Having just wrapped a busy shooting schedule with her Hollywood horror film M3gan 2.0. Actress Jen Van Epps suddenly found herself struggling through a lull. Wondering what she’d do
next, the star battled to drown out the little voice inside crying out, “Is this all you’re gonna be?”
Rosalyn gave Jen a reason
It was only her 10-year-old daughter Rosalyn who managed to stop Jen, 45, from spiralling – and it wasn’t the first time.
“I would just hold her and she reminded me of my purpose,” the California-born, Auckland-based star tells Woman’s Day.
“They say the mom raises the child, but as much as I’ve had to mother her, and keep her safe and warm, she’s done that for me. “Having Roz saved my life in a lot of ways. She was a big missing piece to my journey as an actor because I realised how much my self-worth had been tied to what I was doing professionally. A child is a beautiful reflection of the things you do well and things you need to fix. And from a basic standpoint, you have to focus on keeping this little thing alive!”
Jen and her doctor husband Greg, 44, have not only kept the “light of our lives” alive but they’re now also helping her thrive with her own showbiz dreams. Most recently taking a starring role in Matilda The Musical.
Having the tools of her own acting experience to help Rosalyn’s ambitions is a gift for Jen. Given her mum Vivian felt she could have done more to support Jen’s goals as a child.
Chasing dreams and facing setbacks
Explains Jen, “She’s Chinese and often says, ‘If I was like my friends, I wouldn’t have let you pursue the arts!’ But she could see I had a talent and wishes she had more understanding of showbiz to help me pursue this dream.”
Jen landed the lead in her kindergarten’s production of Goldilocks And The Three Bears. She led her school’s show choir and sang in a pop trio. After studying music and then communications, she travelled to Vivian’s homeland of Taiwan to meet with Warner Music. But she believes being half-Black and half-Chinese made her a hard sell.
Family friends also advised her to lose a few kilos, so she returned to the US and was more focused on acting when she met Greg through friends.
“I loved that he’d lived in Chile, Spain and Mexico,” she recalls.
“And I found him sarcastic and funny. He’s helped me be more pragmatic, and I’ve hopefully helped him be more emotionally available and have gratitude – even when the chips are down.”
The pair wed in 2011, but it took some time for both of them to learn not to be unsettled by the quiet periods in Jen’s career. Which saw her experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. And while becoming a mum helped her realise acting isn’t everything. The unbreakable bond she shares with Rosalyn today wasn’t instant.
A legacy of strength and struggle
Confesses Jen, “I thought I was going to be Mother Teresa, but I had some detachment and bonding issues when she was born. I thought, ‘Gosh, whose baby is this?’ The first few months were really hard. We were in Seattle, away from family, during a miserable winter. It was just about looking at this baby and understanding she’s a piece of me. She really is my little angel baby. She’s magic!”
Vivian also faced postnatal challenges with Jen. Busily working to make ends meet, she and Jen’s dad John had already been leaning on friends to help care for their first-born Tiffany, so when
Jen arrived, they didn’t have enough family support. When Jen was one month old, they made the hard decision to send her to Taiwan to be cared for by her late grandma Lo Pin until she was two.
Lo Pin was an actress and singer, who couldn’t fully pursue such passions after the family’s move from China to Taiwan in 1949. So Jen’s proud she and Rosalyn are now carrying on her legacy in New Zealand. It was after moving to Aotearoa in 2018 that Jen’s career began soaring. She landed roles in Cowboy Bebop, One Lane Bridge and horror flick M3gan. A box-office hit about a murderous AI doll starring Girls actress Allison Williams, directed by Kiwi filmmaker Gerard Johnstone and shot largely in Auckland.
Big films, bigger lessons
The new sequel, M3gan 2.0, also features Flight Of The Conchords comedian Jemaine Clement.
Jen laughs, “A killer robotic child’s doll sounds insane. But when I saw the first film, I went, ‘Holy cow! We made a good movie.’ This next one’s a level up in budget, scope, scale and story. There are two baddie robots for the price of one!”
Jen’s excited to attend M3gan 2.0’s New York premiere, then visit family in California with Greg and Rosalyn, who proudly boasts about her American roots. Jen endeavours to instil all parts of her heritage into Rosalyn’s upbringing. Whether it’s through food, music, Mandarin classes or holidays, such as the Dragon Boat Festival, Juneteenth and the Fourth of July.
And as Rosalyn continues chasing her acting dreams. Jen constantly reminds her that she’ll hear no more than yes and that even if she does her best audition ever, she may not be right for a role.
Jen explains, “The most important thing is that you have to find joy and love in other ways or else it will crush you. I’ve also told her, ‘You don’t have to do this.’ We’re not forcing her. But she’s found musical theatre, become obsessed and is good at it. She’s found her voice and confidence early, unlike myself. I want to facilitate her dreams.”
Curtain call feels
Sitting there on opening night of Matilda The Musical, Jen couldn’t have felt prouder.
“She surprised the hell out of me!” enthuses Jen, who also has “the smallest cameo” in upcoming local film Pike River, based on the 2010 mining tragedy.
“She came on stage fearless! The show’s so good that we kept going back. There was one monologue which she performed differently one time and I was like, ‘Wow! She has some comedy chops.’ That made me so proud. “And Greg’s face said it all on opening night. His little green eyes were glinting and you could see him just beaming with pride.”
The production also starred Toni Street’s daughters Mackenzie and Juliette.
“It’s been great getting to know them,” smiles Jen.
“Our little Matilda family’s a tight-knit group. The kids are all still friends and us parents are going for drinks soon!”
Jen’s movie M3gan 2.0 is in cinemas now.
