Hi my name is Josie Mi!
When I was one year old I was adopted from China by two crazy, loving, Los Angeles based actor parents and I guess you could say, my path towards becoming an actor was fate. As a child I told my mom that I wanted to be a "singing doctor baseball player," and so they thought becoming an actor wasn't in the stars.
In 2007 my family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan and I grew up there spending time in regional theaters, but still didn't take any interest in the stage. Instead, I was a relatively "normal" kid trying everything from after-school softball teams, ballet, and playing viola in my middle school's orchestra which I was terrible at.
It was a great surprise to my friends and family when I decided to pursue my BFA in Acting at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago and a double major in Chinese Studies. I realized that I wanted to do something that would scare me, challenge me – challenge the way I think and feel about the world, but also about myself. Throughout my BFA training I fell in love with acting. Hard. I fell in love with being an actor because simultaneously, I began to understand myself and how I relate to the world.
I can pinpoint the moment onstage when I realized I love my job because in that moment, I fully loved myself. I hope other people have moments like these; I hope other people feel such joy.
I used to think I was an actor because I wanted to disappear behind a character, stand in my own shadow, but instead I've realized that I'm an actor because I simply want to become myself. I think everyone deserves to experience their true selves, and I'm so grateful that it's my job to be me :)
