Dallas Liu

Already one of the year’s best shows, Hulu’s PEN15 is a total must-watch. Breakout actor Dallas Liu stars as the too-cool Shuji Ishi-Peters and delivers some of the show’s best one-liners. If he isn’t already on your radar, it’s time to change that.

Let’s talk PEN15! What is it that drew you the show?

I was initially drawn to the title itself. Just by seeing PEN15, it brought back so many middle school memories that I forgot about. But when I read the story description, I thought that the idea of giving an unfiltered view of how middle school really was would be absolutely hilarious.

How would you describe your character, Shuji?

I would describe him as your typical teenager. He has an attitude and thinks he’s way cooler than everyone, but when it comes down to the people he cares about, he protects them.

Are there any memorable behind-the-scenes moments from filming that you can share with us?

The first day that I arrived on set, Maya had her wig on and I thought that she had actually gotten a fullon bowl-cut! I was in complete shock and thought she really took it to the next level.

What were your middle school days like?

My middle school days were pretty similar to those in PEN15. The only difference I noticed was our clothing and the Internet. The Internet was much more developed around my time in middle school and the clothing was different. But as far as gossiping, teasing each other, and friend groups, they were pretty close to each other.

Tell us about the drama short, Ella – what was it like working on that and working alongside Nichole Bloom?

Ella was a project that made me really love directing and cinematography. I got to spend so much time learning from Dan Chen on set. Working with Nichole Bloom was super fun. In between takes, she would say something really funny and it’d be really difficult to keep a straight face. Her acting was really amazing.

What’s on your bucket list for the year?

Hopefully get a second season for PEN15! Other than that, I’d like to work on more big projects and I really really want to travel across Europe and eat a bunch of food.

With a growing social following, what’s the best way for fans to get your attention online?

It would definitely have to be Instagram because that’s my main source of social media. I always read my DM’s and comments.

When you’re not busy on set, what are you usually up to?

A lot of the time, I’m either skating, surfing, snowboarding, or doing photography stuff with my friends. You can find me on Melrose and Fairfax in LA a lot, either shopping or just hanging out with my friends.

Any special message for fans/viewers?

Thank you for all the support! I feel truly blessed and wasn’t expecting this big of a reaction from everyone. I’m extremely thankful for every single one of them.