What a Life!

Hollywood Told Me I Wasn’t "Asian Enough"


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What if the reason you feel lost is because you’ve been trying to become someone else?


Chai Hansen is a Thai-Australian actor known for his roles in The 100, Shadowhunters, The New Legends of Monkey, and Mako Mermaids. From a small island in Thailand to the global stage, his journey isn’t just about Hollywood. It’s about identity, belonging, and finding his way back to himself.


Chai opens up about growing up between two cultures and the quiet identity struggle that followed him for years.From feeling like an outsider in both Thailand and Australia…to realizing that trying to “fit in” was the very thing that made him lose himself.


In this episode, he shares:

- The Hidden Cost of Fitting In: How you lose yourself without even noticing

- The Outsider Advantage: Why not belonging can become your greatest strength

- The Fear Illusion: What to do when your mind starts working against you

- The Turning Point: The moment he began reconnecting with who he really is


00:00 – Intro

00:03:26 – Hollywood Is Changing and Actors Are Struggling

00:05:12 – No One Gave Him a Chance, So He Created His Own

00:07:40 – The Island That’s Pulling Everyone In

00:13:16 – The Night He Thought He Would Fail, Then Everything Changed

00:16:04 – Growing Up ‘Different’ in Two Worlds

00:20:04 – He Erased His Identity and Regretted It

00:27:21 – Family, Pain, and the Real Reason Behind His Drive

00:38:48 – Pain, Identity, and What Life Is Really About

00:45:03 – The Moment That Changed How He Sees Life

00:50:23 – Final Advice: You Are More Than Your Thoughts


If this conversation made you feel seen, send it to someone who’s still trying to find where they belong.

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What a Life!By Woody Milintachinda