• “I didn’t think about being an Asian-American. I was just a guy in school.” •
- Victor on his identity in high school
Myanmar – the birthplace of Victor’s parents. China – their paternal and maternal ancestry.
In search of a better life, the Chen’s moved to California about 35 years ago. They left behind memories of a world so different, yet continued to uphold their birthright of Chinese traditions, which encapsulated their home and rearing of two children, Victor and his younger sister.
Chinatown was their first stop, and then a home in the San Francisco Bay Area became their final destination and a place where diversity surrounded them. Chinese, Filipino, Samoan and African-Americans were just some of the ethnic groups that made up the Chen’s neighborhood. As a result, Victor’s childhood left him without the need to question diversity.
At home: When it came to being traditionally Chinese, his parents hit the 80% mark. Education was the primary focus. Going to the temple, celebrating Chinese New Year, Moon Festivals, and other events based on the Chinese calendar were typical.
At school: “I didn’t think about being an Asian-American. I was just a guy in school.” Ethnicity aside, there was one thing that Victor identified with – his desire to always do something physical.
At just one and a half, Victor enjoyed watching kung fu movies. A toddler’s kicking and punching eventually led to karate classes by age 7 and a lifelong love for the art form. These components defined who Victor was growing up and pushed ethnic identity to the sideline.
“Karate was when I was a kid. In 1993, when I was about to start high school, I started working at a fitness gym, which had about 85-95% body builders. I got into that too, so started body building and hard lifting.”
Victor and a co-worker turned friend/sports partner grabbed a hold of VHS tapes and started to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is the craze nowadays in combat sports. “That was the opening to more hardcore training. It was still new, nobody knew what it was.”
Outside of the gym, in his friend’s garage, is where they decided to take their informal training to another level. It caught like wildfire and drew people to the home gym in anticipation of learning a non-mainstream combat sport. Victor turned into a coach and molded a schedule that revolved around school and the gym.
His training continued into college, where he focused on a childhood goal to work in law enforcement. After two years fulfilling his general coursework at a community college, Victor transferred to San Francisco State University (SFSU) and also applied to the San Francisco Police Department.
He put SFSU to the side, went through the academy and became a rookie cop for the city. “That took my route onto a different approach…Very different than traditional Chinese culture. In general, your standard ABCs [American-Born Chinese] go into business or the medical field.”
Victor wasn’t 100% sure of his lifespan in law enforcement. Whether it was going to be 40 years or just 5 minutes, it was a part of his career playbook that he wanted to accomplish. And his parents? Well, “They didn’t think I was serious at the time. When I actually got hired and went through all the training, they still thought it was a short-term thing. It’s because it wasn’t traditional, so it was hard for them to grasp that.”
A few years in, Victor lost his passion for the job and returned to SFSU. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and went on to complete a master’s in international affairs.
As you can see, law and order remained a thread in Victor’s career path. Attributed to 9/11, Victor was pushed to become a civil servant on a higher level. Instead of being on the local scene, his new reach was for the FBI or a similar agency where he could have a greater impact domestically and internationally, specifically related to counter terrorism and interacting with different cultures.
“There was a huge backlash towards one group of people, but not everyone is bad in that way. So I thought government service and being an Asian-American…I can do something.”
Victor was also motivated by the hit TV series “24,” which starred Keifer Sutherland as counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer. “…The content combined real life with fiction and made me want to do something like that.” And so Victor started applying for similar government roles.
He became a candidate that was stuck in the middle – he didn’t have everything on their checklist and had to figure out what was missing.
“The one thing I needed to add was language skills that would get me into government service...”
Victor spoke way more Cantonese than Mandarin, so the latter became the language where he wanted to improve through some sort of immersive experience.
“I found a flyer that talked about teaching English abroad. It wasn’t that I wanted to become a teacher. It was to apply for government service. That was the final straw that I could add to the application to give me enough boost...”
In 2009, he packed his bags and headed to Zhengzhou, China – a city that lies between Beijing and Shanghai.
• “I never thought my dream job was to become an actor. Never. It was by luck that my students motivated me.” •
- Victor on how he stumbled on his new career
A one-year contract turned into a life of bonuses. Victor gained the courage to live in and explore a city he never heard of, the opportunity to meet other foreign teachers and make new friends, and most importantly, the chance to learn more about himself.
“That whole first year really made the change for who I became. It allowed me to ask: What is it that I want to do? What is my objective in life? How do I make an impact on other peoples lives? My answers to those 3 questions changed when I went overseas. Who I am now is because of that experience.”
Victor knew that any type of government service mandated a chain of process and a chain of command. “You’re like a robot going through this, but you really don’t have a say until you reach some type of GS level, then you can kind of do what you want to do.” Similarly, his students also faced the same life challenge. They didn’t want to stay in their hometown or work a 9 to 5 or end up teaching English for the rest of their lives.
Victor’s interests, combined with that of his students, made him realize that being a robot was out of the question. Not only did his passion for teaching English grow, but so did his desire to push students to have motivation.
His one-year contract voluntarily turned into three, and within that timeframe, the students highly recommended a new career track for him – acting.
“I never thought my dream job was to become an actor. Never. It was by luck that my students motivated me.”
With heed, Victor trusted their input and went for it! He connected with people in Hong Kong before returning to San Francisco in 2013. Onward, he landed an agent and has been building his acting career since.
As he draws inspiration from Bruce Lee, and current talents such as Jason Statham, Victor places an emphasis on approaching life with philosophical solutions over physical. His ultimate goal is to be a Chinese-American asset in Hollywood that can portray diverse narratives.
His advice to someone who may be struggling with their cultural identity:
“Find things that excite you and leave a legacy of knowledge that someone can hopefully learn from. It’s more valuable than winning all of the gold medals.”
His advice to his 16-year-old self:
“Two things. One: I would slap myself in the face first. [Laughter] Two: Don’t be afraid to go and express yourself and do what you want to do whether it’s right or wrong at that time…if you don’t like it, you can just leave it.”
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- Images courtesy of Victor Chen
- Check out Victor's latest video reel HERE and R.M.T. Training/Victor Chen for more information