Los Angeles-based actor, filmmaker, and New York Film Academy MFA graduate Justin He has built a career defined by curiosity, discipline, and transformation. From growing up in China and studying computer engineering at UC Irvine to pursuing acting professionally in Hollywood, his path has been anything but conventional. His latest project, Urban Warrior, a dramatic mockumentary inspired by the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, marks his most personal work to date as both a filmmaker and performer. Ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Marina del Rey Film Festival, He reflects on his journey, creative process, influences, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
HELLO JUSTIN HE, WELCOME TO ABOUT INSIDER! WHAT GOT YOU INTO ACTING AND MADE YOU REALIZE THAT IT WAS YOUR CHOSEN PATH?
Growing up, I never really had the opportunity to explore artistic passions the way many people imagine. Most of my childhood was focused on academics. Like many students around me, I spent weekends taking extra classes in subjects like Chinese, mathematics, English, and biology. The expectation was always clear: perform well in school, get into a better school, earn admission to a respected university, and eventually secure a stable career.
Even students who pursued music, dance, or other artistic disciplines often did so with academic achievement in mind. Competitions and awards weren’t always about artistic expression; they were another step toward educational advancement. Looking back, it was an environment that emphasized results and structure, and while it taught me discipline, it left very little room to explore creativity.
Everything changed when my mother and I immigrated to the United States. Suddenly, I was adapting not only to a new culture but also to a completely different educational system. I struggled with English during high school and certainly didn’t see acting as a realistic possibility. However, I joined my school’s advanced choir, and that became my first meaningful experience with performance. Music allowed me to communicate beyond language, and it gave me confidence I didn’t know I had.
Later, while studying computer engineering at UC Irvine, movies became an important part of my life. They were how I bonded with friends and escaped the stress of demanding coursework. Around that same time, films like Crazy Rich Asians demonstrated that there was a growing demand for Asian stories and actors. My engineering background taught me to recognize opportunities when they appeared, so I started taking acting classes and learning about the craft.
The pandemic gave me time to reflect on what I truly wanted from life, and that reflection ultimately led me to pursue acting professionally.
AS AN ACTOR, IT TAKES MORE THAN JUST TALENT. WHAT DO YOU FEEL MAKES YOU UNIQUE?
My life has been shaped by experiences that exist between different worlds. I grew up in China, completed my education in the United States, attended a military high school, studied engineering, and later trained professionally as an actor.
Because of that, I often feel comfortable navigating very different environments, perspectives, and value systems. I understand both Eastern and Western cultural influences. I can approach situations analytically because of my scientific background, while also embracing the emotional and artistic demands of performance.
I also have specialized interests and skills that occasionally become valuable in the entertainment industry. My familiarity with firearms, for example, is something productions often seek when creating authentic action-oriented characters. Ultimately, I think my uniqueness comes less from any one skill and more from the unusual combination of experiences that have shaped how I view the world.
YOUR LATEST PROJECT, “URBAN WARRIOR”, IS DEEPLY PERSONAL. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE IT?
Originally, I was planning to produce a Kung Fu action film. My goal was to showcase my team’s ability to handle action, stunts, and choreography while paying tribute to the Kung Fu films that inspired me.
Then the Southern California wildfires happened. The fires had a significant physical and psychological impact on me. The air quality made it difficult to train at the level I would have needed for a physically demanding action role, and beyond that, the event challenged my understanding of safety, community, and uncertainty.
Because the fires occurred so early in the year, they immediately shaped how I viewed the months ahead. I found myself constantly thinking about what had happened and how it affected people. Eventually, I realized that instead of making the action film I originally envisioned, I wanted to create something that documented the experience and helped me process it emotionally.
That’s how “Urban Warrior” was born.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE “URBAN WARRIOR”?
At its core, “Urban Warrior” is a dramatic mockumentary about a Hollywood actor trying to navigate the physical and psychological effects of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.
The film blends drama, comedy, and documentary-style storytelling while using real locations impacted by the disaster. It examines not only the ground zero during the fires but also how people process major events through news coverage, social media, and personal experience.
What interested me most was exploring how proximity to danger changes our perception of the world. When a disaster happens close to home, it suddenly becomes more real than something we only read about online.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN BY DIRECTING, PRODUCING, AND ACTING IN THE PROJECT SIMULTANEOUSLY?
I learned that filmmaking is much harder when you’re responsible for everything.
As actors, we’re often accustomed to periods of waiting between setups. On Urban Warrior, there was no waiting. I was constantly moving between roles—setting up shots, adjusting sound, communicating with civilians and first responders around me, performing scenes, reviewing footage, and making creative decisions.
The experience became a very honest evaluation of my strengths and weaknesses as a filmmaker. It showed me areas where I feel confident and other areas, such as editing, color work, and certain business aspects of filmmaking, where I want to continue improving. It was exhausting, but it was one of the most educational experiences I’ve ever had.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WHILE MAKING THE FILM?
One challenge was balancing my responsibilities as both actor and director.
Throughout my acting training, I’ve often received feedback that I can become overly analytical and self-critical. As an actor, being too focused on evaluating yourself can pull you out of the moment.
Ironically, those tendencies became helpful when directing. Having a critical eye allowed me to evaluate my own performance objectively. The challenge was learning when to think like a director and when to simply exist as the character.
The other major challenge was the filming environment itself. I was filming in locations affected by the fires, surrounded by first responders, security personnel, law enforcement, residents, and constantly changing conditions. It was essential to communicate respectfully with everyone involved and ensure safety remained the top priority.
WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT TO MAKE THIS FILM NOW?
Because it could only exist in that moment. Before the fires happened, there was no story to tell. If I had waited another year, many of the immediate emotions and realities would have faded. The urgency would have been gone. In many ways, the project feels like a time capsule. There was almost a journalistic quality to documenting the aftermath while it was still unfolding. It was the right story, in the right place, at the right time.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FILM FESTIVAL CIRCUIT. WHAT DO YOU HOPE AUDIENCES TAKE AWAY FROM “URBAN WARRIOR”?
Thank you! I hope people recognize how devastating these fires truly were. Because the film was shot in locations directly impacted by the disaster, it serves as a visual record of a specific moment in time. But beyond documenting the event itself, I hope it encourages viewers to think about how they process major societal events.
How much of our understanding comes from firsthand experience? How much comes from the media? How does living close to danger affect our emotional response compared to observing it from a distance? Those are questions I found myself asking throughout the filmmaking process, and I hope audiences reflect on them as well.
AS AN INTERNATIONAL ACTOR NAVIGATING HOLLYWOOD, HOW DO YOUR ROOTS AND HERITAGE INFLUENCE YOUR WORK AND THE ROLES YOU CHOOSE?
My roots and heritage give me a real advantage when it comes to portraying Chinese characters authentically. There are cultural details, emotional rhythms, family dynamics, and ways of communicating that I understand from lived experience, not just observation. That allows me to bring something truthful to roles that require that perspective.
I believe my range allows me to move beyond one category. I have an amiable onscreen presence, which can work well for friendly, approachable, or thoughtful characters. But I also know I have the capacity to portray danger, intensity, and viciousness when a role demands it. That contrast is exciting to me because it allows me to explore both warmth and darkness within my work.
IN TODAY’S HOLLYWOOD, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT PUSH FOR GREATER INCLUSIVITY AND REPRESENTATION. HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK CONTRIBUTING TO THIS MOVEMENT, AND WHAT CHANGES DO YOU STILL HOPE TO SEE IN THE INDUSTRY?
I think this is one of the most exciting times to be an actor in Hollywood. There is a greater demand for stories that reflect a wider range of experiences, backgrounds, and identities. That creates opportunities not only for actors, but also for writers, directors, and filmmakers who want to tell stories that may not have been centered in the past.
For actors, I think this also means the expectations are expanding. Great stories require performers who are not only skilled in acting but also capable of bringing real-life experience and specific abilities to the screen. Can you ride a horse? Can you do action or stunt work? Can you speak multiple languages fluently? Can you quickly learn a craft, a discipline, or a physical skill that makes the character feel authentic? Those challenges are exciting because they push actors to become more complete artists.
At the same time, I hope the industry continues to make bold choices. Art often involves risk, complexity, and sometimes discomfort. I hope Hollywood remains open to taking creative chances, because those risks are often what lead to breakthroughs—the most memorable and meaningful work.
FINALLY, ASIDE FROM PRODUCING YOUR OWN FILMS, WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM ACTING JOB LOOK LIKE?
Oddly enough, it might be a sitcom. When I learned how many sitcoms operate—filming an episode every week with a relatively stable schedule—it sounded incredibly appealing. The entertainment industry can be unpredictable, and the idea of having consistent creative work while maintaining some work-life balance is very attractive.
I would also love to explore voice acting more deeply. Between my vocal range, language skills, and interest in character work, I think voiceover is a discipline where I could continue growing and creating memorable performances.
With “Urban Warrior” set to make its world premiere at the Marina del Rey Film Festival in California on June 20, Justin He continues to demonstrate that his journey is about more than acting alone. Whether portraying monsters, historical figures, villains, or versions of himself, he remains committed to storytelling that challenges, entertains, and encourages reflection. As both an actor and filmmaker, he represents a generation of artists unafraid to bridge disciplines, cultures, and perspectives in pursuit of meaningful stories.
