Meet Thuc Nguyen from the East Coast (and formerly of London- Camberwell SE5 8QW, thank you for very much), who moved to LA 18 years ago to get away from the aftermath of 9/11 and has left for years at a time and is now back in LA again.
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
Not really- I had a few friends of friends here
What do you miss most from home?
Being able to wear more wool and tweed. Rain, weather and all.
What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since?
I saw Angelyne throw up at a gas station pump – that summed it up for me at the time but since then LA has grown on me. There are more art galleries and museums than there were at the end of 2001 when I first arrived with a suitcase. The food has gotten better too. LA has come into its own, really stepped forward with its culture. It used to be known as an entirely vapid place and now it has a lot more going on for it. Hopefully it will do even better with celebrating its diversity.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus London?
LA is so different than New York or London to me because everything is paced more slowly. I had to try to learn to be “laid back”. People are still hyper focused on Hollywood too. London was more energetic and convenient for me. It was so much better regimented too. LA is more up in the air- it’s tougher to say what the day will bring- people languish and more things are last minute and rescheduled a lot. And of course now I have to really look to find decent fish n’ chips, whereas in London, my shop was right at my bus station on the way home. Also, I can’t get gooseberry yoghurt here. I was a purely public transit gal in London. Now I’m one of those people with a SUV.
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
I like to keep these things all to myself. Just kidding- I love Lacy Park in San Marino- it’s splendid – you won’t feel like you’re in LA. You’ll think you’re in a heath.
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
Be ready- traffic is real. If you think you can live on the East Side and commute to Santa Monica, it can take over two hours a day, one way. You really have to try to plan your day accordingly. It’s nearly impossible to perform more than two tasks a day.
Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Be more persistent. LA is a town that will give you a lot of rejection, but that will make you tougher. Really- keep going until you get what you want. In London, for me- it was much easier to just get to work. Things take a lot longer in LA.
Lastly, how can we find out more about you? Are you working on anything at the moment? I’m repping at twitter.com/biatchpack. I’m working on more satirical screenplays.
