Interview: Blake Abbie

Hapa Mag - MAY 10, 2020

By Stephanie Jack

On a rainy evening in Shanghai last year, a mixed-race shuai ge (handsome guy) with an enviable mane of long dark hair waltzed on to my screen. I was binge-watching the popular Chinese television series Meteor Garden. As often happens when I encounter someone of a similar ethnic “mix,” I had that immediate and instinctive feeling: He is one of us!

A few months earlier I had moved to China to further my acting career, banking on the naive yet widespread assumption that being mixed Chinese/white is an advantage in China. The reality wasn’t so simple. While there seemed to be a steady stream of work for light-haired blue-eyed foreigners, and subtly mixed almost Chinese actors (think Angelababy), opportunities for harder-to-place multiracial actors like myself were scarce. Naturally it was heartening to see the strikingly mixed-race Blake Abbie join Meteor Garden’s otherwise entirely Chinese cast.

Born in Canada, Abbie is a multilingual, multi-hyphenate with a curriculum vitae that crisscrosses the creative industries. In addition to landing a role in the 2018 reboot of Meteor Garden, he is a classically trained singer who has carved out a career in fashion. He is currently the editor-at-large of A Magazine Curated By, a publication which invites a different fashion designer to guest curate each issue.

Abbie spoke to me from self-isolation at his family’s home Vancouver. It was a sunny afternoon and he was lounging on a balcony in a cozy blue and yellow mohair sweater, snacking on grapes. He chatted to me about his family and his artistic pursuits with humour, curiosity, and a healthy dose of self-deprecation.

Can you tell us a bit about your ethnic background?

My mother is Chinese from Hangzhou and my dad is from Scotland, born in Edinburgh. I’m a mixture of European and Chinese. A white European blond haired blue-eyed man, and a Chinese gu niang (girl).

Did you grow up in Vancouver?

I was born in Montreal, but we moved to Toronto, and when I was in high school we moved to Vancouver. My mum at some point in my childhood had to move to Hong Kong for work so I would spend some summers in Hong Kong.

What languages did you grow up with?

I spoke English and French, and I spoke to my mum a little bit in Mandarin. My grandparents lived with us at one point and they speak Hangzhou dialect and Mandarin. The diaspora in Canada were mainly Southern Chinese at that time. There was the weekly dim sum run, and I would learn how to order dim sum in Cantonese. 

I’m guessing that you have a Chinese name?

It’s Wang Li Min 王立民. My great-aunt named all of our generation. My great-grandfather’s name was Wang Zi Min, so my name has the same last character. Wang means prince. Li is like standing. Min like ren min, “of the people.”

So you’re a Prince of the People?

Prince of the Standing People I guess! It’s funny when I tell Chinese people my name because it’s very much of a different era, our grandparents’ generation. The name is more Chinese than any of my Chinese friends. 

I read that you originally studied vocal performance, moved to Paris to train with a baritone there, then fell into the fashion world. Can you tell us about that journey?

I knew pretty early in undergrad that I didn’t want to live the life of a gigging classical singer. Being on the road, being so strict with yourself, it didn’t seem feasible for me. I was gigging, studying, making bohemian Paris money, living a bohemian Paris life. I needed something to do during the day.

A friend mentioned to me that they were looking for someone at the Paris office of a photographer’s agency so I emailed them. I worked there for 6 months. From there I learned about this magazine called Industry. It was kind of the first insider’s magazine about the fashion industry. I thought it was really smart so I liked it on Facebook. They happened to have a post saying they were hiring an editorial assistant, so I thought why not?

I worked at Industry for about a year then left with some other people who worked there to start System magazine. System is in a similar vein but has a broader cultural stance. When I was at System I became involved with A Magazine Curated By. I met the editor-in-chief, Dan, who is now one of my closest friends. We happened to be the young editors at the men’s shows. Now there are many more young people everywhere. We became quick friends in an industry where, at that time, I felt on the outskirts. I still in some ways do feel that way.

How has your heritage influenced your work in the fashion industry?

When I started going to fashion shows I always recognised that there were fewer Asians attending. There were fewer Asians in the Western world who had positions in publications that allowed them to travel, so the visibility of Asian people in the industry felt very low. There were conversations about diversity, specifically on the runways, but I don’t think that translated fully into behind-the-scenes.

Since then it’s been great to see strong relationships of Asian people in the industry. I have one friend group that’s like Susie Bubble and Bryanboy and Tiffany Hsu. You have this group of diasporic Asian friends, this little family that you see around the world. In Paris or Milan or London we will have a Chinese meal together, because we miss that food.

Have you actively looked for Asian or mixed-race collaborators for A Magazine Curated By?

The most explicit example of that is when we worked with a London-based Irish designer called Simone Rocha. Her mother is a beautiful Irish woman and her dad is from Hong Kong. The theme of the magazine was “home”— Ireland and Hong Kong. It was important to find a balance between the two.

Simone’s Chinese name Ming Ming is on the front cover, and behind the “A” there’s a model who was photographed by a Shanghai-based friend of mine called Leslie Zhang. It was his first shoot for a Western publication. We did a beautiful story about Sarah Grace, this model from Texas, in Hong Kong in Simone’s clothes. It was a really nice way of combining both sides of Simone’s story.

Since I’ve spent more time in China I get approached by other brands to be a bridge between the Western world and China. I would never say I’m one hundred percent culturally fluent Chinese. But I do think as a mixed-race person who has grown up with one foot in one space and one foot in another, I'm able to translate and create the dialogue between the two. In a way that someone who is from China would not necessarily be able to articulate to someone outside China, and vice versa.

I can relate to that. One reason I moved to Shanghai last year was that I realised there might be opportunities to act as that “bridge” between cultures.

It’s an interesting position and I don’t think it’s always acknowledged. A lot of time the conversations I have as a mixed-race person in China will be, “You don’t look Chinese.” And in the Western world it will be, “Look at your eyes, you’re not fully white.” In both spaces you’re “othered.” My hope is that through mixed-race people being more vocal, we will be accepted more in both spaces.

Yes, instead of saying I’m “half” this or “half” that I’ve recently started saying Australian and Singaporean Chinese.

Right. I found this beautiful video the other day about this Japanese Korean man, probably in his seventies, who runs an old folks home in Japan. He says he likes to describe himself as “doubled,” which I think is quite nice.

I have to say, I was surprised but excited to see a mixed-race actor on Meteor Garden. How did you end up in a Chinese television series?

I was missing being a performer, missing that creative expulsion of energy. I was in New York working on Document Journal and A Magazine Curated By and my cousins from Taiwan were there. I asked them, “What do you think about Taiwan, about China, about the market? Do you think I could do something there?” Because in North America and Europe, where are the Asians? Where is the door in for someone who looks like me to be part of the media landscape? Little did I know, their dads had relationships to the entertainment industry.

A few weeks later they said, “Do you want to come to Taiwan? We set up some meetings for you and one person who wants to meet you is the godmother of all Chinese idol drama.” Angie Chai, the producer of the first Taiwanese Meteor Garden and the new Chinese version. I left a week later. Again, these snap decisions!

That’s amazing. So what happened in Taiwan?

I was there for two weeks. Those meetings were very eye-opening. I grew up with the prejudice of “people in Asia love mixed-race.” I didn’t think I would go and become a huge star, but I didn’t think there would be so much pushback, “You don’t look Chinese, you have long hair, you look too Western, you look too elegant.” But I met Angie Chai and she liked me, but she said “Why music? Why do you want to be a singer?” A few weeks later she texted me and said, “Would you want to be an actor?” Angie was working on a film with a storyline about music.

During New York Fashion Week, on a Saturday morning, they tell me, “We have a meeting with the whole team on Monday, you need to come.” Twelve hours later I find myself on a plane to Taiwan. The shoot got postponed till the following spring but Angie asked me to stay on and do acting, voice, and dance lessons, so I did this Korean-style bootcamp. They also gave me Chinese lessons. My Chinese was good, but my reading was not as fluent as I wanted it to be.

The following spring I was anticipating going back to start shooting but in the meantime Angie got the rights to do an official remake of Meteor Garden so the project got pushed. A few months later I was back in Taiwan to spend time with my family. I think I texted Angie saying I was in Taipei and she said, “I’m in Shanghai starting Meteor Garden. There’s a character who is mixed-race in the original manga, and I think you’d be really good for the role.” 

And this was the character of Thomas?

This was Thomas. In the manga Thomas is blond-haired. I’m a little disappointed honestly that they didn’t dye my hair blond, but voila. I think he was more of a jock but they changed him to be more of an intellectual. I play piano and that’s how the piano scene came about.

Everyone else in the cast was Chinese, right?

Yeah, I was the only wai guo ren (foreigner).

What was it like working on a Chinese television series?

I had done commercials as a kid so I knew how it worked in a Canadian space, but I didn't anticipate the way Chinese productions function. We barely rehearsed. We all lived together in a hotel. They don’t have craft services, you are given your little bian dang, your little bento box. I don’t eat meat so I think it’s quite funny because they would call me hui min (Chinese Muslim). There wouldn’t be meat in my food because I was “Muslim.” 

Are there aspects of your character Thomas that you relate to?

He’s also mixed-race, he’s French Chinese. He’s a vagabond, and now you know I'm not so dissimilar. He takes risks, is generally a nice guy, very open.

Do people in China recognise you on the street because of Meteor Garden?

In China they recognise me but rarely say anything. I get recognised more outside of China. In Toronto in December I was getting bubble tea with my mum. The staff there who weren't even Chinese were like “Oh my god!” freaking out. When I go to fashion week in Paris there are fans that will follow me from show to show, which is crazy.

I’ve been so wrapped up in your stories that I forgot we are currently in this crisis. How are you coping with the recent changes? How are you staying creative in self-isolation?

I was supposed to shoot a film in China in March which has been postponed indefinitely. As a mixed-race person wanting to dialogue with the Chinese community and media, I was disappointed about that. Because of government restrictions on foreigners in the media, roles don't necessarily come up like Thomas in Meteor Garden. I think China is at a point now where they need to recognise that the idea of being Chinese and culturally Chinese doesn't necessarily have to coincide with the passport or your birthplace.

I’ve just finished the newest issue of A Magazine Curated By so I've been blessed that I had that to work on. I've been looking into meditation and I'm lucky that I live a 7-minute walk to the water. I have a few scripts and projects that have been on my list of things to do, so I'm going to write. Having one main goal is important at this time.

Do you have any advice for Hapa Mag readers looking to work in fashion or entertainment?

Take a risk, put yourself out there. If you’re determined and the time is right, it will happen. I've been very lucky in that it happened multiple times but I think because my mindset was there and I saw myself doing it. Take a risk. Jump, jump! People don't take risks now, and I get it, but you have to get out of your comfort zone.

It has been such a pleasure chatting with you. I’m sure our readers will find your stories very relatable, particularly those of us who work in multiple creative industries.

Our generation of creatives, our generation period, we do way more than one or two careers. Allowing that to be the norm is so much a part of being able to do what you want. I was able to wrap my head around the idea of, “Do I do this, or do that? No, I do all of it.” I find the space for all of it in my life.

*THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR LENGTH AND CLARITY. 

Watch Blake Abbie in Meteor Garden (2018) available globally on Netflix.

Follow Blake on IG @blakeabbie.