Brenda Song On Disney and Chasing Her Dreams as an Actor

The Suite Life on Deck movie was the last thing I did at Disney. I was 21 years old. A lot of people told me, “You’ve got to do something racy.” Maxim wanted to do something. I just wasn’t ready for it. It was at the time when all of the Disney girls were becoming young women. Even before that, I was getting weird prison mail at 16 despite being on a kids’ show because it aired on Saturday morning. 

I don’t think you have to compromise yourself to be successful. I felt so much pressure. I thought, Do I need to change myself to take myself to the next level? Honestly, I know some very successful people who are the most unhappy people because they’ve spent so much time being what everyone wants them to be. My mom would tell me, “Don’t do it.” 

My mom lives with me right now. I bought my parents a house, which was always a goal of mine, and she still has her home, but she’s here because of my son. My brother has two daughters and they come over all the time. My family is super close, and I’m grateful that my partner is okay with it because people probably think it’s crazy. It’s hard for people to understand that closeness if you didn’t grow up with it. 

My new lesson I’ve learned is saying no, which has been really hard because it’s still ingrained in me, being an Asian American actress in Hollywood, that this opportunity may be my last one. I just stop and go, “Brenda, you need to take care of you. You need to be with your son.” I went right back to work filming Dollface when I was only 12 weeks postpartum. We shot for four months and I’d be gone for 15-, 16-hour days. I questioned, “Oh my God, I’m away from my son so much.” After I finished this last season, I needed to take some time off. He just turned one. He’s still very young, so it’s hard.