Award Winning Samoan Actress Advocating for Authentic Pacific Representation in Hollywood, Tiana Masaniai | “We Need to Let our Brilliance Shine”

Tiana Masaniai, born in Orange County, CA, then raised in American Samoa until primary school, shares the struggles of her college journey and how she turned one of her biggest fears into a dream career. An advocate for equitable representation in film, she hopes to see an emergence of Pacific storytellers, writers, and actors in Hollywood.

Tell us about your background and where you grew up.

I moved to the states  when I was 4 years old.  My grandmother raised me, along with my aunts and uncles in Santa Ana, CA.  It was one of the poorest cities in Orange County, but our house was filled with so much love, I never really noticed. I grew up in a typical Samoan household, in proximity to my grandmother, my mother’s 13 siblings, and many of my first cousins. As an only child, I was grateful and overwhelmed to be surrounded by many family members.

You are a first-generation college graduate. How did you decide to pursue college?

Since college wasn’t a usual path for people around me, I was never really encouraged to go. For some reason though, I felt this need to explore the world outside of my tight-knit Santa Ana community. After high school, I spent two years at a disciple bible program and then transferred to Arizona State University where I pursued a BA in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.

My college years were stressful times, but also transformative years, organization-wise. Since I had to pay my way through college, I was juggling full-time classes and a full-time job. The struggle was real. Needless to say, I was constantly exhausted, but with discipline, organization, and focus, I survived and graduated in 4 and 1/2 years.

How did you face your career fear and get into the world of acting?

Looking back, a church sermon unintentionally changed the course of my professional career. The sermon talked about the importance of facing your fears, so I decided to take it to heart and try my best to face my three biggest fears in life at the time.

The first was my fear of the ocean. I nipped that in the bud by taking surfing classes.

The second was my fear of heights. I decided to go all in and skydive.

The third and biggest was my fear of acting. I ended up taking an acting class, but it completely backfired. After every class I would have an anxiety attack, and by the 5th class, I realized, for my mental health, I couldn’t continue the rest of my classes. It was such an emotionally stressful experience I knew I had to go to therapy, although I had never been.

Therapy was a big help and taught me how vulnerable the process of acting is. However, my newfound discovery did not woo me back into the acting field, instead I continued with my work in Public Relations/ Advertising and gave myself kudos for at least facing my fear. 

Two years after those fated acting classes, I was praying and felt led to give acting another go. I called my modeling agent and told them I was interested in TV/Film acting. That same weekend I inquired, my agent sent me on an audition  for a small role in a movie, in which I ended up securing the lead role, and winning awards for the film.

Since then, it has been quite the rollercoaster ride. I worked on a film that played on Netflix, had a couple small roles on ABC tv shows, booked national commercials, and (to my surprise) am looking forward to seeing how my career in acting pans out. It’s curious how my biggest fear ended up being the career I love most.

Can you share some of your thoughts on Pacific representation in film?

Pacific stereotypes in film: There are definitely Pacific Islander stereotypes being perpetuated in Hollywood. Oftentimes, when I audition for Pacific Islander roles, I’m told that I do not look the part. Unfortunately, our community is often minimized to a limited set of stereotypes and storylines which misinform the rest of the world of who we are.

I hope that the Hollywood community realizes that Pacific Islanders not only come in all shapes, shades, and sizes, but have a beautiful mix of histories, backgrounds, and identities. I hope to see more storytellers tapping into the incredibly diverse and compelling stories of our people. Instead of minimizing the Pacific experience and identity, we should be celebrating its raw complexity.

Creating space for Pacific Islanders storytellers in film: It’s important to realize that our community is so naturally gifted in the arts. We need to let our brilliance shine. I strongly advocate for more Pacific filmmakers and directors to tell our authentic stories. If we have more culturally competent storytellers, we will see an increase in real Pacific Islander representation on the screen.

Do you have any advice for people who want to pursue acting?

Practically speaking, take acting classes, join workshops, volunteer in student films, and reach out to current actors. If you have any questions or need additional tips, you can always message me through my instagram account, @melitiana.