Born in Hungary to a Chinese family and shaped by a lifelong passion for the arts, 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?
My name is Lucy Xia. I completed my BFA in Acting at the New York Film Academy and am currently pursuing my MFA in Filmmaking.
I'm Chinese but born and raised in Hungary. Growing up, I loved singing, dancing, and playing the piano, and I often competed in various arts competitions, receiving many awards. I later attended the Bartók Conservatory, the prestigious high school affiliated with the Liszt Academy of Music.
After graduating, I knew I wanted to study something related to film. 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 looked it up online, did my research, and instantly fell in love with the school. In 2020, I was accepted into NYFA’s BFA Acting program, and in 2023, I graduated with honors.
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）。
我是出生于中国家庭，但在匈牙利出生长大。从小我就非常喜欢唱歌、跳舞、弹钢琴，也常常参加 各种艺术比赛，并获得过一些奖项。后来我就读于李斯特音乐学院附中的著名音乐高中——巴托 克中学。
高中毕业后，我就特别希望能学习与电影相关的专业。有位长辈建议我说：“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，我上网认真做了很多功课，结果一下子就被这所学校吸引了。
2020 年，我顺利考入 NYFA 表演本科，2023 年以优秀毕业生的身份顺利毕业。目前是NYFA导 演系在读研究生。
NYFA Alumni Network: What projects have you worked on since graduating? Any awards or festival showcases?
After graduating, I continued searching for opportunities in film and television. Right before finishing my degree, I participated in the shooting of the film An Ocean Apart, where I played the two female leads (twins). It was an incredible opportunity and experience.
After returning to China, I joined my first TV drama production. I spent more than half a year working alongside many experienced industry professionals. I learned so much during that time, but it also made me realize how much I still didn’t know 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. My hope is that one day I can make a film that is strong enough to stand on an international stage and be recognized.
Alongside acting, I’ve 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.
毕业之后，我一直在积极寻找影视方面的机会。在本科毕业前夕，我参与了美国电影《An Ocean Apart》的拍摄，在片中饰演一对双胞胎姐妹，这是一次非常难得、也非常宝贵的经验。
回国后，我加入了我的第一个电视剧剧组，并和许多非常优秀的前辈们一起工作了大半年。这段 时间让我学到了很多，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 深造导演专业，希望系统地学习相关知识，未来有能力创作出真 正有力量的作品，并在国际平台上获得认可。
在表演之外，我也在洛杉矶执导和制作短片，其中一些已经在学生展映或小型影展中放映。目前， 我也正在开发新的故事项目，继续以演员和导演的身份探索影视创作。
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NYFA Alumni Network: Tell us more about your role in “Silent Honor.” How did you get involved?
A Dou was my first time acting in a major TV production, and she remains such a special character to me. A Dou is the housemaid of General Wu’s family. She looks quiet and ordinary, but beneath that silence is strength, loyalty, and this steady courage that I found incredibly moving.
I was very fortunate. After graduating, when I returned to Beijing to study Mandarin, a senior introduced me to the production team. I joined the crew with the mindset of simply learning and observing, and I ended up incredibly lucky, the team was so professional and well-crafted. It became another invaluable learning opportunity for me.
《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而言非常特别。她是吴石 将军家的佣人，看似安静普通，但在沉默中却藏着力量、忠诚和很深的勇气，这一点深深打动了 我。
我觉得自己非常幸运。毕业回北京学习中文时，有前辈把我介绍给剧组。我本来是抱着学习和观 察的心态进去的，没想到能遇到一个制作精良、团队专业的剧组。这对我来说又是一次非常宝贵 的学习机会。
NYFA Alumni Network: How do you prepare for a role? Any techniques or rituals you rely on?
I always start with understanding the character’s human truth. Regardless of what their job is or their role in society, I try not to labelize them, but their private logic, their fears, their daily habits, their quiet needs.
For example, A Dou, she may be a servant, a housemaid, but when I approached her, I didn’t focus on those labels. Instead, I saw her through the lens of a woman, or even an elder within a family. I wanted to portray her as a protector of the household, someone the children could rely on, someone who offered unconditional trust and quiet strength.
When preparing for the role, I first focused on understanding A Dou’s function and emotional place within the story. From there, I created a personal backstory for her, details that weren’t in the script but helped bring her to life in my own imagination. After that, I explored how to physicalize her: the way she moves, her small habits, how she speaks, and how she holds herself in different situations. These subtle choices shaped her entire presence and helped me understand A Dou on a much deeper level.
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 的内在逻辑、恐惧、生活习惯以及那些不被看到的小需求。
以阿兜为例，她虽然是仆人、是保姆，但我并没有从这些身份标签出发，而是把她当作一个女人、 甚至是一个家庭中的长辈来看待。我希望呈现她作为家庭保护者的力量——让孩子们依靠她，让 她成为一个能给予无条件信任和安定的人。
我的准备过程通常包括：先理解角色在故事中的功能和情感位置。然后给她补全一些属于她的背 景，让她在我心中“活起来”。最后是“身体化”：她怎么走路、平时的小动作、她说话的方式、面对不 同情境时的身体状态。这些细微之处会决定角色整体的气质，也让我能更深入地理解她。
NYFA Alumni Network: Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in your acting career?
My inspiration comes from real people in my life, especially the women in my family. My mother has always been my greatest inspiration in every part of my life. Because of her, I learned to chase my dreams and truly enjoy the journey. She is gentle yet unbelievably strong, and I carry that strength with me in every character I play.
When I was still new to acting and just beginning to understand the craft, my NYFA instructors — David Robinette and Anna Moore — were the first to recognize my potential and push me to grow. They opened my eyes to new perspectives on what acting could be. Their guidance didn’t just build my confidence, it reignited my passion for the art. It made me realize how deeply I love performing 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.
Beyond what I learned and fell in love with at school, working on Silent Honor marked another profound turning point. I had the opportunity to observe two of China’s finest actors, Hewei Yu
and Yue Wu, up close. Watching Hewei Yu work felt like taking a masterclass in layered, truthful acting, especially the way he uses silence and emotional nuance. Yue Wu brought an incredibly relaxed, grounded presence to the set, teaching me so much about openness and receptiveness in front of the camera.
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重要的 启发。她让我懂得追求梦想，也让我知道要享受追梦的过程。她温柔却非常坚强，而这种力量也 一直影响着我每一个角色的塑造。
在我刚接触表演、还在摸索的时候，NYFA 的两位老师 David Robinette 和 Anna Moore 是最早发 现我、鼓励我、推动我成长的人。他们让我看到表演的不同可能，也让我对这门艺术充满热情。他 们给我的不仅是自信，更让我真正意识到自己想把表演当成一生的事业。
我也非常欣赏一些伟大的女演员，比如梅丽尔·斯特里普、娜塔丽·波特曼、弗兰西斯·麦克多蒙德、 奥黛丽·赫本、伊莎贝尔·于佩尔等，她们的作品不断启发着我。
除此之外，《沉默的荣耀》也是一次特别深刻的学习经历。能近距离观看于和伟老师、吴越老师的 表演，对我来说震撼而宝贵。他们在镜头前的松弛、精准、层次，让我真正理解了“好演员的力 量”。
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NYFA Alumni Network: How has your international background influenced your approach to acting?
I grew up as a Chinese girl surrounded by my family’s traditions, my parents, grandparents, and the warmth of a very Chinese household. That cultural foundation shaped me deeply. At the same time, I attended school in Hungary throughout middle and high school, so European education and European cultural values also had a strong influence on me.
Now, studying in the United States, I’m also absorbing aspects of American culture. So in a way, I carry all three cultures within me, Chinese, European, and American.
Because of this blended background, I naturally look at characters and stories from multiple perspectives. I can see things through an Asian lens, a European lens, and now even an American one. All three cultures merge inside me, and that fusion has shaped the way I think, feel, and create as an actor.
我从小在非常中国式的家庭氛围中长大，父母、爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷的价值观和家庭文化对我影 响很深。但同时，我又在匈牙利完成了从初中到高中的教育，欧洲文化、欧洲式的逻辑和表达方式 也让我收获了很多不同的思考方式。而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。所以某种意义上，我的身体里同时融合了中、欧、美三种文化。
正因为这样的背景，我在理解角色时会自然而然地从多角度去看问题——可以从亚洲人的视角、 欧洲人的视角，也可以从美国受教育者的视角。三种文化在我身上交融，塑造了我看世界、感受 情绪和表达角色的方式。
NYFA Alumni Network: What did you learn at NYFA that helped you most in this role and others?
NYFA’s greatest gift to me was its “Learning by Doing” philosophy. Because we were constantly filming in class, different scenes, different lenses, different blocking, I became very comfortable adjusting quickly to camera setups and the rhythm of a set. Professional sets move fast, and there’s no time to sit around and “wait for inspiration.” You have to be ready, both emotionally and technically.
I also took a lot from the Meisner technique we studied, where listening is everything in acting. As my instructors always said, acting is reacting. NYFA created an environment where we were encouraged to “fail,” because that’s how you learn. We had the freedom to explore any direction we wanted without the fear of being wrong. It became a safety net for me, a safe bubble where I could be silly, bold, free, and dive deeply into myself without judgment.
On Silent Honor, that training became essential. It helped me drop into emotional states quickly, adjust to lens changes, and stay aware of continuity, blocking, and the pacing of every scene.
But most importantly, NYFA taught me to be proactive: Don’t wait for the moment, create the moment.
NYFA 给我最宝贵的，就是“学习中实践”的理念。
因为课堂上我们几乎每周都在拍摄不同的场景、镜头、走位，我逐渐适应了镜头语言和现场节 奏。专业剧组的速度非常快，没有太多时间让演员“找感觉”，你必须在技术和情绪上都随时准备 好。
我从 Meisner 技法中也受益匪浅——表演本质上就是“倾听与反应”。
NYFA 给了我们一个安全的环境，让我们可以自由尝试、允许失败、没有标准答案。那对我来说 是一种“安全感”，让我能毫无保留地探索自己。
在《沉默的荣耀》剧组，这些训练帮助我快速进入角色情绪、快速适应镜头变化，同时也保持对走 位、连续性以及整体节奏的敏感度。
最重要的是：NYFA 教会了我——不要等“状态”，要自己创造状态。
NYFA Alumni Network: Any future projects you're working on?
I’m continuing to build work across both acting and filmmaking. I’m currently in development on several short films, and I’m excited to continue exploring stories that blend emotional realism with visual storytelling, especially cross-cultural narratives.
I hope to take on more roles that challenge me, and I also look forward to directing more projects as I continue my MFA journey.
我会继续在表演和电影创作两个方向上努力学习和探索。目前我正在开发几部短片的剧本，希望 能呈现出多样化的emotionally grounded、视觉表达丰富、跨文化的故事。我也希望能接到更多具 有挑战性的角色，同时期待在读 MFA 的过程中执导更多作品。
NYFA Alumni Network congratulates Lucy on all her success!
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