Yvonne Chapman Stars in Street legal. Now streaming on CBC Gem and airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT). Photos by Katherine Calnan created with I'm Here With.
Yvonne Chapman has an amazing story how she never gave up on her Acting dream, now you can see her Star in @cbcstreetlegal!
Calgary’s own Yvonne Chapman is a Canadian born Chinese actress, writer and producer.
She has an academic and professional background in Finance. She then transitioned to pursue her passion to work in film and has since starred in productions for the CW, ABC, Fox, and Hallmark to name a few. Yvonne is known for playing Mina Lee, in the reboot of the iconic Canadian television series Street Legal by CBC.
Yvonne Chapman Stars in Street Legal. Now streaming on CBC Gem and airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT)
We really enjoyed working with Yvonne and Katherine for this shoot! When we first heard she was coming back to town from her publicist, we wanted to give her the I'm Here With treatment and create some spectacular and fresh photos with Yvonne! Our interviewer Blaine actually knows our new friend and one of the stars of Street Legal, because she was his acting coach at a time! Look how things come around! We are supper proud to see a girl of her culture succeed, she is a solid actress that is being beloved by fans!- I'm Here With
Yvonne Chapman, photos by @katherinecalnanphotography and @shopapt22 styling for I'm Here With
Yvonne Chapman is a second generation Canadian of Chinese descent, born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. Her love for acting and storytelling began in her early teens when she performed in school plays. This later led to a successful commercial and modelling career, during which she completed her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Calgary.
After university, she took a slight detour from acting to work in Corporate Finance and despite having a promising career ahead of her, the itch to perform and her love for the arts called her back to acting. In 2014, she packed her bags and headed west to Vancouver to pursue her dream. Chapman quickly made a name for herself and has been featured in numerous television series and feature films. Most recently, she starred in The Crossing for ABC and The 100 for The CW. She also starred in the feature film DARC by Julius R. Nasso, and the television movies The Mechanics of Love, and The Birthday Wish for Hallmark, and Rufus for Nickelodeon.
Chapman is a passionate advocate of the arts. For several years she served as an Executive Board Member and Treasurer for the Calgary Film Festival, making use of her financial background. She acted in and produced numerous short films in support of young artists, many of which have been featured in prominent film festivals such as Cannes, the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, and the National Film Festival for Talented Youth.
Off screen, Chapman is frequently found on basketball and volleyball courts, or at a boxing/Muay Thai gym. She also enjoys reading and friendly (but also not so friendly) board game nights with friends.
Q and A of Yvonne Chapman
What are your 3 favorite things you love about Calgary?
1. The people
2. The strong sense of community and support
3. The culture – Stampede, craft beer, the great food! Etc. etc. etc.
How did you get started in entertainment?
I was in plays and acting classes in school growing up. Then in my late teens, I started modelling and doing commercial work locally and overseas in Hong Kong. During my time working in finance I took acting classes at night and that rekindled my love for acting. I have taught acting lessons in Calgary as well. Nobles Management is behind me for modeling still.
Yvonne Chapman, photos by @katherinecalnanphotography and @shopapt22 styling for I'm Here With
How did the audition process go for Street Legal?
The first round of the audition process was a self-tape. I got the submission request from my agent, and the full script for the 1st episode. I read a lot of scripts last year, but this one truly stood out to me. I immediately loved it for its relevance, great writing and honesty. So, I was so thrilled that they called me back for a second round. Because I wasn’t in Toronto, the callback was done over skype, where I auditioned for Bruce Smith (the showrunner) and the producers. After that, they brought me down to Toronto to do a screen test – where you audition with other actors who are up for different roles. After that I flew back to Vancouver, got the call a few days later that I got it, freaked out with excitement…and the rest is history!
Yvonne Chapman, photos by @katherinecalnanphotography and @shopapt22 styling for I'm Here With
Share with us your take on your character Mina Lee.
There’s an amazing quote by Michaela Chung that I think captures Mina nicely. It’s “Don’t underestimate me because I’m quiet. I know more than I say, think more than I speak and observe more than you know.’ She’s incredibly smart, intuitive, introspective and doesn’t believe in making a big show of herself to get things done and do right by her clients. In fact, she hates that kind of attention and is introverted by nature but will put on the gloves and fight when she needs to. I love that about her. I think she’s unexpectedly fierce in a different way that we don’t see on television often, and that’s so refreshing to me.
Yvonne Chapman, photos by @katherinecalnanphotography and @shopapt22 styling for I'm Here With
What is your advice to aspiring artists?
This may sound odd – but I advise actors to do something else you like that has nothing to do with acting while you work towards your dreams. At the beginning I had put so much pressure on myself to succeed at this because I had left everything behind to pursue it. So, everything I did from morning to night was for the sole purpose of becoming a working actor. It wasn’t healthy and I had no balance. In an industry where so much is out of your control, it made every audition too precious, and every rejection taken too personally. And it affected my work. I couldn’t have fun or be free to play in the moment. Then, I took a job teaching kids in after school programs and tutoring. It was great! I enjoyed teaching and helping them learn and I was being productive and useful when I wasn’t booking gigs or auditioning. Because of that, it allowed me to relax and enjoy the process of acting a lot more and place less importance on landing the job.
What is next for you in your career?
Season 2 of Street Legal I hope! I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with, and I hope it continues. I have been given a gift playing Mina and I don’t want to say goodbye to her anytime soon! I can only hope to continue to be fortunate enough to keep playing and telling great stories with great people.
Yvonne Chapman Stars in Street Legal. Now streaming on CBC Gem and airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT)
Steve Lund as Adam Darling, Yvonne Chapman as Mina Lee, Cynthia Dale as Olivia Novak and Cara Ricketts as Lilly Rue.