Meiyang Chang on wanting to go beyond ethnicity-based roles

Well-known actor, host, and singer, Meiyang Chang, has been part of films like ‘Badmaash Company’ and ‘Bharat’, while also making his mark on OTT with shows like ‘Modern Love Mumbai’ and ‘Asur’ season 2. Meiyang talks about the competition in becoming an actor today, and explains the challenges he faces by receiving mostly roles based on his ethnicity.

Talking about the competition that exists amid various mediums, as well as reflecting on his journey; Meiyang shares, “It’s the best time to be an actor with so many avenues to display your craft: stage, OTT, Cinema, short films and more, as well as a reach beyond domestic shores. Yes, the competition has exponentially increased because of more opportunities and a better established casting process. While competing with others may help in achieving the 'hustle', prioritising on bettering your craft is the actual goal. I'm blessed to be able to represent those like me and that's a responsibility in itself. However, the real challenge is to be considered for roles that look beyond my ethnicity too from time to time, and not get pigeonholed into a stereotype.”

Sharing the types of roles he would like to explore, Meiyang emphasises the need to step out of roles based on his appearance. “I've said this time and again that irrespective of the kind of role, I would like to play more ethnicity-free roles. By which I mean that while there is still a lot to be explored in the oriental pantheon of stories (like my collaboration with Vishal Bhardwaj Ji about the life of an Indian-Chinese family in Modern Love Mumbai), also offer me those roles meant for the actor in me and not merely my physicality & features. I'm open to all kinds of characters that challenge me and egg me on to go the extra mile.”

Actors often talk about not wanting to do the same types of role again, sharing why it is important for actors to explore different roles, Meiyang says, “It is inevitable that roles similar to what you’ve done before will be offered to you. In an ideal world, you trust that there are enough talented writers out there to come up with interestingly varied characters which will help you evolve as an actor and human being as well as broaden your base of experiences. If not, you may have the luxury to refuse such roles, or something about the project might be irresistible: the scale, team, overall story and you might say yes. In such situations, an actor must challenge themselves to bring newness and nuance to an already well-tread character to avoid being repetitive and bring freshness to the role. This is something that I’m constantly learning, and the possibilities are fascinating once an actor, director and writer put their heads together. It goes beyond what's on paper, and the more an actor involves themselves in workshops, observations and life experiences, the more fleshed out and novel the same old character will become.”

Meiyang Chang has proven his fine acting skills on numerous occasions, and we hope to see him in roles which he would like to take on soon.