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Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/761418
Have you had any regrets with anything that has come out or that you've said? "Yeah, for sure. I can't think of them, but I just know." She thinks about it for a moment. "I regret not being smarter about knowing that somebody will twist my words, even if it's unintentional… I try to be smarter about those things." When she's explaining this to me she adds that she has no idea how I'll write this or what the pull quotes will be. And then it finally clicks. Perhaps this is why I felt that intangible fragile, guarded vibe from her off the bat. In sitting down with me for this interview, she is entrusting me with her story. She has no idea how I intend to spin it, especially when you take into account her past experiences with the press, and can only hope that what I write is an accurate depiction of her. Like she mentioned earlier about Jennifer Aniston, it's refreshing to hear about the not-so-perfect experiences as it essentially make stars seem more human, more relatable and this makes Olivia even more alluring. There was a time when Olivia was a journalist, before she became an actress. While attending the University of Oklahoma, she majored in journalism and wrote for the sports department at her college newspaper and for a local sports magazine. There weren't any women covering sports then, so this was her in, even though she knew nothing about sports. "You just figure it out and you learn it, like everything else." This led to an internship at FOX Sports in California, where she did some courtside reporting on women's college basketball. "After that I got a commercial and I was able to keep doing that." This life experience would give her something to pull from when she stepped into the role of reporter Sloan Sabbith on HBO's Emmy Award-winning series The Newsroom. "Working with Aaron Sorkin and being able to have the opportunity to play a character like that" are why this is her favorite role to-date. "I have such a love and respect for journalism that I was able to bring that love to the role." If you could pick anyone's brain as a journalist now, who would you choose? "I'd love to interview Edward Snowden. I just find it fascinating, everything he knows, and what he plans to do with his life now. Is he going to live in limbo for the rest of his life? I think there's so much more to know and understand." The conversation turns to being in the spotlight. She talks about how different makeup artists can make her look drastically different from one week to the next and then shows me a split photo on her phone as an example. We agree that the look on the right is more appealing and fresher. She pauses to ask me what I am. Like her, I'm half white and half Asian. "I feel like people really don't get it, 'cause I'm Asian and white so I have Asian bone structure and more white features at times," she remarks. This segues into her thoughts on being on the red carpet in instances when the dress may be tighter since the last fitting because your weight fluctuates and when you took a chance with the vision of a new hairstylist. "You're standing there and you're like, 'Oh, well, hold on,'" she says the last part in a soft voice that indicates that she's uncomfortable. "They throw out these women to get dressed up and then stand underneath the horrible lighting and now let the world judge you. And that is just, that portion of being in the public eye that I think is —that people are not really understanding, at least how it is for me. And I wonder, I think so many people have it so much easier, 'cause I've asked. I think it's because being multi-ethnic is really difficult and there aren't a lot of Asian women in Hollywood right now." Do you think that's helped you in getting roles because you look exotic? "No, I don't think that. If you look like a minority then there will be times that they cast a minority. But when they want a white person, per se, they'll go with a white person. But, if you're a white person, they'll give you a minority role as well… I feel that there are opportunities that people get in the beginning based on different things, but at a certain point talent and opportunity kick in… I'm at a place where I really can't complain… I don't think that me being Asian stops me from getting roles at this place. I know in the beginning it does. I'm lucky I've moved passed that but I'm still in a place where I still have to bust my ass and fight for roles and I'm happy to do that and keep going.... I was very excited about all the diversity in this movie (Office Christmas Party) and that people weren't cast because of their ethnicity…. There's just a collection of amazing actors. And I think that's what helps push the envelope, when there are people of different ethnicities and they're not playing their ethnicity." ML Don't miss Office Christmas Party in theaters now and keep up with Olivia on Instagram: @OliviaMunn and Twitter: @OliviaMunn.