

Adrian:  She Wants Me is about a screenwriter (played by Josh Gad) whose life is changed when a celebrity (played by Hilary Duff) shows interest in a role on his film that he wrote for his girlfriend.

WMV:  What exactly are the Black Jacks in "Black Jacks"?

courtesy of www.blackjacks.tv

Adrian:  Viewers will find that “Black Jacks” is a loose term that is defined in many ways, in the show.  But for the most part, it reflects the characters being expendable in nature.  The drug world is also a huge component.

WMV:  Do you play Black Jack, or any other casino games?

Adrian:  You know, it's pretty safe to say that when I'm in Vegas, you can most likely find me sitting at a Black Jack table!  [Laughs]  Although I’m really not so much a gambler, as I am just competitive in nature.

WMV:  As the co-creator of the series "Black Jacks," how involved are you in hiring personnel?

Adrian:  Bjorn [Wilde] and I are very hands-on when it comes to hiring.  We typically bring on-board skilled, like-minded and inspiring people.  We are very proud of the entire cast & crew of “Black Jacks”.

The Cast of "Black Jacks":  (L-R) Steve Boyd, Jackie Moore, Peter Hodge, Eric Etebari, Nicole Badaan, Adrian Voo, Josh Valencia; courtesy of www.blackjacks.tv

WMV:  What is the best way for potential employees and investors to contact you?

Adrian: We go through all the usual production hiring channels.  But it never hurts to send an email to production.  Production’s contact information can be found on the website,

www.blackjacks.tv

WMV:  [NOTES:  blackjacks.tv/contact and info@blackjacks.tv]

When it comes to hiring actors, how much weight do you give to their IMDb profiles and StarMeter Ratings?

Adrian:  There is definitely a lot of diversity in the cast of “Black Jacks”, especially in terms of experience.  However, we [are] really focused on finding actors who were able to embody the roles and bring life to their characters.

WMV:  I'll take that as, "None whatsoever."

Do you have any other talents or hobbies?

Adrian:  I practice yoga and meditation almost daily.  It's really become a big part of my life, finding my spiritual balance.  I also keep a fairly active lifestyle between weight training, T.R.X. [Total Body Resistance Exercise], and swimming. I’m a strong believer that the groundwork for all happiness is through health.

WMV:  Any upcoming projects?

Adrian: 

1.  Seventy-Nine is finally releasing this fall on V.O.D. [Video on Demnd], D.V.D. [Digital Video Disc], Blu-ray through I.T.N. [Independent Television News] Movies and Cardinal X.D. [Extreme Digital].

2.  Black Jacks, a new, original, web drama, premieres this summer on www.blackjacks.tv

WMV:  What other web links would you like to share?

Adrian: 

Official Website:  www.adrianvoo.com

IMDB:  www.imdb.com/name/nm5043090

Twitter:  twitter.com/adrianvoo

Watch the trailer for Seventy-Nine, starring Jonathan Rosenthal, Adrian Voo, and Bo Linton at:

www.movieweb.com/movie/seventy-nine/trailer

WMV:  What are your goals for your career?

Adrian Voo, photo by Bjorn Photography

Adrian:  So many different artists growing up inspired me...  My greatest hope for my career is that I will inspire someone, somewhere in the world, someday.

WMV:  I take it you were inspired by a lot of artists while you were growing up.

What advice would you like to share with anyone else that might share your life-long dream of acting?

Adrian:  Train hard; work hard.  Most of all, stay true to yourself while chasing after your dreams.  Believe!

Interview by William Mortensen Vaughan