Actress has big dreams for a future in performing

After she moved to the U.S. from Vietnam at age 4, music allowed Violet Phan to express herself and fit in.

“I remember being the new kid and didn’t have anything to really relate to anybody because I was from Vietnam, another country,” Phan said. “It was really hard to express myself, so I got into music and that really got me to be me.”

She channels the challenges she faced throughout high school to portray her character, Mimi, in “RENT”. Mimi is a dancer with an illness who smiles through it all.

“Everyone knew me as a girl who (would) always dance and sing and smile and I think that’s what I can relate to,” said Phan, who hopes to inspire other girls to smile despite hardships they might face.

Phan was scared to audition for Mimi, because she felt as if, stereotypically, she fit the role of Joanne (a law attorney). Halfway through the audition process she found a desire instead to play Mimi and connected with the role. She said she feels the director saw the passion in her.

“I feel like a part of me is very Mimi and, actually, like every girl has Mimi in her,” with regards to typical struggles most girls face, Phan said.

Throughout her years at Reynolds High School she acted, sang and directed. She participated in choir starting in sixth grade and was assistant director for some Reynolds High productions. She was vice president of the thespian club.

Backstage work, acting, writing, and singing are all things Phan enjoys. Although her main aspiration is to be a singer / songwriter, she also hopes to produce and direct films, all while acting on the side.

This is Phan’s first MHCC production, in her first year on campus. She attended PSU last year to study psychology. Her love for the arts brought her to MHCC to study theater.

Phan said her parents do not support her aspirations as an artist. She felt psychology was a career that would please them, and one in which she could do well.

She decided to return to the arts after taking a year off, realizing that “I felt so out of place and like I lost myself pretty much,” she said. “I just want to get back into performing and being part of a theater family. I love these people.”

After “RENT” is over Phan will return her focus to creating music and a fan base, and to playing gigs. She hopes to start recording with her band and promoting its music.

“I feel like I’m very independent, because I’m always changing and like there’s not one specific genre that I want to tackle… I want to experiment with everything,” she said.

She hopes to transfer to Clackamas Community College to pursue music engineering and save money to transfer to a California or New York university to study the arts.

Phan’s dream is to achieve success and make a name for herself in America. “The only reason why I love being in America is because my dreams could really come true here,” she said.

If she achieves success in the arts, Phan wants to be able to help open hospitals and schools in Third World countries. Eventually, when she starts a family she wants Vietnam to be a part of their lives, and perhaps become a famous artist there.