Interview with Esther Hwang

AC: Esther, could you say something about this poem? Was it something you learned as a child? From whom? What sentiment does it bring to mind?

When I was a little girl,
I had a Dream
That someday,
I would be Queen.
I am living proof that some dreams really do become a reality.

AC: Esther, you were spectacular walking down the runway in Shanghai at the fashion show last fall with San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. What is it like to be an international professional fashion model, TV and Film actress?

Esther: Most people have an image of models growing up in the lap of luxury, being pampered and given special treatment from day one. While some models may have been lucky enough to grow up that way, this certainly was not my situation. In junior high school, I remember feeling awkward about my height and being ignored by the boys at the school dances because I was taller than most. I remember bending my knees a lot and trying to appear as small as possible by slouching. I wished I didn't stand out from everyone else, but that is one wish I am glad never came true.

One day, being tall, being different became a good thing. I was in essence "discovered", as in that fairy tale way most people think never happens. We'll I guess in my case, it really did happen. When I was almost 16 years old, I walked into a grocery store with my mother and a very stylish woman, in a dark pants suit approached me.
She asked me how old I was and how tall I was. Next thing I knew, we were meeting at her office. She was a talent scout in a prominent Los Angeles modeling and talent agency.

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