When you’re crafting a character from the ground up, what do you start with?

So I’ll usually read the script and I’ll read the script multiple times and I’ll have an idea of what the character is and feels and looks like, but then I’ll read it with other people before I even read it, with whoever is playing the other character. And they’ll have ideas of kind of like how the opposite characters see me as well.

So that kind of gives me an idea… and then obviously getting on set and working with the director, the director will give you notes and have an idea of how they see your character. So I take all of those things and then kind of implement them and put them into one character. I’m open to other people’s ideas. I’m open to taking notes.

I’m never just kind of like, “No, this is how I see it, and this is the way it has to be”. I take a lot of feedback and try to figure out what’s what’s best for everyone.

Do you have a particularly hairy memory from doing The Bikeriders?

Yeah! The Bikeriders is a period piece and it’s set in the 1960s in the Midwest. So there was a specific accent that they were looking for; we did work with a dialect coach. We were sent audio. So that was really cool.

But there was a scene that we did, and we did it over and over and over again; and once you do it, usually we’ll do it, you know… I’ll do it, maybe… I don’t know, it could be because they’re doing a lot of different [shots] like, a close up, a wide shot. So they’re doing a different a lot of different camera views. But we did it a lot of times, and so for me, I’m like, “am I doing this right?”

You know, you start to really question yourself because it was it was a lot more than the normal amount. But some directors actually like to do it a lot of times too, so it’s adjusting to that, but in your mind you start to get a little insecure. So I did kind of feel like “I don’t know if I’m doing this right,” but luckily, the director and that scene I did with Austin Butler… everybody was so supportive, and they were giving me lots of encouragement.

It was it was really nice. In the moment, it was a bit overwhelming and frustrating but we did, you know… it did work out and it made the cut. So I’m really happy about that.

Are you one of those actors that loves to watch back you work?

I would say it’s the worst thing to ask me to do; and I think it’s because, being an actor, you have to watch yourself. I watch myself because we we self-tape ourselves and send them in now. It’s not like how it was before, when you had to go in person and you’d get maybe, one or two tries and the director or the casting director would send it in.

Now you’re taping it yourself. So when you watch yourself, you have to watch yourself with a critical eye to see: “What can I do a little bit better? Am I showing this part of the script that needs to be shown?”

So when I watch myself, I’m always watching with a critical eye and it’s hard to turn off and really enjoy the movie because I’m like, “I probably could have done that a little bit better. Like, that angle is… not really flattering…” So it’s hard to separate.

Even with social media, you’re watching yourself in reels or in a photo, and you can constantly just being be comparing yourself to other people or even previous photos of yourself, previous videos of yourself. So it’s that constant comparison [between] your best work [to your] current work and just how you would imagine it to be in your mind. There’s lots of things going on. And I personally, I’m not someone who can enjoy watching my own movies.

I do try [to] enjoy it. I took my sister to the premiere and she’s like, “oh, that was so good!” And she’s like, “What did you think?”

“Oh yeah, yeah, I liked it…”

But I was like, “you know, oh, like I looked a little big here…” Which is such a female thing, you know, to do [that]. And it sucks, but I’m trying to get better. It’s something I’m working on. It’s hard to turn off that critical eye, but it also is very helpful to have that critical eye because it’s something that you need to get better.

Do you have a favourite [role] that you auditioned for, but just didn’t manage to get?

Oh my gosh, there’s so many of those. Yeah, there are a lot of times where I feel pretty close with some things… sometimes when you are one of the top candidates, they’ll put a pin in you or you’ll get a call back and sometimes they’ll put a pin or they’ll hold you. Basically you’ll be one of the top choices.

So you’re like “okay, like I’m one of the top one or two choices”, and then you start thinking about, you know, being on set and you’re like, “okay, it’s really something that I thought that it could [be] a reality for me.” Then you get a call later that says you’re released; and that’s happened to me a lot of times. But, you know, it’s looking at the positives.

If you are a good actor, you should be getting pinned or being put on hold a lot. It should be something that happens all the time if you’re sending in good, consistent work. So for me I’ve started to look at it as a sign, a positive sign that I’m on the right track, you know, but it can be hard if it’s something that you are super excited about, and if it’s a project that’s kind of been on your wish list or on like your vision board or things like that.

So those things can hurt, but, you know, you have to – after being in the business for a while – you kind of get used to it and you just have to move forward and look look forward to the the new auditions coming in.

How does your experience on The Bikeriders stand out for you?

Oh my gosh, The Bikeriders was definitely on another level. I mean, when I got the audition, I didn’t really think too much of it because it was two scenes, and I had a lot of auditions that day, so I didn’t really have time to overthink my choices in the audition. I sent it in [and] I kind of forgot about it. Then I got a callback.

They wanted it to be in person, and I wasn’t available because it was my first time attending the Emmys that day. So it was tough because usually when I’m unavailable for a callback, I just assume that the production will just say okay, and they move on to the next person, like, “you’re not available. Okay, bye.”

So I’m like, “oh, okay, well, I’m not available”. Usually I try to be over-accommodating and make myself available and trying to reschedule anything for a callback because, you know, it’s it’s number one. It’s [an] exciting opportunity. I always want to work. But that particular day was was not going to work out. So I thought that it was done, but I did get a call about a week later and they allowed me to Zoom, which was really exciting because I was like, “okay, I got another shot at this, this is okay”.

I thought I was going to do the scene again, because usually in a callback, they’ll have you do it one more time for the director, and then they make a final decision. But I didn’t have to do that. They just – the director and the producers – they were all on and they just wanted to offer me the part, you know, directly. Wow. So that was really exciting. And yeah, I didn’t have to do it… I was like, ready to do it in character! It was a really fun and easy conversation. So that was really nice.

But, this project was definitely huge in comparison to the other projects just because of star power. I mean: Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer… we had Norman Reedus, Michael Shannon, just tons of super talented people. Usually on a project you might get like one or two, but I mean, this project was just… everywhere you look, there was an amazingly talented actor around the corner.

For me, I was just excited to be in the presence of these talented actors. I’m like, “I just want to absorb your energy!” you know? Qatch them act, watch them perform, and it was it was amazing.

Given how humble your roots are, growing up in the Midwest […] how has that shaped you as a performer? How has that shaped your attitude to the industry and everything that you do?

It’s interesting because, you know, being Asian, it’s not really… promoted to kind of go into the arts. They really want you to be… my family wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer. Kind of the usual path for Asians. So when I went into this it wasn’t super supported it, you know, it wasn’t. It was kind of a little bit different. And the parents, were like, “well, when you’re done with that…” you know, “maybe you should go back and go to medical school or something”. Kind of thinking it was a short term thing.

Also being in the Midwest, there wasn’t really a big, you know, Hollywood scene for me in my town. But what I did learn, being Asian and from the Midwest, is that hard work is number one. And if you are consistent and you put in work every single day that you are able to do anything.

I mean, my parents were immigrants, and they they didn’t know the English language, but they built a life and they really, really accomplished their version of the American dream. So just watching them, they really set… just a really great example for me.

So I kind of took that like, “okay, as long as I work hard” and I did… you know, I took a ton of classes and I kind of treated it differently than just a fun artistic venture. I put a lot of effort into the education of acting. I think that has really helped me because I’ve never been someone who’s who’s been like, “I know what I’m doing”.

I’ve booked a few things. I’ve always been open to learning and I know there’s a lot more that I can learn, and I can [and] I will continue to learn.

Is that the biggest lesson [that] you would convey to kids looking at you now, wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Yeah, I think that is the biggest thing, the biggest lesson for me, the biggest thing that’s helped me was just to continue to learn because it it’s personally… what I think has made me successful is just always being open and humble and wanting to be better at the craft versus just assuming that it’s going to come easy for me. And because it hasn’t, you know? It’s been really tough.

But I think as long as you put in the work, things are going to work out.

What experiences do you like seeking out the most to enrich you?

I love eating, I love sleeping, I love taking naps. Just… enjoying myself on the day to day, going out to eat, which everybody does [love].

But I love food. Uh, a lot. Like, I wake up thinking about food! I wake up thinking like, if I go to a new city, I’m like, “okay, well, where are we going to eat? Like, where?”

That’s the first thing I like to find out, any cool restaurants that we can go to where we can try new things. And it doesn’t have to be Michelin star restaurants. I just like food: good, delicious food excites me. So I just like to – and I don’t really post a ton about food – but sometimes I do… usually I eat it too fast and I can’t remember to take them!

Are you more of an eater or a cooker, or are you both?

I am more of an eater. I will cook, I’m getting better at cooking because I know it’s healthier and more cost effective. And my husband, he loves a home cooked meal, so I’m trying to do that. But for me, if it’s too many ingredients, it’s too much. You know, I have to [have] less than ten ingredients: that’s ideal for me, and easier to cleanup. It just needs to be an efficient process. Just like throw stuff in, I can cook it, and then we’ll have some leftovers, and that’s [it].

I can’t go too complicated because because then you’re spending all this money on ingredients and I’m like, “I probably could have saved money going out to eat, and then I didn’t even have to clean up after myself”.

Do you have a favorite dish to cook?

Yeah! Right now it’s this one recipe and it’s very simple, but it’s coconut milk and thyme chicken thighs. So it’s healthy and it’s easy and you just kind of pan fry the the thighs a little bit and then throw it in the oven with a bunch of butter and coconut milk and the thyme; and it’s so good and nice.

It’s one of those dishes that, when you reheat [it over] the next couple of days, it tastes even better; you know, all the spices together. So that is something that I try to cook as much as possible because I’ve never messed it up.

You know, there are some recipes I make and it’s like hit or miss. I’m like, “oh, this time it was really good. The next time it’s maybe not as good…”, but this one

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The Bikeriders is out now. Phuong Kubacki can be found on Instagram here.

This interview was lightly edited for clarity.