Meet the Cast : Shirong Wu

October 24, 2019

What do you look for in a role and what drew you to White Pearl?

In characters I look for conflicting qualities that contradict each other. White Pearl is full of characters like this. Not only is it fun for us as actors to play, it’s also intriguing to watch as an audience member. You’re equally enthused and disgusted by the lengths to which they go to get what they want.

I was most excited by the language in White Pearl. The dialogue is just popping. It is so fresh, nothing that I’ve ever heard before.

Tell me a little bit about your character – How did you prepare to get into the role?

Xiao is a woman under an extreme amount of stress. Her family is in a crisis back home in China. Under the anti-corruption campaign, her father has been arrested and awaits trial. On top of this we have the crisis of the viral video. When we meet Xiao in the play she is already operating within abnormal circumstances. That’s why it was important for me to find out who she was without all the crying and carrying on. That didn’t start to happen until I found her accent and her voice. Suddenly all these shades of Xiao started coming out – her humour, her courage, her power.

How do you think audiences will react to White Pearl?

This is hard to say… One thing I know for sure is that White Pearl is not a play to be watched complacently. It will challenge and move you.

Tell me about your cast members…

I love everything about my fellow cast members. They’re all so funny and talented and sweet good people. We recently all went to eat yumcha and stared at Matt and Mayu as they ate chicken feet for the first time.  

What are you working on next?

Next up is a play called What Every Girl Should Know I’m working on with Between the Buildings Theatre Company. We’re hoping to perform February 2020 Melbourne.

WHITE PEARL
24 Oct – 9 Nov