Audrey Hsieh is a young actor based out of Los Angeles, CA. Her new film “Mixtape” recently premiered on Netflix where she plays the fun-loving, fashionable friend Ellen. You may also recognize her from the film “Here Today,” starring Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish. In her interview with Jejune, Audrey gushes about the wholesome and supportive work environment on both films, and what she is up to now! Audrey is currently in college studying psychology, with the hopes of becoming a therapist someday. At her high school she helped kickstart Hope Squad, a nationwide peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. Although long graduated, Audrey is hoping to continue this work in her future career choice. Read on in our interview with Audrey to learn more about her current projects and future aspirations!

Where are you based?
I am based in Los Angeles!

When did you start acting?
I started acting when I was around six years old! Pretty young, haha.

Your new film “Mixtape” recently came out on Netflix. Can you explain more about the movie and the role you play?
Mixtape is a movie about Beverly, this 12-year-old girl, who finds a mixtape from her deceased parents. She accidentally breaks the tape, but determined to see if her parents left behind any message through the music, she goes out and hunts down the songs herself. I play Ellen, a very fun and awesome character! Ellen is the first friend Beverly makes on her journey, and also helps Beverly find songs using her computer!

“Ellen,” your character in the film, is fun-loving, quirky, and fashionable. How does she resemble you in real life?
I want to say that I’m pretty fun-loving, or at the very least, I really like to make people smile! Overall, Ellen just wants everyone to have a good time, which is something I can really relate to!

You also recently starred as Billy Crystal’s adopted granddaughter in the comedy film “Here Today.” What was it like to work on a movie with Tiffany Haddish and Billy Crystal? Did they pass along any wisdom?
It was incredible, not only working with Tiffany and Billy, but everyone else on that movie! Every single cast and crew member was so chalked full of talent and experience, I was honestly intimidated at first. Everyone was really nice though, so it made me a lot less nervous. They taught me a lot of things, but more than anything, they taught me that your best work comes when you are authentic to yourself.

Jejune read that you learned about the Jewish faith and Hebrew scriptures through Billy Crystal. How has that experience shaped your own faith?
I loved learning about the Jewish faith and reading the Hebrew scriptures! I think learning about any culture or religion is really fascinating, especially the history behind them all! Personally, I’m not very religious, but I do believe that people should be kind to others, open-minded, and sincere.

You made your television debut in season 9 of Criminal Minds. Do you prefer film to television or vice versa?
I’ve only done a really small amount of television, so I honestly can’t say which I would prefer. In my experience, I think I was pretty lucky because both Here Today and Mixtape had this wholesome and supportive environment. For now, I’ll say that I prefer film!

We also read that you aspire to go to college for animation. Do you have a favorite animated film?
I actually changed my mind on my major, I’m going for psychology! However, I love animation so much, I have a really big passion for art. I would have to say my favorite animated film is A Silent Voice. It is a beautiful and stunning masterpiece that deals with some really complex emotions, alongside suicide and depression.

Will you lend your voice to an animated film in the future?
YES! Honestly, that is a dream come true, I would love to do that!

You are particularly passionate about suicide prevention and have participated in Hope Squad within your high school. Can you explain what this organization is about?
Hope Squad is a suicide prevention program where they have trained students talk to other peers about suicide prevention. The goal of the program is to connect with students, hopefully making an environment where they can express themselves and get the help they need.

How did you contribute to Hope Squad? Is the Squad still active today?
I helped get the Hope Squad program set up because when I joined, it was the first year it had been established at my school. To clarify, Hope Squad is an organization that runs across multiple schools, so I wasn’t a founding member of the organization or anything! Hope Squad is still active today!

Why is this issue important to you?
I feel like the concept of suicide and depression have really been complicated nowadays, because humor on the internet can be really dark. It’s honestly really scary because people will hide all of those emotions under humor, so you can never tell when someone is serious and when they’re just joking. I really want to make an environment where people aren’t ashamed or afraid of seriously talking about these subjects. I want people to know that if they ever need to talk, there will always be people to listen and help them.

How will you continue to help suicide prevention initiatives post-graduation?
I’m going into psychology because I want to be able to be there when people need me and help them. For suicide prevention, my goal is to become a psychologist, so when people need someone to talk to, I can be one of those people to support them.

How are you staying positive during the current wave of the pandemic?
I’m really trying to focus on myself and what I need! I fill my time with hobbies, talking to friends, exercising, and doing things that make me happy in general.

The pandemic has been hard on many suffering with mental health. Do you have any advice for someone who is considering suicide during the pandemic, or in general?
To whoever needs to hear this, whoever is contemplating suicide, I just wanted to say that I am so proud of how far you have gotten. Every step, every breath, every movement you make is an accomplishment, and you are so strong to be able to continue doing this. I know you’re tired and that suicide might seem like the only solution that will stop the pain, but there are other solutions. Please, talk to someone about your feelings, a friend, a family member, a therapist, or a suicide hotline. I know that these solutions aren’t the easiest ones, but reaching out and taking that first step to recovery is the hardest part. It might take a week, a month, a year, or years for things to start getting better, but every single day you continue to fight, even if you’ve slept all day, is a step towards betterment. Doing “nothing” is still progress.

Did the pandemic influence your schooling and film schedule? How were you able to persevere?
Yeah, the pandemic had a huge influence on my schooling and film schedule. For basically all of the pandemic, still ongoing, I’ve had to take my classes online! It also pushed back the filming of Mixtape for an entire year. Honestly, the pandemic was pretty scary at first, but knowing that I could only do so much to end it, I tried to embrace the upsides of staying inside all the time. For example, I was able to make a few friends during the pandemic because we all stayed inside and played the same video games!

Do you have any other upcoming projects that you would like to highlight?
College is the only project on my mind right now!

To see more from Audrey, you can follow her via her instagram:
@audreyhsieh_

Audrey Hsieh is Keeping Hope Alive