Age: 20
female
Alexa Loo is a Chinese Canadian actor from Vancouver, Canada. Even at a young age, Alexa was immediately drawn to the arts. As a result, her parents enrolled her into a fine arts elementary school where she excelled in art, dance, and theatre. At the age of 13 Alexa was accepted into a professional ballet training program but she declined this opportunity in order to pursue an acting career. That same year Alexa successfully booked her first audition which was for the reoccurring role of Phan Hu on the critically acclaimed series Rogue. She then went on to appear in DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Disney Channel's Gabby Duran and the Unsittables. Then at the age of 15, Alexa was cast as series regular Denise for the TBS series Chad. She was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside the talented Nasim Pedrad. Alexa is also extremely proud of her Asian heritage and she hopes that one day soon we will see more diversity and Asian representation in film and television. In her spare time, Alexa continues to train and compete in many different disciplines of dance. She also enjoys creative writing, travelling, and painting.
Sly, surprising, and razor-sharp, Natural Beauty follows a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost. Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk—and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and gives her a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister. A piercing, darkly funny debut, Natural Beauty explores questions of consumerism, self-worth, race, and identity—and leaves readers with a shocking and unsettling truth.
