Interview: Actor Tiana Le from Disney+’s Big Shot

MIXED ASIAN MEDIA - JUNE 9, 2021

By Stephanie Mieko Cohen

Eighteen-year-old Tiana Le currently stars as basketball-playing Destiny, alongside John Stamos, in Disney +'s, Big Shot. Not only is Tiana a talented, young actress, she’s also a skilled musician and writer. I caught up with her to talk about Big Shot, her many talents, and what being mixed race means to her.

What’s your ethnic background?

I’m half Black and half Vietnamese. My Mom was born in Vietnam, and she came over as a baby because my grandpa was part of the military. He flew our whole family over during the war, and then my mom had me and my brother. So, in the direct line, my brother and I are the first born on American soil.

Do you have any favorite holidays or customs from either side of your family?

I have a single Mom, so all of my family that I see everyday is from her side. We love the winter time holidays. We’ve got Christmas lights up in the backyard. We’re literally half decorated for Halloween. But also, Vietnamese New Year. That’s probably one of my favorite holidays, because we go to Westminster, which is basically Little Saigon. It’s like Disneyland during the holidays. There are so many decorations, so much food, activities, and it smells amazing. My aunt and I go to this Vietnamese super mall, one of my favorite things to do because you’re fully immersed in Vietnamese culture.

What got you into performing? What was your first professional gig?

I’ve always been a natural performer, but I didn’t start professionally acting until about eighth grade, and I’ve been kinda going ever since. My first professional gig was HBO’s Insecure. I got to work with Issa Rae. [I kinda realized] you can be a powerful Black woman and have your own production company. She basically told me, “Hey if you wanna be a certain role, create it. You don’t have to wait for someone to offer it to you. You don’t have to wait for someone else to write it.” She is definitely someone I look up to. Everything she is and stands for is something that I really hope to embody in my own career too.

Are you in school right now?

Right now the plan is going to USC. I start in two weeks! I’m so excited, it’s my dream school for acting and film making. Obviously for Big Shot season two, I’ll defer, or I’ll take my classes online. I love school, and I love to create. In my future, I really see myself being a director or writer. I didn’t really see a lot of diversity growing up, and so a really big goal for me is creating the diversity that, as a little mixed girl… I didn’t see. I didn’t know I could be this or be that, and I think a lot of the things we want to be are the things we see around us.

Tiana, as basketball player Destiny on Disney Plus’s Big Shot. I have to know… what was it like working with John Stamos?

It’s great. He’s so funny, he’s really very sweet, and so thoughtful. He’s one of those people who just wants everyone to feel comfortable and feel taken care of. He could’ve been someone who barely talked to us and gone back to his trailer, but he was goofing off with us between takes. If we were on take 20 or something, he would just flub it to get the pressure off. He really takes care of everybody and wants to make sure you’re happy, that you’re having a good time. I think he knew that it was all of our first times being a series regular, which is a completely different time commitment, with a different level of pressure, and he really made it feel like showing up and hanging out with friends everyday.”

How much basketball training did you have to go through?

I grew up an athlete. I played sports my whole life, and my brother played basketball, so I would go to his tournaments. I’ve been around it a really long time, but I never played it. When we finally did book the job, because none of us really knew how to play, we did a whole basketball camp for a few months. We would show up at 8 a.m. and stay until 12. We would just play and be a team. And honestly, we became a team. The chemistry you see on the screen is the chemistry we have. I love playing basketball now. I go to the gym and play basketball with my brother, and I actually really enjoy it. But there was no basketball before Big Shot!

Do you have any advice for young people in the arts trying to break into the industry?

You have to stay yourself. You cannot come into this industry and try to change yourself to fit into whatever mold, whatever niche, or whatever typecast you think you belong in. You have to be you because people can see through that. At the end of the day, people want someone who is genuine and who has a kind of depth. It’s also about being resilient. There are so many no’s. People don’t realize, for all the roles you do book, you’ve had a thousand auditions before that, and you’ll probably do a thousand more after and still get turned down. Also, have hobbies. You have to do something else to fill your time. If you live and breathe acting, eventually you’re gonna break down. There’s a lot of disappointment, and you can’t let it define you. I think it’s about accepting those no’s and not taking them as a direct indication of your self worth.”

Tell me, what do you love to do when you’re not acting?

I love to write my own music, and I love to sing. The type of music I make is soul funk, and I have a whole studio set up in my room. I grew up a jazz singer, performing in jazz venues all over Orange County. I think with my music, I try to mix the two — standards with a more hip beat. I’m still finding out who I am right now, especially with writing, but it’s something I’m really proud of. I also really love to play basketball and hang out with my family. Another interesting fact is I love to bake inedible food, because I’m a terrible baker! I tried to make strawberry muffins the other day. They looked great, but they did not bake well.

Thank you, Tiana!

You can follow Tiana @tianaleofficial.