Lucy Liu: One Outstanding Humanitarian
Lucy Liu: Yes.
Deepak Chopra: –You know, substance abuse. They really abuse themselves in a big way.
Lucy Liu: There’s a lot of damage in our business, for sure. But before the abuse starts, it begins basically from childhood, probably. It doesn’t just start when you become famous or you start.
Deepak Chopra: –You don’t think that the fame, and being in the public limelight, being under pressure to perform, performance anxiety, ‘Will the public like me anymore?’ –You don’t think that’s a risk factor for all these dysfunctional behaviors?
Lucy Liu: Absolutely. But, I think that it doesn’t start there. I think it starts somewhere else.
Deepak Chopra: So, the reason I’m asking you this is, you’re famous, you’re a celebrity, you’re very influential, everybody recognizes you, you’ve got it all. How come you’re not dysfunctional? What kept you healthy?
Lucy Liu: What kept me healthy? I think growing up without; growing up in a very–I don’t want to say ‘impoverished environment,’ but a very low income–A very low-income environment. I also think that education was the key to my success. I think knowing and understanding what it is outside of yourself–I think education is key.
I think that’s also something that helps combat sex trafficking, and all these other things. If you know something about the world, you’re going to be a little bit more aware of it, you know? I think a lot of people, oftentimes, don’t have the opportunity to go to school, or they didn’t go to school, period. It definitely causes a little bit of a synapse.
Deepak Chopra: There’s something very kind of important in South Asian families. No matter what economic background they come from, education is a big thing, right?
Lucy Liu: Education is a big thing. I mean, even without having any money, you can still excel going to public schools. I think that you get pushed at home, also.
I had the opportunity to have an older brother and an older sister who were very intelligent; both went to Ivy League schools. I was the youngest; therefore, I didn’t have to really brave the world as much as they did. I sort of followed, hopefully, in their footsteps in the beginning, and then branched out on my own in the end. Deepak Chopra: You’re interested in spirituality. That’s a big part of your life, right?
