NYFA Alum Lucy Xia on Her Career and Her Role in the Hit Chinese Series "Silent Honor"

NYFA Alum Lucy Xia has been carving a unique path through the world of film and performance. A graduate of NYFA’s BFA in Acting and now a student in the MFA Filmmaking program, Lucy brings together influences from three cultures — Chinese, European, and American — to inform her work as both an actor and emerging filmmaker. In this Q&A, she reflects on her creative journey, her recent projects, and the experiences that continue to shape her craft.

NYFA Alumni Network: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, where you're from, and what brought you to New York Film Academy? 

L.X.: My name is Lucy Xia. I completed my BFA in Acting at the New York Film Academy and I’m now pursuing my MFA in Filmmaking. 

I’m Chinese, but I was born and raised in Hungary. Growing up, I loved singing, dancing, and playing the piano. I often competed in arts competitions and was fortunate to receive many awards. Later, I attended the Bartók Conservatory, the prestigious high school affiliated with the Liszt Academy of Music. 

After graduation, I fell in love with film. I knew I wanted to study something connected to cinema. A family friend once told me, “If you want to study filmmaking, go to the U.S. Go somewhere close to Hollywood. NYFA is full of life and opportunity.” That was the first time I heard about NYFA. I did my research and immediately fell in love with the school. 

In 2020, I was accepted into NYFA’s BFA Acting program and graduated with honors in 2023. I learned so much during those years that I decided to return and continue my training in the MFA Filmmaking program. 

L.X.（中文） 

我叫夏可欣（Lucy Xia），在纽约电影学院完成了表演本科，目前正在攻读电影制作硕士（MFA Filmmaking)。 

我虽然是中国人，但从小在匈牙利出生长大。从小我就特别喜欢唱歌、跳舞和弹钢琴，也经常参加 各种艺术比赛，并获得过不少奖项。后来我就读于著名的李斯特音乐学院附中, , 巴托克中学。 

高中毕业后，我爱上了电影，便非常希望能学习与电影相关的专业。有位长辈曾对我说：“如果想 学电影，就一定要去美国，去离好莱坞最近、机会最多的地方。NYFA 是一所很有活力的学校。”那 是我第一次听说纽约电影学院。上网查资料后，我一下子就被这所学校吸引了。 

2020 年，我顺利考入 NYFA 表演本科，并于 2023 年以优秀毕业生的身份毕业。在 NYFA 的学习 让我收获良多，因此我决定继续留下来攻读导演系研究生。

NYFA Alumni Network: What projects have you worked on since graduating? Any awards or festival showcases? 

L.X.: Right before finishing my degree, I was fortunate to join the feature film An Ocean Apart, where I played twin sisters. It was an incredible opportunity and a milestone experience for me. 

After graduating, I returned to China hoping to learn more about the film and television landscape there. I was incredibly lucky to join my first TV drama, Silent Honor, and spent more than half a year working alongside many experienced professionals. That experience taught me a lot, and also made me realize how much more I wanted to learn about filmmaking. 

That’s why I decided to return to NYFA to study directing. I want to equip myself with the skills and knowledge to create work that truly matters, and my dream is to one day make a film strong enough to stand on an international stage. 

Alongside acting, I’ve also been directing and producing short films in Los Angeles. Some of my recent shorts have been screened in student showcases and small festivals, and I’m currently developing several new narrative projects as both an actor and filmmaker. 

L.X.（中文） 

在本科毕业前夕，我有幸参与了美国电影《An Ocean Apart》的拍摄，并在片中饰演一对双胞胎姐 妹。这对我来说是一次非常宝贵的经历。 

毕业后我选择回到中国，希望更深入了解中国的影视行业。我非常幸运地加入了我的第一个电视 剧剧组《沉默的荣耀》，和许多优秀的前辈一起工作了大半年。这段经历让我学到很多，也让我意 识到自己在电影创作方面还有许多需要提升的地方。 

正因为如此，我决定回到 NYFA 继续导演专业的学习，希望系统性地提升自己，并有一天能够创 作出足以在国际舞台上立足的作品。 

目前，我在洛杉矶执导和制作短片，其中一些已在学生展映和小型影展中放映。我也正在开发新 的故事项目，持续以演员和导演的身份探索影视创作。 

NYFA Alumni Network: You recently appeared in the hit drama Silent Honor, one of China’s highest-rated series. Could you tell us more about your role and how you became involved in the project? 

L.X.: A Dou was my first time acting in a major TV production, and she remains a very special character to me. She is the housemaid of General Wu’s family, quiet and seemingly ordinary, but beneath that silence lives strength, loyalty, and a steady courage that deeply moved me.

I was very fortunate. After returning to Beijing, a senior introduced me to the production team. I joined the project with a mindset of learning and observing, and I ended up working with an incredibly professional and dedicated crew. It became an invaluable learning opportunity. 

L.X.（中文） 

《沉默的荣耀》是我第一次参与大型电视剧的拍摄，而阿兜这个角色对我来说意义特别。她是吴石 将军家的佣人，看似安静普通，但她的沉默里藏着力量、忠诚和勇气，这些深深打动了我。 

 NYFA Alumni Network: How do you prepare for a role? Any techniques or rituals you rely on?

For me, preparing a role always starts with finding the character’s real humanity, not her labels. With A Dou, I focused on the quiet strength beneath her gentle calm. In the chaos of General Wu Shi’s family, her fear and resilience live side by side. She’s responsible, brave, kind, and I truly empathize with her.

For A Dou, although she is a servant, I chose to view her as a woman within a family structure, even as a protector. Someone the children could rely on, someone who offered unconditional trust and stability. 

My preparation usually includes three stages: 

1. Understanding the character’s function and emotional place in the story. 

2. Building a personal backstory, details not in the script but essential for my understanding. 

3. Physicalization, how she moves, speaks, breathes, and reacts. These subtle choices define the character’s entire presence. 

Working on Silent Honor was another turning point for me. Watching Hewei Yu and Yue Wu up close was like attending a masterclass, seeing their nuance, freedom, and emotional depth changed the way I approach acting. 

L.X.（中文）

对我来说，准备角色的第一步永远是理解角色最真实的人性，而不是她的身份标签。我会关注她温柔沉静中内在的力量，面对吴石将军家庭巨大的变故，阿兜的恐惧与坚强是人性与理性并存，有担当和责任，有善良和勇敢，我在内心深处与阿兜共情。

以阿兜为例，虽然她是仆人，是保姆，但我选择把她当作家庭中的一个女人、甚至是孩子们的保护 者。她是可以依靠、能给予安全感和稳定力量的人。

我的准备过程通常包含三步： 

 1. 理解角色在故事中的功能和情感位置； 

 2. 为角色补全属于她的背景故事，让她在我心中“活起来”； 

 3. 身体化角色, , 走路方式、说话节奏、小动作、面对不同情境时的状态，这些细节会决定角 色整体的气质。 

 在《沉默的荣耀》中，我特别大的收获是能近距离观察于和伟老师和吴越老师的表演。他们的松弛 感、层次感和情绪拿捏的精准度，让我真正理解了好演员的力量。

NYFA Alumni Network: Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in your acting career? 

L.X.: My inspiration comes from real people in my life, especially the women in my family. My mother is my greatest inspiration. She taught me to chase my dreams and to enjoy the journey. She is gentle yet incredibly strong, and that strength accompanies me in every character I play. 

When I first began acting, my NYFA instructors David Robinette and Anne Moore were the ones who recognized my potential and pushed me to grow. Their guidance didn’t just build my confidence, it reignited my passion for the craft and confirmed my desire to pursue acting as a lifelong career. 

I also deeply admire actresses like Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Frances McDormand, Audrey Hepburn, and Isabelle Huppert, whose work continually inspires me. 

L.X.（中文） 

我很多灵感都来自生活中的真实人物，尤其是家里的女性们。我的妈妈一直是我生命中最大的启 发。她让我勇敢追求梦想，也让我学会享受追梦的过程。她温柔却坚强，而这种力量也一直影响 着我对每个角色的塑造。

在我刚开始接触表演的时候，NYFA 的两位老师 David Robinette 和 Anne Moore 是最早看到我 潜力的人。他们的鼓励推动了我的成长，也重新点燃了我对表演的热情，让我真正意识到表演是 我想一生追求的事业。 

NYFA Alumni Network: How has your international background influenced your approach to acting? 

L.X.: I grew up in a very Chinese household, my parents and grandparents deeply shaped my early values. But at the same time, I attended school in Hungary from middle school through high school, so European culture also became a major part of me. 

Now, studying in the United States, I’m absorbing American perspectives as well. In a way, I carry three cultures within me: Chinese, European, and American. 

Because of this blended background, I naturally approach characters from multiple angles. I can see stories through Asian perspectives, European perspectives, and now American ones as well. This cultural fusion has shaped the way I think, feel, and create as an actor. 

L.X.（中文） 

我从小在一个非常中国式的家庭中长大，父母和长辈的价值观深深影响了我。但与此同时，我从 初中到高中一直在匈牙利读书，因此欧洲文化、欧洲式的表达和逻辑方式也融入了我。 

现在在美国学习电影，我也在不断吸收美式文化的自由、多元和开放。 

某种意义上，我的身体里同时融合了中、欧、美三种文化。 

正因为如此，我在理解角色和故事时会自然而然地从多角度去思考, , 亚洲人的视角、欧洲人的视 角、以及美国式的观察方式。这种文化融合也塑造了我感受世界和表达角色的方式。 

NYFA Alumni Network: What did you learn at NYFA that helped you the most for the role of A Dou and others? 

L.X.: NYFA’s greatest gift to me was its “Learning by Doing” philosophy. Because we were constantly filming, working with different scenes, lenses, and blocking, I became very comfortable adjusting quickly on set. Professional productions move fast. There’s no time to wait for inspiration; you must be ready both emotionally and technically. 

I also gained so much from the Meisner technique we studied, where listening is at the heart of acting. As my instructors always said, acting is reacting. 

NYFA gave us a safe space to explore, experiment, and fail. There was no judgment, only growth. That environment allowed me to be bold, free, and deeply curious. 

But the most important lesson I learned was this: Don’t wait for the moment, create the moment. 

L.X.（中文） 

NYFA 给我最宝贵的，就是“学习中实践”的理念。 

课堂上我们几乎每周都在拍摄，在不同场景中使用不同镜头、不同走位，我从中学习了镜头语言, 也习惯了剧组的快速节奏。在专业片场，没有时间等“灵感”，演员必须在技术和情绪上随时做好准 备。 

我也从 Meisner 技法中受益匪浅, , 表演本质上就是“倾听与反应”。 

NYFA 给了我们一个非常安全的创作环境，让我们可以自由尝试、允许失败，没有标准答案。这种 自由度给了我很大的安全感，让我敢于探索自己。 

最重要的是： 

不要等状态，要自己创造状态。