Lana Condor is a professional ghoster. So much so that when two Californian screenwriters floated the idea of a spirited high school comedy, Condor became their muse.
“The story was written specifically for me by these two USC students,” says Condor, who plays a teenage ghost in Netflix’s, Boo Bitch. “I was so honoured. It’s really important to give opportunities to young artists.”
Breaking onto the scene in the cult film trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Condor redefined the conventions of a classic romcom.
“The world is so colourful. I never understood why … real stories about real people are reserved for just one specific group. I was excited for viewers to watch a love story where the leading lady was an Asian-American girl,” Condor says of the film’s refreshing multi-dimensional take on Asian characters in mainstream cinema. “Asian mums have come up to me and said, ‘Had I seen this movie when I was younger, it would have meant a lot to me.’”
Using her platform as a force for change is important to Condor. “I was adopted from Vietnam and I’ve been given opportunities that I’d have never even fathomed. I feel in my gut that I’ve been put on this earth to give back.”
As part of her philanthropic work, Condor took a trip to her birth country alongside actor Julia Roberts and Michelle Obama. And did the former first lady share any special insights with the rising star?
“She gave me a lot of advice about impostor syndrome,” recalls Condor. “She would say, ‘You wouldn’t be in any room unless you were ready. The universe knew that you could do it.’ It sounds so cliché but it’s true: you’ve been put into that space for a reason.”
When she’s not saving the world, Condor has her own battles to fight, namely, navigating the work/life balance with her new fiance.
“My fiance’s in Boo Bitch as well, which was so much fun. But sometimes I would have to say ‘Anthony, I love you, but I can’t have lunch with you right now, because I’m learning lines.’ I try to leave my work at work when I come home.”
Boo, Bitch season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.
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