#208 Flowing with Olivia Cheng
This week marks the final episode of Season 2 of our show Warrior on Cinemax, and so it is only fitting that Shannon’s guest this week is actress and one of the stars of Warrior, Olivia Cheng. Shannon met Olivia when she auditioned for Warrior. She came in and read for two different parts and she was such a pro. Little did Shannon know that just weeks before she had been contemplating giving up acting. We are so grateful she didn’t! If you haven’t seen the show, she is marvelous as the gutsy and smooth Ah Toy. But Shannon is not just speaking to Olivia on the podcast just because she’s in Warrior. Shannon is speaking to her because she has become a friend, because she is a dynamic artist and because she’s fun and curious and interested in being introspective and growing. Olivia has a background in journalism and has appeared on the shows Broken Trail and Netflix’s Marco Polo, to name a few. She is a soulful, smart, and fun woman who is an activist for change in Hollywood and in the world. Olivia has a lot of insights and thoughts to share and so Shannon is pleased to gift you this conversation today with Olivia Cheng.
Get to know Olivia Cheng
Olivia was born in Edmonton, Alberta to Cantonese-speaking, immigrant parents, who helped co-found the Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association’s Mandarin program within the city’s public school system. She credits this for her ability to speak Mandarin and instilling a reverence for her culture.
Olivia enrolled in her first acting class at age six, and at age 19, she booked her first local commercial. After high school Olivia attended the University of Alberta where she earned a scholarship and early admittance to its commerce program. Unhappy in University, she enrolled in NAIT’s Radio and Television Arts program the following year, which would lead her to a successful media career. After finishing school she became a videographer for Global TV Lethbridge before moving back to Edmonton to work as a broadcast and print journalist.
At the height of her journalism career, AMC was launching its original content division and came to Alberta with a Walter Hill-helmed mini series, executive produced by Robert Duvall. They were looking for five Chinese actresses but were willing to look at non-professionals as well. Duvall saw Olivia’s audition and asked to bring her back. She was then cast in Broken Trail, which was nominated for 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and would go on to win four, including Outstanding Mini Series. Broken Trail gave Olivia the push she needed; she moved to Vancouver and worked as a stringer for ET Canada while she pursued her acting career full time.
In 2014 Olivia booked a breakout leading role in the Netflix series Marco Polo. The drama featured warfare, manipulation, and sexual intrigue as well as a global cast. Marco Polo set a precedent for production as one of the most expensive television series ever produced.
Olivia also appeared in SYFY’s Deadly Class starring Benedict Wong, Benjamin Wadsworth and Lana Condor and the CBS All Access series The Stand with James Marsden, Whoopie Goldberg and Amber Heard.
Most notably for the Bruce Lee podcast, Olivia Cheng is the dynamic actress who stars as Ah Toy in the HBO Cinemax series Warrior. Season 2 of the series premiered October 2, 2020. It is inspired by the writings and work of Bruce Lee, and is executive produced by Shannon Lee and Fast and Furious’s Justin Lin, and HBO Cinemax’s co-creator of Banshee, Jonathan Tropper.
Connect with Olivia:
IG: @ThatOliviaCheng
See Olivia on Warrior Season 2 on Fridays: Warrior on Cinemax
Image credit: Noah Asanias
Write to us at hello@brucelee.com or tag us @brucelee on social media with #bruceleepodcast.