For weeks actor Aileen Huynh has felt slightly awkward at performing a one-night-stand scene on stage to a largely older audience demographic, likening the experience to performing it in front of her parents.
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Now the former Smith’s Hill High School student will literally get to perform the rather sexual scene for her mum and dad when the production of 4000 Miles hits the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on April 6.
The story follows 21 year-old Leo and his arrival at his 91-year-old Jewish grandmother Vera’s home unannounced.
Huynh plays the central character’s fleeting romantic interest, while also stepping into the character of his sister.
“I have a nice ability to play two really opposing characters,” she said.
“It’s usually a very male dominated industry in terms of theatre roles, but in this play we have three females and one male, and the writer’s female. Girl power!”
She said lately the show has been drawing a lot of older audiences who probably identify well with Vera’s relationship with Leo.
Director Anthony Skuse described it as “an affirmation of living”, and praised the life Huynh brought to her roles.
“She’s that wonderful mix of intelligent, reflective and funny,” he said. “She’s hilarious, old George.”
George Dot Com is the persona Huynh goes by mainly in the cyber world, through her collection of comedic YouTube videos she’s produced.
“I make short videos of myself attempting to look really cool with editing techniques and dropping funky beats,” reads her website.
It’s one of the many achievements this University of Wollongong graduate has under her belt.
Born to Vietnamese refugee parents, Hunyh left home in her early 20s for Perth’s equivalent of NIDA, the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
After graduating in 2010 her star has been on the rise with gigs on Neighbours, the ABC’s Cleverman and the lead role of Tripitaka on the recent tour of Monkey … Journey to the West.
Her next major work will be in an Australian feature film about a B&S ball, Spin Out, slated for release this September.
She’ll star alongside comedy legend Tim Ferguson, Xavier Samuel (Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) and Morgan Griffin (San Andreas).
“We did that in Shepparton, I stayed there for six weeks and it was amazingly crazy,” she said. “There’s just some stuff in that script I don’t know how they got past censors as it was so crude … but I learnt so much and hoping to further some of my comedy skills.”
4000 Miles runs at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre from April 6 to 9.
