James Hiroyuki Liao

James: I've been very humbled by this whole M. Butterfly experience.

James: The theater does not exist for actors and producers; it exists only because of the need for human experience.

James:(About the physical strain of M. Butterfly) My body is ready to collapse, but in all honesty, if we could do this for another five weeks I'd say yes in a heartbeat. This role has meant everything to me. It's possible I will never play something this meaningful ever again. I realize how special of a time this was in my life, and I will miss it immensely and look back on it with abounding happiness.

James: I love theater. It's what I've been trained in and I believe it's where the most meaningful work lies.

James: I don't feel I am a role model. I've not amassed a body of work that would give me that kind of status. However, I do feel, as an adult, I try to be a positive influence in the kids that I sometimes get a chance to work with. But that has nothing to do with acting.

James:(When asked what the hardest thing about being an Asian American actor) I'm brand new to the "business," and I've been very fortunate to land this role straight out of school. So I haven't experienced completely yet the lack of opportunities that I'm sure will present itself. I think the hardest thing of being an Asian-American actor is that I'm Asian-American; the problem is not so much the acting world but society itself. The plight of minority actors are not the greatest plights in our society, however, it is symptomatic of a much larger problem in society as a whole. I would rather see black, Hispanic, Asian, immigrant children receiving a fair education first than I would seeing the acting industry opening up more to me. If those changes happen and we truly have a fair integrated society, then the roles for minority actors will be there. But it's not the central issue.

James:(About the hardships of being an Asian-American in theater) If we're comparing to decades ago, then yes, there has been progress. But it's not a huge leap by any stretch of the imagination. Since I've just graduated, I've not yet fully immersed myself in the theater world or elsewhere, but if Broadway, Off-Broadway, television, and film are any indication then it doesn't look very promising. With that being said, I feel very fortunate and grateful that there are many talented Asian playwrights like David who've written such meaningful work.