Pisay Pao

Last updated
Pisay Pao
Born
Pisay Pao

(1984-11-01) November 1, 1984 (age 39) [1]
Thailand
OccupationActress
Years active2005 to Present

Pisay Pao (born November 1, 1984) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cassandra in the Syfy series Z Nation .

Contents

Early life

Pao was born on November 1, 1984, in Thailand, at a refugee camp where her Cambodian parents were placed to escape political persecution during the Cambodian Civil War. [1] Her parents were granted political asylum in the United States in 1986, and settled in Seattle, Washington, where she was raised. [2] [3] [4] [1] [5] Pao stated that she was attracted to the arts from an early age, and began painting, drawing, dancing, and performing as a child. She obliged her parents' wishes to focus on an academic career instead, earning a scholarship to attend the University of Washington. [2] However, she left her university course to instead pursue a career in fashion and the performing arts. [2]

Career

Pao has credited the movie The Motel for showing her there was space for Asian American stories in visual culture. [6] Pao was introduced to a talent agent through a friend that was a model. [2] Pao stated that she exercised several times per week to prepare for her role in the TV series Z Nation . [7] [8] Pao reportedly often attends comic book conventions to meet fans, and has expressed her wish to portray Marvel Comics super hero Storm. [5] [7] In addition to film and TV work, she also appeared in the play what you are now, from Sam Chanse, at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York. [9] [10]

Personal life

Pao has stated that her parents' struggle to escape the Cambodian civil war is an inspiration for her work. [8]

Pao is also a Christian. [11]

Pao has travelled to Cambodia to visit her family members who remained there. Her first trip was in 2001. [5]

Pao is a self-professed advocate for women's rights. She has stated that she "wants to find a way to bring justice for all women who are victims of sexual violence." [2] [5]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005 Simply Fobulous Chantavy
2009 The Whole Truth Inona Kim
2010Your Lucky DayWife
2012Door to DoorDee
2018Bitter MelonsSophia
2019 Velvet Buzzsaw Attorney
2019We Take the Low RoadHospice Worker

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2014–2016 Z Nation CassandraMain role season 1&2 guest season 3
2016 NCIS: Los Angeles Jamie PattersonEpisode: "Core Values"
2019–2020 Doom Patrol Oyewah7 episodes

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 State of Decay 2 Lynne (Medical Nurse)Live action role


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References

  1. 1 2 3 Pisay Pao (November 1, 2016). "Pisay Pao Twitter". Twitter . Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Naluda (January 1, 2016). "Pisay Pao". Naluda Interviews. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  3. ↑ CHAW, KENNETH (10 March 2016). "Meet Cambodian-American actress Pisay Pao". Star2.com. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  4. ↑ Katie Sauro (March 31, 2015). "Pisay's Power Play". Media Inc. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Darcy Tharp (June 9, 2016). "Z Nation star Pisay Pao talks acting and staying in shape". Most Magazine . Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ Yang, Pauline (August 28, 2015). "Getting to Know Z Nation's Pisay Pao". CharacterMedia. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Amrie (September 11, 2015). "Previewing Z NATION Season 2 with Pisay Pao". My Take On... Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Bianca Teixeira (September 18, 2015). "A Woman You Should Meet: Pisay Pao". Sharp Magazine. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  9. ↑ Finkle, David (March 17, 2022). "What You Are Now: A Cambodian Family in Universally Identifiable Memory Denial". New York Stage Review. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ Kumar, Naveen (March 18, 2022). "Review: In 'What You Are Now,' Memory Is a Dangerous Thing". The New York Times . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ Pisay Pao (December 11, 2017). "Pisay Pao Twitter". Twitter . Retrieved December 17, 2017.
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