Interview: Mai Le And Alexandra Szeto-Joe of THE HEART SELLERS at STAGES

In The Heart Sellers, playwright Lloyd Suh crafts a poignant and deeply human story of friendship, identity, and belonging. Set on Thanksgiving in the 1970s, the play follows Luna and Jane—two immigrant women, one from the Philippines and the other from Hong Kong—who form an unexpected bond as they navigate life in a country that often makes them feel like outsiders. It’s a story about connection, resilience, and finding home in each other.

Bringing these richly drawn characters to life at Stages Theatre are the immensely talented Mai Lê as Luna and Alexandra Szeto-Joe as Jane. Both actresses infuse the roles with humor, heart, and a profound personal connection to the themes of the play. Their performances, filled with warmth and authenticity, capture the joys and struggles of being caught between two worlds—making The Heart Sellers a deeply moving theatrical experience.

In this interview, Mai Lê and Alexandra Szeto-Joe open up about their journeys as actors, their personal ties to the immigrant experience, and the challenges and rewards of bringing Luna and Jane to life. They share behind-the-scenes stories, insights from the rehearsal room, and what they hope audiences take away from this heartfelt production.

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What inspired you to pursue a career in acting, and what has been the journey been like so far? 

Mai: Growing up, I was a television baby. I watched a lot of Asian soap operas and Vietnamese sketch comedy shows with my parents, so I think entertainment and performance was always something I gravitated to. And then, I had my first audition when I was 13 years old. 

I was given this super sad monologue for this character who was speaking to her parents - who couldn’t hear her, by the way - after she had passed away in a bus crash (like I said, really sad). It was an open audition, and I worked so hard to prepare for it. The day comes, it’s my turn to go up, and I remember hearing people laughing during my audition! But I stayed in character and persevered through to the end.   

And at the end of my monologue, everyone stood up and clapped for me. So, I looked out, and I realized I wasn’t hearing laughter; I was hearing people crying. I don't think anyone expected that kind of performance from me. And that was the first time I thought, "hey, this might be something I’m good at!" And I've been acting ever since.  

I guess I can say that I've been acting for 20 years now, which is crazy to me. The journey hasn't been linear, and some days it's really hard, but for the most part, it has been extremely fulfilling. It's work that I really enjoy, and I feel lucky to have found this craft and to be making a career from it. 

Alexandra: I honestly feel like I’ve been doing arts and performance my entire life. I’ve always adored the transformative power of art and creation. Taking a feeling or idea inside yourself and finding a way to express it and share it with the world - the process is thrilling and the result is beyond fulfilling. On top of that, I grew up as a competitive figure skater, so I was learning how to move and express a narrative with my body from an early age. And it kind of snowballed from there: I took up dance to help with my skating training which then led me to theater so it was only a matter of time before I discovered spoken-word storytelling in acting. Needless to say I fell in love and haven’t looked back since! 

And it’s been an incredibly wild, incredibly joyous ride so far that I wouldn’t trade for the world. From graduating into a pandemic to where I am today, I’m still in awe sometimes of how lucky I am to get to do this (almost) everyday. There truly isn’t anything I’d want to do more.

The Heart Sellers explores themes of friendship, identity, and belonging. How do these themes resonate with you, and how do they inform your portrayal of your character?

Mai: My parents are Vietnamese refugees, and I’m American born, so these are all themes that are really close to my heart. 

In terms of identity - I have very American sensibilities, because I got an education in America, and I hung out with American friends. But I also grew up in a very traditional Vietnamese household with parents who had different expectations of me. 

When I was a teenager, I had a hard time navigating that duality - but I was also watching my parents experience difficulties navigating their lives in a country they didn't grow up in. So, I know my parents and I have struggled with our sense of belonging, but in very, very different ways. 

Luna has this deep, reflective moment where she talks about her future children and how they'll be "more American" than she is. And I think there’s this sense of pride, that, yes - if everything goes well, her sacrifices and hard work will pay off, and their children will be well off. But there’s also this huge fear, because she knows it will be hard for them to understand how to love each other, because of these very present culture gaps that she’s already experiencing as an immigrant. 

It’s such beautiful writing, and it’s a moment that breaks my heart, because I am a witness to that type of relationship - because I am that “American child.” And I know how isolating and hopeless it can feel to be separated by culture differences and language barriers. 

But I look at my parents, and I look at myself, and what pulls us out of this isolation is our community. My parents have their friends and family, some of whom are still in Vietnam, some of whom have moved to the US, to share their experiences with. And I am so lucky to have a brother, a partner, and AAPI friends who also know what it’s like to be the children of immigrants.

Alexandra: To me these themes are all intrinsically linked together and very present in my life because my friendships are incredibly important to me, and I’m constantly thinking about my place in the world.

I’ve always struggled with my sense of identity and belonging - it wasn’t until college that I started really investigating my Asian American identity. And while I was lucky in that I was raised in environments where my background and ethnicity wasn’t subject to shame or ridicule, it wasn’t necessarily celebrated in its fullness either. For one reason or another, I didn’t have a lot of access to an Asian, specifically Chinese, community growing up: my family is scattered throughout the US and Canada, and my immigrant grandparents died either before I was born, or when I was still learning how to walk.   

As a result, I sometimes felt incredibly isolated in my Asianness and Asian identity, caught between my American childhood and expectations of what the “Asian American experience” is supposed to be. I simultaneously felt like I was too much and also not enough. Sometimes I fit in, but not in the way I was “supposed” to - and this is where Jane and I meet. She and I both share a deep desire for human connection and the need to express our inner lives, but hesitate in the face of society and expectation and the idea that there is a “correct” way of doing those things, a “correct” way of existing. 

And the way I found the strength to stand against that arbitrary pressure - and the way that Jane finds the strength to sit in her truth - is through my friendships, through connection and the community I found later in life. All things that Jane ends up finding in Luna.

What has been the most rewarding or challenging aspect of bringing your character to life?

Mai: Rewarding and challenging are definitely two words that go hand-in-hand when it comes to portraying Luna! She is written to be so rich - in her energy, her humor, and her presence. And she comes in so hot, like, she literally bursts through the door at the top of show, going 100 miles per hour! And while she has all these really high moments, she also has this despondency that she’s masking and fighting, and eventually she does succumb to these really painful lows. 

So, it's a challenging thing, to show her journey in its fullness. But being able to take the audience along for that ride in such a short span is also a really rewarding thing to do. And then adding a Filipino accent on top of the performance has also been challenging, but very fun and exciting! Joy Lanceta Coronel is our dialect coach, and she has such an amazing ear, and she has been an invaluable guide for me through the process. 

Alexandra: Jane is introduced as a quiet character - the calm to Luna’s delightful storm. But she has so much life brimming inside her. Throughout the play, we slowly peel back the layers and get glimpses of her true personality, and though by the end we get a more holistic look of her, that process isn’t linear. There are several moments where it feels like 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. She’s constantly battling with herself about what she wants to do in a present moment vs what she “should” do, what social graces call for, what is appropriate for the time and place and the person she’s supposed to be. So it’s been a fun challenge navigating that battle emotionally and depicting it through her dialogue. 

Jane’s want and desire for connection and communication is strong, so strong that there are times where she will forget herself and fully indulge them, moments of release and freedom that feel oh so good as an actor. But in the next breath I’ll have to slam the brakes on that moment and pull the walls back up emotionally because that’s the beat playwright Lloyd Suh has written. Developing the facility to do that honestly has been a wonderful exercise in moment work and specificity and staying present.

Does your own background or personal experiences influence how you approach this role? 

Mai: Oh absolutely. My parents are Vietnamese immigrants, and my partner, who I’ve been with for over a decade now, is Filipino. So, I see so much from both of our families reflected in these characters: the humor, the heartbreak, the wide eyes, the joy, the resilience, and the dreams. 

 I'm sure every moment I have as Luna has been influenced in some way by an experience I've shared with a loved one from our families. 

Alexandra: ​Absolutely - it’s hard to read a play like this that examines the immigrant experience in such a personal and emotional way and not think about my own family’s history. Though there is no singular “Asian American experience,” there are a number of shared experiences of being Asian in America that can cross generations and circumstances. 

I know exactly what it feels like to be one of only a few Asian people in a room, a neighborhood, an institution. To feel distinctly different in the country I’m living in, but also incredibly distant from the country my family is from. It’s this constant push and pull to honor roots but also to assimilate - a feeling that I recognize very deeply in both Jane and Luna, and something I absolutely drew on when approaching Jane.  

How do you prepare for emotionally vulnerable or comedic moments in the play? Do you have a specific technique you rely on?

Mai: The Heart Sellers script is honestly so close to my heart that it’s not too far of a reach for me to meet those triggers when they come knocking on my door. 

But it's really important that, as an actor, we are able to separate ourselves from these raw and vulnerable moments, to be able to say, "this is my character's experience, not mine." Especially if we have to do it consistently for two months. 

I'll always share in Luna's journey, because I am the actor - but I am the person in control of those moments and these big feelings, and I have to make sure I don't transfer that despondency to myself outside of the work. And that ability, I think, just takes training and a certain level of maturity to be able to do. 

Technique-wise, whether it's a comedy or a drama, I always try to focus on two things: controlled breathwork and authenticity. Which I know sounds counterintuitive to each other. How do you stay controlled but also authentic? 

But any actor can tell you that the body is wise, and the body will elicit emotional responses based on how you manipulate your breath. So, if I have my breath work down, I can rely on technique to bring my mind into an emotional state (as opposed to mentally preparing myself with this idea of the emotion beforehand), and that allows me to be surprised in the moment. And that’s when a performance can really shine, when it’s birthed from an authentic place. 

And if writing is good and your scene partner sits with you in that pocket (which - YES, it is - and YES, she does!), then the job becomes so much easier. 

Alexandra: Luckily, Lloyd is such a great playwright that those vulnerable and comedic moments come at the perfect time and just make sense emotionally. Because of the excellent writing and the deeply personal nature of this play, all I really have to do is ride the wave of the given circumstances and truly mean the words I’m saying at that moment. 

In general though, for me it’s really a balancing act of being keenly aware of the given circumstances and also surrendering to the present moment. I adore moment work and am the kind of actor who finds freedom and play within a structure so understanding what’s already provided for me on the page (given circumstances, arc, dialogue, etc.) is a crucial foundation. I like to have all of that information internalized and embodied so that when I’m onstage, in the moment, I don’t have to actively think about it and I can trust myself to do what I know is right. And this trust in my own instinct comes from training and years of being wrong and then being steered in the right direction. 

Investigating and fully understanding the logic of one’s character also really helps. Understanding why they are saying what they’re saying, why they have the reactions they have, why they use the words they use - understanding what they value will ultimately unlock their emotional roadmap and allow an actor to focus on the significance of an action or a moment in relation to those values as opposed to focusing on manufacturing an emotional response. 

Breathwork is also key for me: opening up my body to breathe opens up my mind to emotionally receive whatever my scene partner is throwing at me. When all else fails and on the days I’m exhausted and feel like a robot reciting words, I go back to my breath and focus on listening and being present with my scene partner. 

It also helps that I have such a fantastic scene partner in Mai, she’s always got my back and is Ready to Play and catch me when I fall. 

Can you share any memorable moments or insights from rehearsals or your collaboration with the cast and creative team?

Mai: Yes! So, we prepare real food on stage! Alexandra and I prep two meals, and one of the meals is a tray of yams that is supposed to "cook” in the oven during the show. And there’s a moment later when Alexandra (as Jane) takes the yams out of the oven for me (as Luna) to eat! Super cool! 

Well, the oven on stage is a real oven, but it's not plugged in, so there’s no heating element inside. Our deckhand, Joel Lugo, does some "theater magic" during the show to exchange the raw yams with a tray of yams that’s been cooking, in real time, in the backstage oven. 

 The dream scenario is: Joel successfully swaps the tray of yams as late as possible, so that the audience can smell the roasted yams, with the butter and caramelized sugar, and also see the steam as Jane takes it out of the oven. 

 But of course, that takes time, trial, and error to get right! 

So once during an early run, Alexandra spoon-fed me this chunk of yam, and I took a bite and heard this "CRUNCH" in my mouth, and I said the line, "OH GOLLY GOSH, SO GOOD!" and I immediately spat out the raw yam into the trash! 

We all had a great laugh!! And the yams have been fully edible ever since!! And they really are GOLLY GOSH SO GOOD!! 

Alexandra: Our wonderful director Miranda inspired us to create our own little “Heart Seller/Hart-Celler” corner in our rehearsal room! We all brought in family photos and posted them on a wall and everyone shared their own family’s Heart Seller immigration story. It was such a lovely way to connect and honor our own personal histories, and allowed us to bring our full humanity into the room. I also think it really emphasized the tone and themes of the play of identity and family, and finding connection despite differences in culture and circumstances. 

​And this thread actually continues onto our set! Our brilliant set designer Joyce He incorporated some of her own family photos into a few set pieces and props - see if you can spot them! 

What do you hope audiences will take away from this performance?

Mai: Oh, so, so much. There’s so much! I hope people walk away having a great time! I hope they laugh, and I hope they leave feeling full and grateful for the communities they may have. But my deepest hope is that our patrons, who are immigrants, feel represented in a light and elevated way. 

A lot of popular immigrant stories center around this “ultimate sacrifice” that immigrants, especially female immigrants, have to make. But there is so much more to the identity of immigrants than their sacrifices. I love this script so much, because Lloyd Suh does such a splendid job showcasing Jane and Luna’s personalities, as well as their hopes, their dreams, and such a relatable yearning for friendship. 

This play is about finding community while everything around you is burning, and also saving each other in these little ways. And with everything going on in the world right now, I hope it inspires people to strengthen the bonds they have, or perhaps feel emboldened to seek out new ones. 

How do you see The Heart Sellers contributing to conversations about immigrant narratives in theater?

Mai: I think the show is a wonderful reminder that immigrants are incredible people! Whether they chose to be or not, by the nature of their experiences, they are people who have lived multiple lives - they have lived in different countries, they know multiple languages, and they are flexible, resilient, and tenacious people. And therefore - they have these incredible stories to share. So, I do hope we get to hear more!

Alexandra: Oftentimes, immigrant narratives are singular, focusing on just one family’s experience. I love that this play holds space for both Luna and Jane’s experiences: doesn’t compare them or pit them against one another, but recognizes the nuance and complexities of both in a way that can only happen when they are in conversation with each other. The Asian diaspora is vast, and deserves to be represented in its vastness. Lloyd Suh does a beautiful job striking a balance between aspects of an immigrant story we know well - the pain, the trauma, the isolation and the sacrifices - and parts of an immigrant experience that are less highlighted, but just as important - the everyday moments, the little pockets of joy and hope and dreams that have nothing to do with fighting for one’s life and running away from tyranny - dreams that exist in the beauty of their possibility as opposed to the tragedy of never being pursued. 

I love that The Heart Sellers explores those softer moments because it allows a fullness of humanity to be recognized and doesn’t hold these women to be solely defined by their immigrant status. The more immigrant stories are told, the more the function of their telling changes and morphs depending on the present moment. The Heart Sellers leads with the heart (pun fully intended) and in doing so, I think allows an opportunity for discussion about the ways in which America has helped immigrants and the ways in which they can do better by them. 

What inspires you most as an artist, both on stage and off?

Mai: I am really inspired by seeing cleverness in art and entertainment, in both little and big ways, and in all mediums. 

I think most artists get to a point where we think, “oh yeah, I can definitely predict this, I’ve seen something like this before, I know how it’s supposed to make me feel,” and in a way, I really feel that - but not in a mundane way. I do think prediction is part of the fun in being immersed. 

 But because my mind has become accustomed to prediction, I really enjoy being surprised. I love seeing new ideas and innovation. But at the same time, some themes and stories just never got old. I can be told the same story 10,000 times, but if it’s shown to me in a new and brilliant way, I’ll eat it up! I just love being caught off guard.

 

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