Yu-Xuan Wang: Boredom is Not Really Boring

Taiwanese actress Yu-Xuan Wang has won countless awards and has been labeled by the public as a 'monster rookie' and a 'genius actress.' At 26, she seeks her own path as an actress, navigating between boredom and surprise with each role.
For Yu-Xuan Wang, every role is a new experience: investing herself in and exploring new stories is a constant nourishment. The emotions accumulated from her past roles become a precipitate in her life; even after shedding a character’s skin, those feelings remain in her heart, transforming into new energy when needed in the future.
In a previous interview, Yu-Xuan Wang revealed that she never directly introduced herself as 'an actress' in the past. So when the first question in the interview guide read, 'How would you introduce yourself now?', I thought she might say, 'I am actress Yu-Xuan Wang.' However, her answer was unexpected: 'I would say I’m pretty boring.'
This answer is quite interesting. For her, 'boredom' is not a lack, but a state of being. Maybe it’s precisely because she thinks of herself as 'boring' that she is more easily moved by the little things in daily life. 'Within the repetition of daily life, I can always find small surprises.' This philosophy of 'boredom,' to some extent, is also a footnote to her journey as an actress: amidst the never-ending cycle of rehearsals and shoots, she has learned to wait, observe, and feel, keeping a natural rhythm between acting and living.

At just 26, Yu-Xuan Wang already has more than a decade of acting experience. Her bond with theater began in childhood. Because her mother worked overtime frequently, she was brought to the theater and would quietly sit in the audience. The stage lights, the energy of the actors, the rhythm of the lines—these gradually planted a kind of obsession in her heart. She chose the drama program in high school, beginning formal training. That was when she first understood that acting is not just imitation, but about shaping a character through body and voice.
Later, she was admitted to the directing program at the Central Academy of Drama, studying narrative structures and rehearsal methods from a director’s perspective. She then transferred to the Film Creation program at the National Taipei University of the Arts, combining acting with film and gradually finding her place both on stage and screen. 'I didn’t start out set on becoming an actress,' she once said. She truly confirmed her actor identity only in the last five years. 'It wasn’t something I suddenly realized one day, but something accumulated over time.'
In 2019, Yu-Xuan Wang was nominated for the Golden Bell Award 'Best New Actress in a Miniseries/TV Movie' for the TV series Your Child is Not Your Child – Peacock on her first try. In this work, she played a youth struggling between family and self-identity, portraying sharpness amid gentleness, making her name memorable.
What really made her a household name was the 2021 film Goddamned ASURA. Her striking portrayal of a teen delinquent, walking the line between rebellion and vulnerability—those contradictions are what she excels at capturing. With this work, she took home 'Best Supporting Actress' at the 58th Golden Horse Awards and again at the 24th Taipei Film Awards the following year. In 2023, she showed a completely different acting style in the art film Blue Again. The film’s extensive silences required her to convey emotion in a highly restrained manner. For this, she won 'Best Actress' at the Taiwan Film Critics Society Awards and was nominated for Best Actress at the 25th Taipei Film Awards. Her flexibility between commercial and art projects has steadily established her as a distinctive, reliable actress.
Yu-Xuan Wang likes to inject life experience into her characters, letting each role naturally grow into its own form. She says, 'Every character has given me a lot. We often talk about creating a character, but for me, every character carries a part of myself. I empathize with my roles through my life experiences, allowing them to develop their own shapes.' In her view, acting isn’t about escaping, but a conversation—a constant reflection between oneself and one’s roles.
'After filming Peacock, I tried to reconcile with my family and my high school self; Days Before the Millennium made me feel free and proud as a woman.' In Goddamned ASURA, she saw the isolation of young people living on society’s margins, which taught her not to speak of justice from a god’s-eye view. 'In Blue Again, I experienced the loneliness between people that is both near and yet distant.'
Unlike many actors, Yu-Xuan Wang does not shy away from vulnerability. She even thinks it’s one of the most important skills for an actor. 'When I face my own vulnerabilities and am honest with myself, only then can I face those roles truthfully. These experiences have also helped me empathize with those I encounter in life and better understand why people from different generations and backgrounds make their choices.'
In her eyes, hiding and resisting only leave acting on the surface; only by admitting fear and anxiety can a character appear as flesh and blood. This mindset gives her a bold yet restrained style. While filming Peacock, she tried extreme challenges: eating crickets, eating dirt, barehandedly touching frogs. She says curiosity drives her to try new things, while discipline teaches her how to stay safe; knowing when to stop, if anything could endanger her mind or body, is also part of being a professional.
When asked about how she picks her roles, she’s straightforward: 'The character’s will is important. If the script lacks a soul, it’s hard to gain strength from it.' In her view, commercial scale and role depth are not opposed. To avoid typecasting, she always starts from the contradictions in human nature. 'There’s no absolute good, nor absolute evil. Conflict and tension are the most moving aspects of a character.'
A teacher once told Yu-Xuan Wang: 'Everyone now sees you as a flower and wants to pick you, but you are not a flower, you are an actor who is meant to have longevity.' Only in recent years has she deeply understood its weight. She knows anxiety never really goes away, but learning to coexist with it is part of growth. She believes actors should not be confined to one type; art and film have never had a single definition. 'I yearn to try different roles and genres, whether it’s idol dramas or others. Only by constantly trying can I know what I truly want and don’t want.' It reminds her that acting is not a fleeting moment but a journey requiring long-term exploration.
If acting makes her face contradictions and vulnerability, then life allows her to return to her simplest self. She jokes that her greatest hobby is sleeping. Most worries, for her, disappear with a nap. The companionship of cats is also an important outlet for her emotions. 'Others may think daydreaming is a waste of time, but I think it’s essential.' If given a month off, she says she’d spend it in the simplest way: 'sleep in, read books, go to exhibitions, watch TV, play with cats.' She calls it enjoying boredom—and this 'boredom' is actually the nourishment for keeping her passion and positive energy alive.
Asked about the greatest gift acting has given her, Yu-Xuan Wang’s answer is 'accepting imperfection.' Through her roles, she sees not only human vulnerability but also courage. She has also learned to be more forgiving of life’s imperfections. She hopes to work with director Tsai Ming-liang in the future and is happy to try all kinds of genres. She aspires to be the kind of actress who not only gives voice to her roles but also comforts her audience.
People often call her a 'genius actress', as if she can easily bring any character to life. But she admits this is the biggest misconception. 'Actually, I work really hard at doing my homework; I just make myself look relaxed so I don’t put pressure on others.' There is humility as well as determination in her explanation. She hopes people will see her efforts behind the scenes, not just her natural ability.
After 11 years on her acting journey, Yu-Xuan Wang hasn’t rushed to succeed; instead, she has grown step by step through her roles and by experiencing life. She has learned to face vulnerability, accept imperfection, and let acting become a bridge between the audience and life. 'I hope I can be a source of comfort,' she says. Perhaps this is her most important mission as an actress—to leave her mark of strength, somewhere between truth and gentleness.