Brian Suh

Wingspan: When did you start acting?

Suh: “I started acting when I first got into high school in Korea, I joined the theater club there, and I found that I really liked acting, so I decided to go to college for theatrics. Other than school, I joined some clubs outside of school. We performed some musicals.”

Wingspan: What do you like about acting?

Suh:  “What I like about acting is, when I’m especially acting on stage. I can see their faces of the audience looking at me and I really like the feeling that people are focusing on me.”  

Wingspan: What was the reason you came to the U.S. from South Korea?

Suh: “The U.S. has better infrastructure than South Korea. This is why my parents wanted me and my brother to have better opportunities to study and for a better future.”

Wingspan: Do you miss Korea?

Suh: “Yeah, I miss Korea. I have been here for months and I am still struggling with my English and that makes me really sad. It’s hard for me to speak with others and understand what others are saying, but what I like about here is that everyone is so kind and friendly. They reach out to me even though they don’t know me.”

Wingspan: Why did you audition for Matilda? Do you like the Matilda musical? 

Suh: “When I first came to Liberty High School, it was my first time in a U.S. high school. The first thing I saw was the audition poster for the Matilda musical since I used to act in Korea, I was really interested in it. When I saw it, I was like  ‘I wanna be in there.’ I really wanted to act in the Us even though I am not good at English. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to learn how to act in a different culture and language. ”

Wingspan: What character did you want when you auditioned for Matilda?

Suh: “I wanted to play the role of Mr. Wormwood? Actually, I haven’t seen the musical, but I’ve read the book and watched the movie. Mr.Vermin, to me, was the funniest character and I wanted to play a funny character so that I can make the audience laugh. I wanted them to have fun watching the musical.”

Wingspan: Do you like the role? Why?

Suh: “I really like this role. When I was preparing for the auditions, I didn’t even know that there was a role called escapologist, but after I got this role, I searched and watched some videos about it and I read the script, and now, I am in love with this role. I really like it, it’s an imaginative character that Matilda created. She is telling a story, and I am in the story, I really like it.”

Wingspan: Is it easier to be yourself on the stage or the character your playing?

Suh: “It’s easier to play the character because many musicals have different settings from daily life and it is hard to understand what the character is thinking, why they are doing something but when I get into the character, I start thinking from the characters point of view rather than my own. That makes it much easier for me to act. ” 

Wingspan:  How is the character you are playing different from you? 

Suh: “Escapologist. Well, there are a lot of differences. He’s a grown-up man and I’m just a high-school boy and he has a daughter… Well, it’s a spoiler, but he gets really emotional sometimes. He gets mad, he gets sad, but when I get into his character, I really understand a lot about him. If she is feeling sad, when I look at it from the escapologist’s point of view, I can, not perfectly, but I can understand why she is feeling sad.”

Wingspan: Without giving out spoilers, what’s your favorite dialogue in the musical?

Suh: “It is actually from a song I sing in the musical when my daughter’s crying, I go and pat her back and hug her. The lines go like ‘ There’s nothing to fear, no one can hurt you‘ and they make her feel comfortable and at ease ”

Wingspan: Do you like the cast and characters?

Suh: “Yeah, I love it so much. Not only the characters they are playing but also the actors, they are so kind and friendly. I really like the atmosphere when we’re practicing.”