#4REALFRIDAY IS WHERE I ASK 5 QUESTIONS TO SOME DAMN REAL, DAMN AWESOME PALS WHO ARE LIVING AND DOING DOPE STUFF 4REAL!

THEY'VE INSPIRED me OR BEEN A SUPPORT IN SOME WAY AND I WANNA SHARE THEM WITH YOU.

Roseanne Liang

WHAT COFFEE DO YOU DRINK?

Hot chocolate. I have the palate of a 3 year old. I also don't do wine or beer (fruity cocktails tho = yes).

WHAT WORK DO YOU DO?

Storyteller for the screen (big and small)

COOLEST ACHIEVEMENT?

Being mum to a couple of tiny weirdos.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE?

Balancing the ambition to be the best mum eva with ambitions to be the bestest screen storyteller eva (secret: neither are attainable, but it's the trying that counts).

BEST ADVICE?

Work hard and always be learning.

I met Roseanne a few years ago… via a friend, then an agent and finally via skype, when I auditioned for her debut feature film in New Zealand. She had just made an award-winning documentary about her own life called Banana in a Nutshell; following her evolution as a Chinese girl struggling with filial piety and falling in love with a white guy. As a Chinese girl myself, born and raised in New Zealand – that’s quite the conundrum.

It wasn’t just the story, but it was the way she presented it. It was so brave and sad, at times cruel and selfish – but ultimately funny, romantic, inspiring and frighteningly real. It got picked up by a major film company which allowed Roseanne to write and direct a feature film about her life! Art imitating life was never so true. Literally.

After four nervous months of auditioning (I never knew there were more than two Kiwi/Chinese actresses in the world) I ended up playing a role as her sister in what was my first proper feature film ever and has been one of the best all round experiences of my life. Not only did I get to go home and work for a few months on a fantastic project with an amazing cast and crew, but I became very good friends with the director – A woman who is one of the most inspiring women in my life, and maybe even the country. Through her work she is paving the way for other Asians and in particular, for women to be taken seriously in the NZ film and TV industry – even if it is through comedy.

Though the Chinese have a rich history in NZ, 2011 was the first time that Chinese were actually represented in mainstream media through film. There have been films surrounding other NZ cultures, like Once Were Warriors and Sione’s Wedding but nothing on the modern NZ Chinese as we know today. So this project was special to me on many levels.

Roseanne’s film called My Wedding and Other Secrets, about her life became the highest grossing NZ feature film that year. She has broken down barriers and stigmas by just being who she is. Through her own experience she makes fun of and highlights all the things most people find really awkward or despise. She puts herself in situations outside her comfort zone, and gets motivated by it rather than defeatist.

She sounds outspoken and roaring-loud, but she is softly spoken, sharp, polite and humble. But her quiet voice speaks volumes through her films and all the work that she does. She has a passion to tell stories, knows what she wants so she just keeps working hard and makes no apologies for herself or her thoughts.

At present she is acting (something she does sporadically if the script is right) in a show called Brokenwood Mysteries, which is the first NZ series to be shown on French television! (Think The Killing, but Kiwi.) Alongside developing a couple of action feature films, she also wrote and directed Flat3, an original comedy webseries about the trials and tribulations of three 20-something Kiwi-asian girls flatting in Auckland. It's had great critical response worldwide, and has a passionate online following, into its 4th season. I’ve laughed and cringed at many a moment watching it myself. It is here too that she champions Asian women in a deprecating but honest and humorous way – so I guess this is my way of paying it forward and championing Roseanne too – simply because she is awesome and #4Real.

Check it.