CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Joseph Yang followed his dream to become an actor and performer, landing him a role in Dolly Parton’s new movie “Mountain Magic Christmas.”
In the movie, Yang plays a side character named Woody, but he has landed lead roles in other movies and shows. It all started at Clarksville High School when he chose theater as his fine arts class.
Passion for acting sparked
“In theater in Clarksville High at my time, it was actually a cool thing to be a part of, like it wasn’t nerdy,” Yang told Clarksville Now.
But it wasn’t always easy. After struggling to keep his grade up in the history-based Theater 1 class, Yang poured all his energy into a lip-sync competition that could bring his grade up. Yang’s performance and choreography impressed the teachers, and Barbara Wesner asked him to perform with Theater 2 and 3 students.
“That moment, sophomore year of 2010, is where it really all began. Wesner put me on, let me skip Theater 3 to do Dual-Enrollment Theater 4. And that’s what kind of changed the trajectory, and now it’s kind of a full-circle moment,” Yang said.
When Yang graduated in 2012, he attended the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and while there he worked for a while at Dollywood. He started in dentistry and changed his major four times before graduation with a communications degree, then he moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in the performing arts.
Acting career takes off
Yang may be most recognized for his recent appearance in “DMZ,” a streaming miniseries on HBO Max starring Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt. He also does theater and improv in the Atlanta area. However, the next time he is on screen may be the role that means the most to him.
“I couldn’t even audition for this movie originally,” Yang said in a news release. “I was on a flight from LA, but there wasn’t enough time to get back for the audition. They extended auditions a day, so I made a fun tape and got really creative with it. The next thing I know, I get a call from my agent saying I got it. I didn’t check my schedule to see if I was free.”
Yang’s parents emigrated from Korea, so he’s had to manage their expectations about his acting career.
“They know Elvis Presley, Dolly, Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie. So, me trying to be professional about it, I didn’t tell them until after the movie. They were like, ‘Yeah, we will believe it when we see it.’ I think ‘Christmas’ will be very special because it means a lot to me personally, but I feel like I got to do it for my family.”
While starring with Dolly Parton would be career-making for any actor, Yang made it a point to remain professional on set.
“I try not to get star-struck,” he said. “We are all people. But I’m talking with (Director) Joe Lazarov on the set, the next thing you know, Mrs. Dolly Parton walks up wearing this elegant dress, because of course she is! I bet she wakes up looking like that. We do a rehearsal, then a couple of takes. After we finish, she said, ‘Thank you Joseph, I’ve had fun working with you.’ Then, I told her it was good to be back and that 10 years ago I worked at Dollywood. The next thing you know we took a photo together.
“Dolly Parton loves people, and I think she would stand and talk all day. She is so endearing. She is exactly as she is portrayed in media.”
‘A reflection of themselves’
When asked about his career aspirations, Yang’s goals are crystal clear.
“It is important to see diversity on screen,” he said in the news release. “We are getting better at representations. I think my purpose is to advocate for the Asian-American stories. I love story-telling and I want to make theater; I want to make stage presence; I want to make movies. For me, as an actor, I don’t want people to come see me, I want them to see a reflection of themselves.”
While Yang moved out of state to follow his passion, he told Clarksville Now that he will always remember his roots.
“Clarksville’s always been a good to me in ways where I have seen it. I’m always going to love Clarksville. I always want to make sure I do whatever I can to put Clarksville on the map. My hometown does mean a lot. I mean it’s how I got here today.”
Dolly Parton’s “Mountain Magic Christmas” airs Thursday at 8 p.m. on NBC. The movie features special guests Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmie Allen, Zach Williams and Miley Cyrus.