The Asian Film Awards (AFA) recently spotlighted a trio of actors as youth ambassadors for this year’s edition. Natalie Hsu, Mean Phiravich and Kent Tsai, representing Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan respectively, spoke with Variety about the trends in their film industries, what lessons they’re learning from their older colleagues and how to adapt to different filmmaking cultures. For Hong Kong’s Hsu, most recently nominated for best actress at last year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, the path forward is paved with the disciplined examples set by her illustrious co-stars. Having worked with Chinese megastar Fan Bingbing on “Mother Bhumi,” Hsu observed a high level of self-maintenance. Popular on Variety “She makes a really active and big effort to keep herself in good condition, because as obviously you want to be in your most ideal shape when you’re filming,” Hsu said. “From things like skin care, every day when she came onto set, she was in a [facial] mask. Where we were shooting in Malaysia was extremely rural, literally nothing. But she would go to the grocery store and buy fruit and blend up her own smoothies. She would have tea on set. So she really puts in the effort.” Hsu also picked up important tips from legendary Hong Kong singer and actor Aaron Kwok when they worked on the 2025 family drama “My First of May.” “He doesn’t stop. Practicing on set, he’s so in it, even waiting for a camera set, a next camera setup or just waiting around, he’s going through his lines. He’s so zoned-in and focused,” recalled Hsu, who said that it changed her approach to performance. “I used to jump in and out. And I think it’s because I felt like I could, because I’m quite instinctive with acting. But it definitely helps and it’s different when you stay in the zone.” For Phiravich, commercial success in the Thai film and TV drama industry has come with its ups and downs, particularly typecasting in teen romance genres. “I’m 28 years old now, but I still get cast as a student, so I have some issues with this. It has to be something to challenge myself, but I’m not worried because I feel that eventually I will gradually age into roles that are more suitable in character to me,” said the Thai actor. He also expressed concern about the state of the Thai film industry, which saw blockbuster results in 2023 and 2024. “In the past two years, there have been a lot of movies in Thailand that have grossed over a hundred million baht ($3.01 million), which can be considered a phenomenon,” said Phiravich. “Once it broke through that level, everyone gathered to make movies, and it turned out to be a bubble. This year compared to last year, Thai films have declined significantly. It is a concerning dip in the Thai film industry,” he continued, blaming the decline on repetitive content. Taiwan’s Tsai echoed these sentiments regarding the Taiwanese market. “One amazing thing about Taiwan is that it is very easy for everyone to jump on the bandwagon and do the same thing,” said Tsai. “It’s like when something succeeds, there will be a lot of similar types in the next two or three years.” He noted the resurgence of genre filmmaking in Taiwan after a lengthy period of nostalgic teen romance stories, which had saturated the market. Tsai himself has appeared in a series of successful genre films of late, including 2022’s crime thriller “Bad Education,” 2024’s heist comedy “Breaking and Re-entering” and 2025’s action thriller “96 Minutes.” “When someone is willing to invest in a movie to do something different, there is success. Of course, afterwards, there will be a rush of people doing the same thing. But I think, in terms of the current diversity of Taiwanese cinema, it is quite diverse,” he said. The trio recently collaborated on an AFA-produced short film, an experience that highlighted the nuances of different production cultures. Tsai was particularly struck by the chemistry of his co-stars. He praised Hsu’s presence. “I really liked her gaze, because her gaze always carried a question mark.” Of Mean, he praised the Thai actor’s instinct. “He really knows what he needs to do at the moment when I give him a look.” Mean admitted that the fast-paced Hong Kong style of filmmaking brought a unique pressure, especially given the language barrier. Tsai found that Taiwan and Hong Kong sets share a similar DNA due to the frequent movement of crews between the two. “Cinematographers, directors, assistant directors, many of them come from Hong Kong. So, I feel that the entire filming environment in Taiwan and Hong Kong is actually quite alike,” Tsai noted. Hsu, however, found the cultural rhythms of Malaysia distinct during her travels. “On the call sheet, they’ll actually mark the prayer time in the morning and evening,” said Hsu, noting that prayers were strictly observed. “And then in Malaysia they also have a tea time around like four or five p.m. They bring around cakes and kueh. I don’t know why we don’t have that in Hong Kong!” Regardless, the realities of pan-Asian co-production means that collaboration across cultures and countries is becoming the norm than the exception. “I’ve collaborated with many Hong Kong actors, Japanese actors, Korean actors as well and I think this is a good trend for the future,” said Tsai. “I think in the past, everyone might have thought that as long as we make our own movies well, that’s enough. But I think now everyone wants to make the entire Asian film industry bigger and bigger.”