Jessalyn Wanlim and her ‘unexpected’ milestone

One never knows what each day has for them.

In a movie or television series, viewers may have an idea what the story is about, but there is more to it than having only a tad of the plot.

Like in real life, every day is uncertain. If anything is expected, it is the unforeseen things heading in a person’s way. They may have already planned out their day, but who knows how what will crop up within 24 hours? It might end up being another regular or an unlucky day, but it could also be upturned into a good one or exceeding that.

One fine day, actress Jessalyn Wanlim planned to follow her friend’s suggestion that she did not know would be the start of her major milestone.

Aspiring performer

Performing has always been Jessalyn’s thing.

She has been an entertainer since she was three years old, with Calgary, Alberta being both her home and stage whenever she performs. She was raised there by her Indonesian-Chinese father and Filipino mother. 

Her older sister and “King of Pop” Michael Jackson had a huge contribution to Jessalyn’s pursuance of a career in the performing arts; they were her idols.

“I aspired to do everything my sister did at a young age, whether it was dance or singing. As for MJ, he was the quintessential performer in my eyes and his music really made me want to entertain for a living.” 

Recognizing how full of potential their daughter has, Jessalyn’s parents helped in nourishing their child’s talent by enrolling her not only to dance but also to singing, violin, and piano lessons. She studied at the Dynamic Dance Studio and Expressions in Calgary and, later on, at the National Ballet School in Toronto.

Her parents did not want their children to pursue a career out of peer pressure from family, especially if that is something they do not see themselves doing. What their parents wanted was for them to find something that lights a fire in them by letting them try out all sorts of extracurricular activities.

“Granted, the Asian culture does have expectations of you becoming a doctor or a lawyer, but at the end of the day, what makes us happy in life is all that matters.”

Plot twist

Jessalyn found the excitement in the performing arts that made her take a major in dance in the prestigious arts school in New York, The Juilliard School; leaving Canada in 2000.

The anticipated was her building a dance career — but that was not how fate pulled the strings.

It happened one day at The Juilliard School when a close friend of hers convinced her to crash a couple of acting auditions for non-union commercials and music videos. It was an awesome experience for Jessalyn as she got to play pretend and try to do different things every day. However, the opportunities brought to her did not end that day, instead, it was just the beginning of something bigger to come. 

Who would have thought that her impulsive decision to go to auditions with her friend would become a route that led her to start a career in acting? Year 2006 was her debut, playing the role of “Rachael” in the long-running soap opera, All My Children.

Following her first official gig, Jessalyn was cast year after year to play more roles in television series including Gossip Girl, Psych, Scoundrels, The Closer, Frenemies, Modern Family, In My Dreams, and Orphan Black, among many others. While working on TV shows, she was also part of movies such as The Good Guy, A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, and Alex Cross.

Jessalyn gave credit to the educational institutions that helped her develop her artistic endeavours. She was specifically grateful to them for teaching her different facets about dance which, she said, has been the foundation of how she views acting.

She brought those learnings when she entered the Western movie and television industry, representing the Asian community. This representation has always been important to Jessalyn and the goal of her acting career.

“This business is hard as it is, and now that Asians, especially right now, are having more opportunities to showcase their talent, it’s amazing to see. But it’s only scratching the surface of what is really necessary in order to feel completely included in this industry.”

“More so than actors on the screen, I really relish in seeing a diverse production crew, from writers in the writer’s room to production assistants. When I walk onto those kinds of film sets, THAT’s what moves and motivates me.”

Being in tons of television and film projects, Jessalyn had the chance to work with diverse casts and crew. All of these were special in their own way but Modern Family gave her a warmful memory she would never forget.

Jessalyn became part of Modern Family‘s season five where she played the role of a hostess in a restaurant. Her character’s interaction with the leads in the show did not end up pretty well, but it was vice-versa at the end of that episode’s one-day filming. Her 15 hours of work on the set was the “most fulfilling” as Jessalyn would describe it. She remembered crying in her car when she left the set because she felt how the people, from the actors to the crew, were so welcoming and grateful.

“Everyone was literally in the best mood ever!”

Workin’ Mom

Even with her growing television and film credits, obstacles still block her way every day. Jessalyn said it was frequent for her to be turned down in an audition, but even though it was heartbreaking to hear the ‘noes,’ this only makes her keep pulling her socks up until she becomes the top choice for a role.

“Yes, it’s heart wrenching when things don’t go your way. You take however long to grieve over, and then you move on.”

Jessalyn currently stars in a Canadian TV series, Workin’ Moms, as one of the main characters, portraying “Jenny Matthews.” The series focuses, as what the title implies, on the moms who are balancing motherhood and their career life at once. 

This is what Jessalyn exactly does in real life, though there are differences between her and “Jenny.” Off-camera, she continues to work her fingers to the bone, but this time, as a real estate agent. She said the past four years of doing this has allowed her to keep her mind off of acting whenever she is out of the limelight.

“It’s something I’ve always loved and continue to do because I love the business and working with different kinds of people who challenge me.”

She has also begun venturing into a short-term rental business, where she familiarizes herself in the responsibilities of an Airbnb host.

But more than anything else, Jessalyn is a mom of a little boy whom she gave birth to last January.

“I have a 14-month-old son who takes up a lot of my time. I guess you could say I’m pretty busy!”

What is in the making for the actress remains unknown. Whether unexpectedly or not, each one has no idea when another chance will come in life. With the pandemic now, Jessalyn’s full attention is on ensuring that her family is safe and healthy.

Same with Jenny; the audience has yet to see how her journey in exploring her relationship with “MCP,” portrayed by fellow Filipino-Canadian actor Alex Mallari, will unfold in the season five of the Workin’ Moms.

“She’s met her match, and it will challenge her, to say the least.”

Watch Jessalyn on Workin’ Moms every Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC TV or stream the show on the free CBC Gem streaming service.