Newly announced cast member Sandra Yi Sencindiver was interviewed in the latest issue of Sceneliv Magazine, published on October 23, 2020. The theme for the issue was Ethnic Representation, and in an article titled, “Everyone has the right to see themselves reflected in art,” Sandra spoke to interviewer Louise Kidde Sauntved about her experiences in the Danish industry.
“In Denmark, I am often cast because there is a need for an Asian woman, but when I read the role, there is a need for someone who is fat and fifteen years older. It may be that it says ‘Asian woman’, but it’s not me. Being an Asian woman is not a type.
“We BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color, eds.) actors often make fun of starting with all sorts of stereotypical roles: the pizza man, the terrorist, or in my case a whore, cleaning lady or au-pair girl. And then you can then move on to the next category, which are roles where you go in and fill a function as a police officer, doctor, secretary or nurse. Roles where ethnicity does not play a direct role for the character, because you still do not know anything about the character’s background. And then it is a ‘good deed’ to give it to a minority person,” says Sandra Yi Sencindiver with more than a touch of irony.
“As an actor, you want to portray an entire person. With a story and some traits that are not just tied to ethnicity.”
In the article, she briefly touches upon what we presume is her character in The Wheel of Time.
“I’m recording a huge Amazon series where the role I play is a character. It was not just something like ‘we need an Asian woman’. So I just got into the category where they are instead looking at what I can contribute to the story. What a type of person I can play. ”
These excerpts were translated through Google Translate. The full issue is available at the Danish Actor’s Association website. (To view it, click on the image of the magazine cover.)
In case you missed it, you can read our full article announcing Sandra and fellow cast members, Thomas Chaanhing and Amer Chada-Patel.
Sandra can be seen as Jaidee in Swedish crime drama Bäckström, which you can watch through streaming service C More (availability may be subject to geographic location).
(10/24/20, 1:30pm EST: A tweet leading to this article incorrectly called the character Sandra plays as “huge.” The original correct quote from the magazine states that it’s a “huge Amazon series.”)
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