“The most significant moment in my career was working on The Bikeriders,” says Phuong Kubacki, reflecting on a chapter in her growing Hollywood journey. Her path has been marked by an authentic approach to acting. In this interview, Phuong shares the moments and lessons that have shaped her career and continue to drive her forward.
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam (HBZVN): Phuong, your career in Hollywood has been growing rapidly. What moment do you consider to be the most significant breakthrough in your career?
PHUONG KUBACKI: Thank you for noticing. There have been so many breakthrough moments in my career, but I would say my most significant one was working on the film The Bikeriders. It was the first big film I did with a large global theatrical release. Going to the premier was so exciting and I loved the way the film turned out. I also got to work with some extremely talented actors and the amazing director Jeff Nichols. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.
HBZVN: Growing up in a Vietnamese family in Wisconsin and Illinois, you were initially influenced by your parents to consider more traditional professions. At what point did you decide that acting was what you wanted to pursue?
PHUONG KUBACKI: I actually have always dreamed of being an actor since I was a small child. I just never thought it was a realistic goal especially since there was such a lack of diversity on tv and in movies.
My parents also pushed for practical and “safe” careers which I totally understood why, however I just couldn’t stop wishing for more. In college, I started becoming less and less interested in my business studies and started doing small local modeling jobs and commercial work. I then started taking acting classes and things just evolved from there.
A childhood lesson that I consider to be valuable is that failure is not always a bad thing. Childhood is filled with trial and error and tons of failure. Whether it’s not making a sports team or struggling in a certain class, I’ve learned that every failure taught me strength and helped me learn that Im capable of taking the lessons of that failure so that I can try again and get better. As an actor, you are faced with lots of rejection and I think that lots of people are afraid to try things for fear of rejection. The most successful people I know are the people who weren’t afraid to try, fail, and try again until they were successful.
HBZVN: You’ve talked about your fear of public speaking early in your career. How did you overcome that and feel confident in front of the camera?
PHUONG KUBACKI: I was an extremely shy child so public speaking to me was terrifying!! For me, acting and improv classes really helped me. I also started working as a spokesmodel at trade shows doing presentations to force myself to become more comfortable and to be honest, I still get nervous sometimes even now. I just know the more prepared I am, and the more I do it, the better my performance is.
HBZVN: Being in an industry that has long been lacking Asian representation is another big challenge. Have you encountered bias in casting calls and how has that affected your approach to your work?
PHUONG KUBACKI: In the beginning of my career, the lack of Asian representation was quite discouraging. The roles back then were stereotypical caricatures like store owners or nail salon workers with accents. Then, it became the diverse best friend and never the main character. Only recently, in the last few years have I seen more main stream movies with Asian characters as the lead. It’s been so wonderful to see and has inspired me to add as much humanity to my characters whenever possible.
HBZVN: You’ve worked on popular projects like The Bikeriders and Captain America: Brave New World alongside Harrison Ford, Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, and Jodie Comer. What were some of your most memorable moments on the sets of these films? What was it like working with these stars?
PHUONG KUBACKI: Working alongside all these A list actors were both exciting and intimidating! I so appreciated just being in their presence and watching them work. I loved seeing their process, whether it was warming up and prepping or just seeing them improv and have fun in their scenes. It was truly a master class in acting working with all of them.
HBZVN: In The Bikeriders, you played a character set in the American biker culture, which isn’t the most obvious environment for Asian representation. How did you prepare for this role and what was the most challenging part?
PHUONG KUBACKI: The Asian character ‘Gail’ did stick out! An interesting part of this story is that these characters were inspired from real people in a real biker gang. To help prepare, production showed me pictures of the real ‘Gail’ and the rest of the biker gang so I could get a vibe for her. I was also connected with a dialect coach so I could get the midwest accent down. I loved that she was also Vietnamese. It was such an honor to play her.
HBZVBN: You’ve mentioned that you look to Viola Davis, Reese Witherspoon, and Meryl Streep for inspiration. What aspects of their work or approach to acting do you try to incorporate into your own work?
PHUONG KUBACKI: These women are all so talented in their own ways. Meryl Streep is an icon and embodies every role she takes. Viola Davis has so much depth to her. She has made me ugly cry on more than one occasion and makes me feel so much when I watch her. Reese Witherspoon is so charismatic and lights up every scene. She’s also such a great example of how actresses can be businesswomen. She started her own production company that focuses on women led stories and is such a leader in the Entertainment community.
HBZVN: The entertainment industry often faces challenges around representation and stereotypes. How are you using your influence to change the perception of Asian- American actors in Hollywood?
PHUONG KUBACKI: I touched a little on this earlier, but I try to add humanity in every role I take. Every character has a story and is not just a general stereotype. I’m also doing my best to go for lead roles to show young Asian actors that they can also be the main charachter. I think had I seen more of that growing up, I wouldn’t have been so hesitant to start this journey.
HBZVN: What genres or types of roles would you like to explore in the future? What’s the next career goal that inspires you to move forward? Are there any projects you can talk about right now?
PHUONG KUBACKI: I love playing strong and complex female characters. Some shows Ive really gotten in to lately are The Diplomat and Lioness. Both have strong female leads and compelling stories. I’d also love to do a little more comedy. I loved Agatha All the Way and would love to work on a show like that.
Coming up later this year, I have a movie called Eenie Meanie that will be released on Hulu. It stars Samara Weaving, Karl Glusman, Steve Zahn, Randall Park, Andy Garcia and Marshawn Lynch. I have some really funny scenes in this and can’t wait to share this character with everyone.
HBZVN: Lately, a lot of actors are moving into producing or directing. Have you ever thought about getting behind the camera?
PHUONG KUBACKI: Right now, I love focusing on acting, but I am a little curious about directing so who knows what the future might bring. I’d love to explore that at some point.
Model/Actress: Phuong Kubacki @phuongtourage.
Photographer: Sandy Goldstein @sandy.goldstein.
Makeup/Hair: Kami Tafoya @kamitafoya.
Manager: Entertainment Lab @entlab.la.
Agency: FORD/Robert Black Agency @fordrba.
PR Agency: @multi_publications.
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