Ramona Young on Presence, Power, and Creative Freedom

Sally Chow
2 days ago
9 min read

Ramona Young is beyond definition. In an industry eager to label, categorize, and contain talent, she has built a career marked instead by her range and quiet experimentation. Ranging from grounded ensemble comedy to animation, from physical discipline to personal creative rituals, she’s on a path of discovery, making each role and each new skill she takes on an introspective journey.

Dress: Joseph Ejiro, Necklace: Ella Rose, Bracelet: Lizzie Fortunato, Ring: Cristina Sabatini.

Raised between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, fluent in multiple cultural languages, and shaped as much by martial arts and simple solitude as by performance, she finds solace in approaching acting as a living practice rather than a fixed identity. Sitting down with Sally Chow, she speaks to us with the same relaxed sharpness that’s come to define her performances: curious, self-aware, and unapologetically unique. Right now, beyond the cusp of breaking into the public consciousness, Ramona isn’t chasing the lights. She’s after something far more durable - a creative life rooted in the art of exploration, and the pursuit of evolution.

Sally Chow: Oftentimes, Hollywood wants a label and a genre and kind of “a type.” And as a first-generation Chinese American woman, have there ever been moments where you felt boxed in by the industry? And how do you navigate that without losing your grounding?

Ramona Young: I feel really fortunate in that a lot of my roles have been different. I got to play a lot of different characters throughout my career. I have a personality that changes as I grow. I've never been stereotyped as one thing throughout my career. I've been fortunate enough to play different things. But I will say, I've experienced where people think they know me, or they think I am one thing, and they don't think I have the capacity to play something else, but then someone else will give me the opportunity to do that. And I'm discovering different things I can play myself as well.

Sally Chow: That's really amazing that you've been able to play such a variety of characters throughout and still have such a varied acting and creative experience so far.

Ramona Young: Yeah, I was thinking about that this morning. To be honest, I love acting because I get to be creative, and I don't necessarily do just what I know works. I like to play around, experiment, and push myself in different directions.

Hat: Vintage, Jacket: TWP, Skirt: Intermix, Belt: Vintage, Earrings: Lizzie Fortunato, Bracelets: Cristina Sabatini, Tights: Intimissimi, Shoes: Dolce & Gabbana.

Sally Chow: You grew up splitting time between LA and Hong Kong, so you absorbed very different cultures and languages. How did the combination of those experiences shape your perspective as an artist and an actor?

Ramona Young: I think I have a pretty unique perspective. I feel like it's made me more well-rounded. It made me more open to other people with other cultures as well. I don't feel confined to “this is how someone should live their life.” I feel very open to different walks of life.

Sally Chow: Definitely. Since you've experienced it yourself, it definitely makes sense that you would become more open-minded to others as well. You've also spoken about being a creative, way before you broke into Hollywood, including writing and producing your own short films. So, what kind of connections do you draw between this early stage or creative projects, and the work you're making now?

Ramona Young: I think it's kind of who I am as a person. I feel very Type B. I've always been on the creative side of things. Growing up, I guess maybe my parents didn't know what to really do with that, but that was always my personality. I've always liked art. I've always liked creative writing, and I feel like that hasn't changed. I don't know exactly how that's affected my career now, but it's been consistent.

Sally Chow: That’s nice, it seems like everything building up to where you are now has been a very natural kind of evolution.

Ramona Young: Yeah, exactly. That's a good way to put it. It's been like a natural evolution.

Beaded topper: TWP, Shirt: TWP, Pants: Na Yeong Baek, Shoes: Senso.

Sally Chow: With your current project now, like The Paper, a workplace comedy with a bit of absurdity, but still a lot of heart, and it also leans into this very earnest storytelling about community and ambition. How does the tone of that blend with who you are off-camera?

Ramona Young: I think I relate to the style of the show, personally. I have my moments when I'm more lively or expressive, but for the most part, I'm pretty level. My life isn't as exaggerated or exuberant as it may look, whether online, in cool photo shoots, or anything like that. So I feel like the style fits my natural personality.

Sally Chow: Does it feel very natural then, since it kind of already aligns with some of your outlook on life, or how you treat everything?

Ramona Young: Yeah, it's very natural. It's very grounded, especially my character. And sometimes that makes acting that role more challenging.

Sally Chow: Really?

Ramona Young: Because I feel like it's easier to jump into someone that's not really yourself, that you can just create and play. And when it's so close to how you naturally are, how you would naturally respond to things, I'm almost like, “Am I acting?” “Is this working?” “Is what I'm trying to communicate coming across?” Like, I can't really tell.

Sally Chow: Oh, wow. Well, it seems that at least your performance is very genuine, as if you can connect so well with the character that you're playing.

Ramona Young: Yeah. I try to do that very intentionally.

Top: TWP, Dress: ESTHE, Jewelry: Lizzie Fortunato.

Sally Chow: The Paper is a comedy, but you also have a wide range of skills in your body of work. You navigate roles ranging from these complex, dramatic beats to physical performance and even voice acting in animation. How do you think comedy strengthens you for this range? Or is it more like your comedic style that's shown in The Paper is completely separate from everything else?

Ramona Young: I feel like every part - and I've done quite a few comedies - but I feel like every part that I've done so far has been kind of unique on its own. I would say The Paper probably feels the most grounded, versus, like, a voice-over for Nickelodeon animation or something that's super goofy, super characterized. And then I'll have experiences that are more in between, like Never Have I Ever, or even like an exaggeration of the mutedness, like Santa Clarita. But I try to keep all of them pretty separate and specific because, as an artist, I'm trying to grow, experiment, and see what my style is, and that changes as time passes.

Sally Chow: Yeah, I see. It's great that you can kind of explore different types of, like, not just comedy, but different styles through the different roles that you play.

Ramona Young: Yeah. In some ways, it's great because I feel really open, and I feel like it's fun to explore, and it's what I love to do. But then, on the other hand, I always feel like I'm just starting, and I feel confused, and sometimes I don't feel completely confident in what I'm doing, because every time I do something, I want to do it in a new way.

Sally Chow: I see. That's because with each new character, you're trying to build up from a blank slate?

Ramona Young: Yeah. Like I'm trying to discover something different, and I'm trying to learn something about myself, and I'm working with different people. So every time it's a little different.

Full look: TWP, Necklace: Cristina Sabatini, Shoes: Luciano Padovan.

Sally Chow: We've talked so much about your acting, but moving kind of beyond that, you've also posted on Instagram- we've been looking at your jiu-jitsu! You're working on all types of punches, and - I don't even know what the techniques are called - but what's the draw for you in that? Have you always been into sports?

Ramona Young: I've done martial arts for quite a while. I've been doing jiu-jitsu now for 7 years.

Sally Chow: Wow!

Ramona Young: What I love about it is there's a huge mental part of jiu-jitsu. It's pretty much like playing chess with your opponent, but using different body parts and trying to outsmart the person, while still being in the flow at the same time. It's a great mix of survival and instinct versus thought and calculation.

Sally Chow: Okay. So then, has this mental chess that you're playing at the same time that you're fighting the person, taught you a lot of things about focus, presence, performance, or has it informed other parts of your life?

Ramona Young: It has. I feel like jiu-jitsu informs every part of my life. It teaches me to be calm under stressful situations, like when you're about to pass out. It teaches me a lot. It teaches me how to work under pressure. And it teaches me humility, how to play safely, and how to respect my partner.

Sally Chow: Sounds like there are a lot of translatable skills that come from forms of martial arts and stuff. This is super cool.

Ramona Young: There's a book, actually, it's called 32 Principles, that's written by one of the Gracie brothers, and he translates 32 different principles of jiu-jitsu and how that can help you in real life.

Sally Chow: Oh, have you been going through that?

Ramona Young: I have!

Sally Chow: Oh, cool. Amazing. So then, also, beyond martial arts, is there another personal practice, whether it's like cooking, music, journaling, or like anything else that helps you focus yourself away from the screen, or something that adds more to your artistry?

Ramona Young: I mean, I have a lot of hobbies. I don't know if they specifically all help me with what I do. Sometimes I just do it because it feels good and it's therapeutic and it's like a form of release or maybe stimming. But I have a lot of hobbies.

Sally Chow: Do you have any specific ones that are recent? That you've just picked up?

Ramona Young: Oh, recently I've been baking a lot.

Sally Chow: Ooooh…

Ramona Young: Yeah, I discovered I can bake. So, I've been baking a lot. But yeah, outside of that, I like to play a lot of music. I like to sing. I like to weightlift...

Sally Chow: Oh, wow!

Ramona Young: Yeah! I like to journal. It's just endless. I'll try anything.

SALLY Chow: I think it's always great to keep yourself busy, you know, outside of your professional career.

Ramona Young: Yeah. Totally, balance.

Dress: Tae Park, Shoes: Michael Kors, Earrings: Lizzie Fortunato, Ring: Cristina Sabatini.

Sally Chow: Moving on to fashion, you know we love your style arc and how it's become a very compelling part of your public persona, and it's very editorial. It's adventurous. It's very you. And in this shoot, you took that personal narrative, and you dialed it all the way up. When someone sees you in a look, like what do you want them to feel? And what do you want them to see in you?

Ramona Young: I want people to be kind of surprised. I like to wear things people don't expect, and when they see me, they're like, "Whoa, I don't recognize you almost." I like that element of surprise. I like coming in with an aura or a presence of confidence.

Sally Chow: Yeah. I mean, you've got to keep everyone on their toes.

Ramona Young: Yeah, it's kind of fun.

Sally Chow: Looking ahead, not just into your next role or the next phase of your creative career, what kind of stories do you want to be a part of, or like what kind of artist do you want to become?

Ramona Young: I want to be an artist who's really comfortable, able, and eager to explore and have fun. I don't want to be afraid of being myself or sharing my ideas or feeling like I'm not good enough. I know that's always a part of the narrative, but I want to be comfortable in my own skin enough and be okay with failing to a point where I trust myself to express myself completely.

Sally Chow: It seems like with a lot of your acting, a lot of it stems from this comfort and authenticity that you have with yourself, and through that, you're able to project and then put yourself out there to explore more roles.

Ramona Young: Yeah, I feel like my personality is very contradictive. There's a side of me that's very like, “Yeah, I'm down for whatever. I'm comfortable with whatever. Let's just do it.” And then there's also a side of me, internally, that's hesitant and doubtful, and they're constantly battling each other.

Sally Chow: Oh, I see. I mean, there are always two sides to a coin.

Ramona Young: Yeah, and I feel like you have to have one in order to have the other, you know?