Actress Sofia Wylie Opens Up About Her Korean Heritage
Actress Sofia Wylie opened up about her Korean heritage in an interview.
The actress, best known for Andi Mack, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and The School for Good and Evil, Sofia Wylie, was interviewed by Wong Fu‘s Philip Wang for Netflix Golden‘s Spill the Boba Tea series at Bobomofo Café.
During the show, Wang crafts a drink inspired by the guest’s life and career. So, to represent Wylie’s Korean heritage, he included hallabong tea, a tangerine tea from Jeju Island. This sparked her to talk about her favorite aspect of Korean culture: food. She shared how her grandmother (halmeoni) has always cooked with her and her sister.
My halmeoni, she has, you know, cooked with my sister and I since we were very, very little, and that’s been just a big part of our relationship. It’s the way that she shows love for us, and her food is so good.
— Sofia Wylie
Wylie said she could eat Korean food every day. We can’t blame her!
Like I wish I could eat it every single day of my life. And I also just love going to like Korean BBQ whenever I can.
— Sofia Wylie
Wang also asked Wylie whether or not she grew up feeling proud of her heritage or if she felt “different.” Her dad is half African-American and half Korean, so she was multiracial as well. Her hometown was not diverse, though, so she did want to change some things about herself to fit in with her friends.
I definitely grew up feeling very, very different and very isolated because of those differences. I mean, being in Arizona, all of my friends were blue-eyed and had straight hair, and I was none of those things. And I think it’s really natural to want to change yourself to fit in, because we all want to belong, especially when you’re so, so young.
— Sofia Wylie
However, Wylie was not bullied for looking different. One doesn’t have to be bullied to feel insecure in their identity. The lack of representation can contribute greatly to this.
I thankfully didn’t experience a lot of harmful comments about the way I looked growing up, but it was all very subconscious of just wanting to straighten my hair and wanting my skin to look different than it did. And while I’ve been filming different movies and shows and realizing how impactful my presentation can be towards other young girls and boys out there, I’ve seen so much more beauty in my differences and how it can be a superpower rather than a weakness.
— Sofia Wylie
Now, Wylie is that representation for kids like her.
Watch the full episode below.
Read more about Wylie’s Korean heritage below.
