Pop-Culturalist.com

Jennifer Aquino is a celebrated storyteller who has enthralled audiences with her diverse array of projects in film, television, theater, and voiceover work. Her impressive credits include Santa Barbara,Port Charles, General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy, and more. Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of catching up with Jennifer to discuss her expansive body of work, her experiences in the audio medium, the founding of her production company, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling?
Jennifer: I believe all actors are storytellers, whether we’re performing on camera, on stage, or in voiceover work. I’ve loved telling stories throughout my acting career. However, I would say that when I started performing audiobooks, I discovered that it’s like performing a one-person show where I get to play all the characters! I get to voice all the women, men, and children, which is incredibly creatively fulfilling and a lot of fun. Additionally, I get to tell stories across all genres, from children’s books to YA, mystery/thriller, sci-fi/fantasy, rom-coms, historical fiction, memoir, and nonfiction.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jennifer: The person who has had the biggest influence on my career is my acting coach, Harry Mastrogeorge. He taught actors for 67 years, and I am grateful that I studied with him for several years early in my acting career. He instilled in me a healthy mindset that’s so important in a creative’s life. Here are some of his nuggets of wisdom that have stayed with me to this day:

• Acting is a state of mind. It’s not a theory, it’s not a method, it’s not a technique, it’s not a process, it’s not a procedure. It’s a state of mind.
• To be a successful actor, you have to have the hide of a rhinoceros and the heart of a baby. (I layer this with one of The Four Agreements—don’t take anything personally.)
• You’re not an actor; you’re a storyteller. It’s a child’s game, that’s it—and like a child, you turn yourself over to an imaginary set of circumstances. And you read the script between 250 and 300 times.
• He brought up the idea of “I am enough.” He suggested writing that sentence several times every day.

PC: You’ve mentioned in previous interviews that being a minority in this industry has not always been easy, but you’ve always been steadfast in your beliefs and mission as a storyteller. During those more challenging times, how have you been able to persevere? What advice would you give to creatives who want to follow in your footsteps?
Jennifer: Yes, it’s challenging when, in the acting industry, the majority of roles go to White actors. As an Asian American, it’s especially tough when I’m sometimes told that I’m not “Asian enough” for certain roles. I rely heavily on my team (my agents and manager) to think outside the box and pitch me for projects that are not ethnic-specific. I’m grateful for roles where I’m simply playing a doctor or a detective going through certain circumstances who happens to be Asian.

In voiceover work, I remind casting directors and producers that I’d love to be considered for non-ethnic specific roles. This way, I prevent myself from being pigeonholed into only working on Asian projects. I especially love voiceover work because I can play anyone from a ten-year-old girl in a manga book to a twenty-three-year-old blonde woman with a southern accent in a historical fiction to a thirty-year-old woman with a British accent in a romance book.

I also started my own production company, Kohana Productions, Inc., where I collaborate with other writers to create my own content. We recently produced the film The Anniversary, which won several awards in the independent film festival circuit. Currently, I’m in pre-production on a paranormal thriller film.

My advice to other creatives is to ask for what you want, and if you don’t get it, create it. Go and make your own content. You don’t have to do it alone; you can collaborate with other creatives and make meaningful projects together.

PC: What is your process like when you’re deciding what projects you want to be a part of?
Jennifer: I love being in projects where I feel in alignment with the story and with what the writer is trying to say. Sometimes when I hear about a project ahead of time, I’ll inform my reps about it, so they can either reach out to casting or keep an eye out. Sometimes, I’ll reach out to the casting director to let them know I’d love the opportunity to audition.

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve lent your voice to multiple characters in the same project. How different is that character development process and preparation when you’re playing multiple roles?
Jennifer: When I’m performing multiple characters in the same project (such as animation, audiobooks, and dubbing), I really try to embody each character as a full human being. I gather as much information as I can about each character from what the writer has written. From that information, I start to create the character: who they are, what motivates them, why they are doing what they’re doing, why they are feeling what they’re feeling, and what they sound like.

I consider various aspects such as whether they speak in a high or low pitch, their pace of speaking, the texture of their voice, and whether they place their voice more in the front of their mouth or farther back. I also think about their physical aspects, posture, and how they walk.

In doing this character development work, I aim to move away from stereotypes and caricatures and towards real, grounded characters with all their wonderful flaws and intricacies that make them human.

To keep up with Jennifer, follow on X and Instagram.

Photo Credit: Walter Tabayoyong