Augusta Xu-Holland came to Beijing three years ago from Wellington, New Zealand, to start off a career in public relations and bioenergy. The 25-year-old never expected to find herself working as an actor in China’s rapidly expanding film industry. In 2015, Xu-Holland landed a role in The Last Race (终极胜利), a biopic based on the life of Scottish Missionary and Olympic runner Eric Liddell. Xu-Holland talked with China Film Insider’s Fergus Ryan about what it’s like to be a newcomer to the Chinese film industry.

How did you first get into acting in China?

I noticed China had a demand for foreign actresses who can speak Chinese, so Chinese New Year last year I sat down with my friend while he was nice enough to introduce me to at least 60 agents/brokers on WeChat (that’s the way it’s done for a lot of actors in China). My first response from one of them was for a wig commercial with Fan Bingbing. You couldn’t see my face on it but it was a start. After that I did some more commercials and a small part in a TV drama before The Last Race. I also left my demanding PR job and took a role at Kaidi, a bioenergy company to support myself financially and also make use of my biology degree. I’m still happily contributing there when I can, working on poverty alleviation projects. My boss has been really supportive of my acting career.

What’s your family background? How has that helped you starting off in the Chinese entertainment industry?

My mother is from New Zealand and my father is originally from Beijing, so I speak Chinese with him. I grew up in lush New Zealand until I graduated three years ago and unexpectedly moved to Beijing. Part of the reason was my Chinese language skills which no doubt have helped me to live and work in China. A lot of foreigners can speak Chinese now though compared to 10 years ago, but my ambiguous mixed-race look can be advantageous in getting roles. Although it’s not ideal for roles that want a fully foreign actor or a Chinese face, so I lose out sometimes looking “neither here nor there.”

How has your role in ‘The Last Race’ helped with your acting career?

It came out of nowhere and definitely propelled my acting career forward. A China Hollywood co-production starring high profile actors is something people are interested in. It was also helpful to land a heavy role as the tragic love story in the camp. Lots of tears and kissing but my character really got a chance to move and develop from a deep place throughout the whole film and was crucial to the end of Eric Liddell’s story and selfless character. I had never been challenged that much in my life but I came out of it reaping the benefits. I have a better understanding of the Chinese film industry, film making process, acting (thanks to an amazing drama director) and of myself. I also learned a lot of crying techniques– I drank copious amounts of water and didn’t eat on the day of those scenes. This caused my blood sugar level to drop and made me teary and bratty, on the verge of tears all the time. As I said, I learned a lot about myself!

So, do you intend on continuing with your acting career in China?

Yes absolutely, acting is a privilege, it allows you to explore so much about yourself, communicate with your whole body and meet creative people. It feels like a natural part of me. I think China was a good place to start because it’s different and challenging, I’ve learned so much. I don’t think I would have been challenged in the same way in New Zealand. China is part of our world though. I’m here now and it’s where I’ve started my acting career, but I can take what I’ve learned anywhere in the world.

You recently went to Cannes for the Film Festival for ‘The Last Race.’ What was that like?

The cliches are all there, yachts, champagne, the colors. South France has a really vivid color palette, it was great seeing kites from Weifang flying on the riviera. It was also great that Joseph could make it, there were so many actors of his caliber in Cannes, it really inspires me to learn more about the craft. He did a wonderful job portraying Eric Liddell in the movie. He really did “promote a sense of care” as he commented in Cannes on portraying Eric Liddell and it radiated throughout others in the film. I learned a lot from him about what to aim for when uncovering a character and I tried to do my best in that respect with my own character, Catherine.

Do you follow Chinese pop-culture yourself? Do you have any examples of recent Chinese pop-culture—film, TV, music—that you particularly like?

I studied Korean films during my Asian studies degree and it’s interesting to see how it has been influencing China’s film industry lately. It’s a good thing for China to have a sister Asian country to collaborate and move forward with and I think it’s going in a good direction.