Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Kung Fu’s Shannon Dang

From dancing for the Los Angeles Clippers to starring in the hit CW drama Kung Fu, Shannon Dang has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most dynamic talents and one of the breakout stars of 2021. Similar to her character Althea Shen in Kung Fu, Shannon is a larger-than-life personality who’s captivated audiences with her portrayal as the tech-savvy older sister.

Over the course of the show’s first season, viewers have been glued to their screens as Shannon’s character prepares to marry the love of her life while coming to terms with being sexually assaulted by her former boss.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Shannon about her transition into acting, the season finale of Kung Fu, the show’s impact, and her love of rom-coms.

Career

PC: Before you became an actor, you were a dancer. What has the transition been like going from that creative outlet to the screen?
Shannon: For about six to seven years, I was consistently dancing. I was going to practices and driving all over the place, which is actually what you do for auditions in Los Angeles; you’re driving non-stop. I pretty much lived in my car all the time, going to the next audition, eating in my car, whatever I had time for. That discipline helped me cross over. I’ve been dancing my whole life, so I learned the discipline, resilience, hard work, and dedication needed to help me cross over into my acting career.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career, either personally or professionally?
Shannon: Professionally, I remember who inspired me the most growing up. I always watched the Disney Channel, and I remember seeing Brenda Song on Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and I was like, “I love her.” I wanted to be her. I felt like I could see myself. I felt like that was my big sis. Seeing her have so much fun on screen and be an actress, I was like, “I could do that!” That’s professionally.

Personally, my mom has been the biggest supporter and inspiration to me growing up. She put me in all my dance classes, all my theater programs, everything. She wanted me to perform.

She’s kind of an introvert. I feel like she was living vicariously through me. She would put me in everything to see if I liked it, and I ended up loving dancing and performing. I remember she would take me to dance auditions. I didn’t want to go because I was really shy and intimidated by that sort of stuff, but she would always tell me, “That could be you!” She’d take me to musicals or stage performances and be like, “You can do that one day.” I always had this confidence and support system. I knew I could do it if I wanted to. She always told me, “If anyone can do it, you can.”

I love you, mom.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Shannon: One time, I won’t say what show or job I did, but I worked on a show, and it wasn’t a very big part. I was a guest star on one episode of XYZ show. The director who I got to work with was also the producer and showrunner. I’ll never forget it; it was the most exciting, biggest job I had so far. At the end of the day, he said, “Let me tell you a secret. One day, you’re going to be a TV star.” That was a really incredible moment for me because I was seen and acknowledged by someone in the industry who is of that caliber. It’s stayed with me ever since.

Kung Fu

PC: Speaking of being a TV star, you’re one of the stars of the CW’s Kung Fu. The series has meant a great deal to various communities that want to see themselves and their stories represented on screen. Have you, the cast, and the crew had time to reflect on the impact that you’ve all had?
Shannon: Wow, yes. It’s still coming gradually. I remember at the very beginning, we all knew the impact and how big this was. There aren’t many Asian American casts on television. Ours is the first Asian-led cast for a drama series on a broadcast television network. Right away, we got the breakdowns and scripts. When we were all auditioning, we were like, “Wait? They’re looking for a cast full of Asians, what? That’s never been heard of.” Fast forward, we went to our producers’ session and our network test, and everyone was Asian. We were like, “This is really strange and really cool.”

It formed this camaraderie and support. We knew it could be any of us. We were really happy that this content was being created, especially when all the Asian hate crimes were happening. People looked to our show for hope and representation. I remember people of the AAPI community would always tell us, “We’re so glad something is out there like this.” Families are watching it together; it’s creating family time among generations. It’s really special. Hopefully, this is just the beginning, and it becomes normal to see Asian faces on screen.

PC: Your character, in particular, has this an incredible journey throughout the first season. There are so many layers to Althea. Which was your favorite to explore? Which was the most challenging?
Shannon: I feel like it would be the same answer. My favorite part to explore is also the most challenging: it’s the story of her sexual assault by her boss. When I first auditioned for the pilot, none of this was in the auditions or the breakdown. I had no idea. When I first auditioned, I came in as this bubbly, older sister, who’s planning her wedding. She’s tech savvy and all that stuff. I knew I could do that. I understood that, but then later, after I booked it, the showrunner sat down with me and was like, “This is where she’s going.”

I was like, “Are you sure you trust me?” It was such a sensitive subject matter and so important. I didn’t want to mess it up, so it was very challenging because I wanted to get it right, but it was also the most fun part, because I got to explore. I realized that there’s not one right answer, especially for how people deal with trauma and pain in that area. I just hope to have made it as authentic as possible.

PC: There’s an emotional moment in episode four where your character tells her sister that she’s been sexually assaulted. For you as an actress, how did you prepare for that scene?
Shannon: I definitely did some research. I watched some YouTube videos about testimonies from sexual assault victims, just to see where they were coming from, the fears that they had, and why they may have waited so long to come forward. I feel like that stuff really helped me get into the internal conflict that Althea was having. I also had a great chat with the showrunners and writer of that episode to really see where they saw her coming from. Then, on the day, I have to give a shout out to my director for that episode, America Young, and my scene partner, Olivia Liang, who were amazing, patient, and generous with their time and effort. I really felt comfortable to explore and get what they needed.

PC: Something that I love about this show is that it tackles a lot of timely and relevant themes. What has it meant to you to be a part of a production that’s not afraid to have these tough conversations?
Shannon: It’s great. As storytellers in the entertainment industry, we have a responsibility to not only entertain, but also shed light on subject matter and conversations that are really important and relevant. We’re all living in this world. The more we continue to spark those conversions, the more impactful we leave our footprint. It’s been really special. I love being part of such an amazing cast and production.

PC: This is the longest you’ve lived with a character. Has anything surprised you about the experience? What has been the biggest takeaway?
Shannon: What surprised me the most was that we shot this whole series during a pandemic. It was a lot of work. On top of it, our cast was able to bond in our Kung Fu bubble. It was only the ten of us that could hang out for seven months. We created this family.

The biggest takeaway was learning how to trust myself and my instincts. I’ve grown a lot as an actress and a person. I love my castmates. We’ve become such a nice, big, happy family. The chemistry that you see on screen is what it’s like in real life. We’re always hanging out at Mama Kheng’s house and eating her cooking. We all like to joke that we don’t eat unless she cooks. We’re all quite starving now that we’re on hiatus.

PC: We’ve got one more episode left in this season. What can fans expect from the season finale?
Shannon: Lots of juicy stuff. Po Po is in town, as we saw in episode 12. She’s so funny. We’ve got Althea’s wedding. There’s going to be lots of action. It’s our season finale—you can bet that there’s going to be fighting, some tears, some drama, some comedic moments. It’s going to leave people really looking forward to Season 2.

PC: Like you just said, the show has been picked up for Season 2. Congratulations by the way! Where do you want to see Althea’s storyline head?
Shannon: I would love to see her go back to work. What does that look like when she heads back into the tech world? Selfishly, it’s because I like to live vicariously through her tech savviness. In real life, Shannon knows nothing about technology. I always feel super smart saying all this technical jargon that I have no idea what it means. I would like if I could sneak a few punches here and there—I would love it. It would also be so cool if our show had a musical episode, but again, that’s just me being selfish because I love to sing and dance. I’m like, “Let’s do it.”

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Shannon: I don’t think it’s a guilty pleasure. I don’t feel guilty about it, but people make fun of me because I’m so in love with The Big Bang Theory. But that’s cool, right? I’m like, “It’s so funny.” People are like, “Really?” I love the smart, nerdy stuff.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Shannon: Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, and White Chicks.

PC: Favorite book?
Shannon: The Universe Has Your Back.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Shannon: Wicked for sure is my favorite. I’ve seen it twice, and it’s amazing. I did it in high school choir, and I got to choreograph “Popular”, and it was the highlight of my high school career.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Shannon: I love country music. I go to Stagecoach every year. People are always surprised about that. I’m like, “What? You’ve never seen an Asian girl in cowboy boots?”

PC: Dream role?
Shannon: I would say, as you could see from my guilty pleasure movies, I love rom-coms. So, any role where I could be in a rom-com. That would be a dream. Putting it into the universe—thank you for helping me do that!

To keep up with Shannon, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch new episodes of Kung Fu every Wednesday at 8/7c on the CW.

Photo Credit: Noah Asanias