A comedy sketch starring Orion Lee has gone viral with over 5 million views on YouTube. Directed by  Lauris Beinerts 

Born in Hong Kong, lived in Malaysia, moved to Australia and now living in London with shorter stints living in San Francisco, New York and Zurich, Orion Lee has had a wide range of cultural experiences. All of which helps to inform his acting. Graduating from LAMDA in 2009, Orion has had a varied and exciting career from Enron, the Play transferring from Royal Court to the West End to currently being a series regular on Sky TV’s Critical (out April 2015).

You used to work in finance? What made you make the change?

I used to work in finance and whilst it was interesting and rewarding, after a few years I realised I wasn’t learning anything new. I had done some acting classes on the weekend at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) in Sydney and then realised after the 3^rd class that it was really something I wanted to explore further. So I took a year off work then decided I wanted to take it further and applied to drama school and got into LAMDA in London.

What attracts you to acting?

I love learning. And the concept of living many lives in one life. With each character I get to study and experience a whole new side of life. One of my favourite jobs was Shibari at the Abbey Theatre. I learnt about the Irish economy and migration, the grieving process, Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), ballroom dancing and rope bondage.

What do you do when you’re not acting?

I enjoy going to galleries and museums. I take in a lot of theatre, film and other art forms which keeps me inspired. I provide a bursary of £1000 to a graduate of East Asian descent from an accredited drama school via Yellow Earth Theatre to encourage more East Asians in British theatre, film and TV.

I also organise a showcase of new work called the Constellation Creatives CoLab at The Hospital Club. And I’m just about to start a new showcase for East Asian work too. If you or your team has a member who is of East Asian descent and you’d like to get involved and produce/direct/dance/sing/act/show a film/get some new writing read/ please get in touch. My professional Facebook page is facebook.com/orion8lee. Twitter is @orion8lee.

What is your favourite food?

I tend to eat Malaysian style food mainly. Laksa, Nasi Lemak. Also like Chinese style duck noodle soup. Italian cake. Vietnamese Bun noodle. Actually I like a lot of food!

Where can we see your work?

At the moment I’m working on a TV series for Sky which will air next year. As part of the Constellation Creatives CoLab, a comedy sketch was developed by director Lauris Beinerts and it has gone viral with over 5 million views on YouTube. I’m particularly proud of it because its been translated into 30 languages and has a very international audience enjoying it. Other than that keep an eye on my Facebook page for what comes next!