I grew up in Somerset in southwest England.
My vibe is a bit boyish: rock shirts, trousers.
My mom's cooking was all about comfort, flavor, and plenty of butter. It was so hearty.
Ballet is something for which you need so much control and composure. And there's an element to acting that is the complete opposite. You have to be able to completely let go and reveal everything about yourself. It's about being very vulnerable.
When I was, like, 10, I cooked a three-course meal for my family.
I never grew up thinking, 'Why aren't there any Asians?' But then Lucy Liu came on, and I was like, 'Oh my God, she is my favorite.' I was nothing like her, but I just loved her because she was the only Asian I saw.
I love Christy Turlington in the '80s and '90s. Classic.
For most of my childhood, I grew up in the countryside of England, where it was very suburban - there weren't a lot of people who were multicultural like my family. It was a place where the blonde and brunette girls in school were considered gorgeous. And because of that, I remember feeling like I wasn't good enough.
It's fun to channel a different mood and character through makeup.
I'm learning to let go of the idea of trying to be perfect.
I'm one of six and would be lost without my siblings. We're really close. They always understand what I'm going through.
'Ex Machina' was the first film I'd auditioned for. I didn't have an agent.
My dad is Japanese; he was an art director there. My mom is half-English, half-Argentinian. They met in Japan in the '70s. Her parents were diplomats posted there.
I used to be a dancer.
I had classical training at London's Royal Ballet School, and my first job was with the Semperoper Dresden ballet company in Germany.
In the Royal Ballet Company, there was a Japanese principal dancer, and onstage and in ballet, they have colorblind castings - so I did see Asian dancers, and they were always my favorite. When you have someone who looks like you, it's something you can kind of grab onto, and it makes you feel better about your place in the world.
I always want to do work that feels honest and that's harder to find than you imagine.
The entertainment industry has an effect on social consciousness.
I feel disheartened when I see stereotypes, because it's untrue and unfair. It just raises the level of inequality.
My mother's brother, my uncle, was an actor, quite well known in the West End. He used to come over to our house, and he and I would put on performances for my family. From that, this love of performing and acting grew.
