Upper School (US) students who have attended plays and musicals at the US Lindberg-Serries Theater might remember Miley Chen ’25 from the plethora of performances she contributed to. Miley now attends the University of Southern California (USC), where she recently played Hamlet in “Fair Ophelia,” a student adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic. The Vanguard spoke with Miley about her experiences as an actress and her future ambitions.      —Vartan Arakelian ’26

What first sparked your love for acting, and what continues to draw you to it?

My love for playing pretend, my love for stories … I’ve always been big into mythology and grand adventures, and I found acting was a way to bring myself into those stories and bring them to other people. It’s both a team and individual sport: You’re always working with a team to put anything on, but as an actor, you are in charge of your own growth, and you can push yourself to get better.

How does the theater scene at USC compare to BB&N?

There are more resources. There’s more money and more space, and that means there are more opportunities for students to get involved and put on their own shows. At USC, there are main stage productions directed by faculty and independent student productions, which are completely student run. At BB&N, the theater program is fantastic, but there aren’t quite as many people aiming to major in theater and pursue a career in theater. Meeting a lot more people that have similar aspirations was kind of surprising.

How does preparing for a role now compare to how you approached it at BB&N?

When I was at BB&N, I was able to enlist my parents in help with memorizing lines, which I can’t do as much anymore. From a more technical perspective, there’s a little less guidance. Mr. MacDonald is fantastic: His door is always open, and that’s a resource I don’t have anymore. A lot has changed, but I wouldn’t say anything is a strict upgrade or downgrade: It’s just different.

What’s one moment onstage that you’ll never forget?

The last time I died, in fall of my senior year. I was lucky enough to have the chance to play Shakespeare’s “King Lear.” In that production, we were all particularly close, and that was my last fall show. It was a very emotional moment: Lear’s dying, and he’s very sad, and it felt in some sense like the end of a chapter because I was never going to do another fall show at BB&N.

What are your goals for acting?

My goal is to be employed. Acting is something that I really love. I don’t need to be famous, but I want to be acting … For people who want to keep doing theater, I would advise them: Remember why you’re doing it. Theater is my passion, even though, to an outsider, I’m doing something totally financially stupid. Remember that this is what you love, and it will be worth it.

If you could play any character from a movie, play or TV show right now, who would it be?

I’ve been watching a lot of superhero movies lately, so maybe a superhero. I’d also love to play Viola from “Twelfth Night” someday.