Dara Woo on Jumping from Silicon Valley to Broadway, Redefining Representation, and Finding Balance Between Code and Curtain Call
…The movement I feel most passionate about — the one I’ve dedicated the last 10 years of my life to — is getting more women into tech… Especially with where AI is headed, we need diverse voices in the room. We’re seeing people pushing these technologies forward and monetizing them without necessarily thinking about the broader ethical implications. You need people — whether they’re women, people of color, or just diverse thinkers — who are willing to ask, ‘Hey, is this really a good idea?…
I had the pleasure of talking with Dara Woo, a Broadway actor and former software engineer whose professional journey bridges the contrasting worlds of technology and performance. Originally from Cupertino, California, Woo was raised in the heart of Silicon Valley, where the rhythms of the tech industry were part of daily life. Her upbringing was steeped in technology. Her high school neighbored Apple’s corporate campus, and both of her parents worked as executive recruiters in the tech sector. This environment shaped her early academic and professional choices, leading her to major in computer science at the University of Michigan and later take on engineering roles at prominent companies including Lyft, Electronic Arts, Salesforce, and Disney.
Though her early career followed a traditional tech trajectory, Woo’s interests gradually shifted toward the arts. Her initial foray into the entertainment industry was unconventional: as a high school student engaged in activities like woodshop and martial arts, she entered a local beauty pageant to reconnect with another side of herself. That experience led to print modeling work and conference appearances in the Bay Area, offering an early taste of performance. While studying at Michigan, Woo began taking acting classes, eventually relocating to Los Angeles in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic to pursue acting in earnest.
Woo began her acting career by self-submitting to roles on platforms like Backstage, taking on a range of early opportunities — from independent projects to music videos. One such experience, a shoot in the remote Coachella Valley, underscored the unpredictability of the industry. Although the circumstances were unfamiliar, the experience reinforced her commitment to the work and served as an early stepping stone in her transition to professional acting.
She has since appeared in the CBS series Blue Bloods and starred in the Tubi original Sins of the Bride, steadily building a resume across both television and film. Her most notable role to date came with her Broadway debut in Kip Williams’ The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the production, a multimedia adaptation starring Sarah Snook, Woo played one of five onstage camera operators whose live work feeds directly into the show’s visual storytelling. The production has earned critical praise and multiple Tony nominations, marking a milestone in Woo’s acting career.
Woo’s path to Broadway did not follow a traditional theatrical route. When she auditioned for The Picture of Dorian Gray, she was still employed as a full-time software engineer, coding in the mornings and attending auditions during her lunch break. She did not formally leave her tech role until the first day of rehearsals — a decision emblematic of the balance she continues to maintain between her dual professional identities.
Her experience as a woman of color in both the tech and entertainment industries has shaped Woo’s public commentary and advocacy. She has spoken out about the importance of representation in media and the need for greater diversity in both fields. Woo remains active in mentoring women and underrepresented groups in technology, particularly those pursuing careers in engineering. She is vocal about the societal consequences of having homogenous teams develop influential technologies, and she advocates for more inclusive voices in spaces where critical decisions about innovation and ethics are made.
Within the entertainment industry, Woo is particularly invested in expanding the range and complexity of roles available to Asian American actors. She has expressed frustration with recurring typecasting and is drawn to portraying ambitious, multifaceted female characters whose identities are not confined by stereotype. Her preference for roles with emotional depth and internal conflict reflects a broader interest in stories that explore power, ambition, and self-discovery.
In interviews, Woo has reflected on the challenges of navigating two demanding industries. She views her engineering background as a stabilizing force — an anchor that provides financial and mental balance amid the uncertainties of acting. This dual-track approach has also helped her avoid some of the burnout and rejection often associated with early creative careers. When one aspect of her life is stagnant or difficult, she finds that the other can offer perspective and motivation.
Woo’s professional philosophy is marked by pragmatism and perseverance. She emphasizes the importance of consistent effort, advising aspiring creatives to commit to “one thing a day” toward their goals, whether that’s an email, an audition, or a small creative task. She also stresses the value of visibility, noting that real progress in her acting career began when she started publicly identifying as an actor and sharing her work online. Social media has played a significant role in her professional development, leading to increased exposure and ultimately, representation.
Looking ahead, Woo is focused on continuing to build a career that spans both screen and stage. While her recent experience in theater has deepened her appreciation for live performance, she continues to audition for film and television roles. Her primary interest lies in exploring characters who challenge conventional narratives and reflect a broader spectrum of human experience.
Currently, Woo can be seen in The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Music Box Theater, which is scheduled to run through June 29. Beyond the stage, she remains active on social media under the handle @Silverdare, where she documents her work and engages with audiences interested in both her artistic and tech-centered pursuits.
Yitzi: Dara, it’s so nice to meet you. Before we dive in deep, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share with us the story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Dara: Let’s see. I’m from Silicon Valley. I grew up in Cupertino, California — my high school was right next to the Apple campus. In high school, if I wanted to walk to 7-Eleven, I literally had to pass through Apple’s campus. That made for an interesting childhood, especially because all my friends and their parents worked in tech. My parents worked in tech too. They’re both executive recruiters, which basically means they’re professional interviewers. So you can imagine dinner time was a little intense in the Woo household.
It was a very techy childhood. I majored in computer science. My sister is at CalTech right now. So my entire upbringing and background is very much rooted in tech. But then I got the acting bug, and that’s how I made the transition.
Yitzi: That’s great. Can you tell us the story of how you first started in the entertainment industry?
Dara: Let me think about that for a second. I had a few different introductions to the industry. I actually started a long time ago — I competed in a beauty pageant when I was in high school. At the time, I was doing a lot of male-dominated activities. I was in woodshop, doing martial arts, studying computer science, and I wanted to reconnect with a different side of myself.
So I did the pageant, and from there I was scouted for some local modeling work in the Bay Area. My career really started with a lot of print work.
My first real entry into Hollywood was probably when I took a bunch of acting classes at the University of Michigan. I moved to LA the summer after I graduated, which was shortly after COVID. I was applying through Backstage, self-submitting to casting networks, really getting myself out there, pushing forward, and trying to understand this crazy career that is Hollywood.
So I’d say my actual first steps into the industry happened that summer after college, but the origins definitely go all the way back to high school.
Yitzi: Great. You probably have some great stories from your life in entertainment. Can you share with our readers one or two stories that stand out most in your mind from your professional life?
Dara: Oh, gosh. It’s funny you bring this up because I recently booked The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is the biggest and coolest thing I’ve done in Hollywood so far. I was reflecting on the path it took to get here. It’s easy for people to think it was a smooth ride, but it’s actually been quite the journey.
One story that comes to mind is from when I first moved to LA. I did a music video that was way out in the middle of nowhere — literally, somewhere near Coachella Valley. I had never heard of the artist before, and I remember calling my roommate at the time and saying, “If you don’t hear from me by midnight, I’ve been kidnapped.” I sent her my address and location because I truly had no idea where I was.
Turns out, the people were lovely, and the artist was great. It turned out to be a good experience. But looking back, the whole thing felt surreal and hilariously awkward. That said, don’t force yourself to do something that feels unsafe or deeply uncomfortable. You don’t need to say yes to every opportunity. Trust your instincts and remember you can build a great career without compromising yourself.
It’s wild to think that I went from moments like that — wondering if I’d made a huge mistake — to now stepping into Broadway. Booking that was another really memorable moment. I got the call right before the holidays, and at first, I thought it was a prank. I didn’t even quit my job until literally the first day of rehearsals because I needed to make sure it was real.
Yitzi: It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake you made when you were first starting out, and the lesson you learned from it?
Dara: I’ve made so many mistakes. There are definitely things I wouldn’t redo. But I feel fortunate that I started pursuing acting not late, but with an adult mindset. I was around 20 or 21 when I really started breaking in.
If I’d started younger, I probably would have made more mistakes. In tech, for example, which I got into much earlier, I made a ton of youthful mistakes — things I would never do again. Acting’s actually been a smoother path, partly because I had already figured out how to find my footing in a completely different industry.
One mistake that stands out was during a very big commercial campaign for a household product. I won’t say the name, but it was a huge shoot. My role was a high school student who had just graduated. Everyone kept talking about this one big, final shot all day — we were supposed to hold hands and run into a pool together. It was supposed to be this big, cinematic ending.
Right as we were running, I thought I heard someone yell “Stop,” so I stopped mid-run. Everyone else kept going. I ruined the entire shot. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so bad in my life. I knew how important that moment was, and I just stood there — dry — while everyone else jumped in and got soaked.
That’s definitely a moment I’ll never forget. Lesson learned? Maybe clean my ears. Or perhaps always commit to the shot. But I now make it a point never to mess up the final shot of the day.
Yitzi: Great, it’s a great story. You have so much impressive work. Tell us about the exciting projects you’re working on now and what you hope to be working on in the near future.
Dara: Absolutely. While I’ve primarily worked in TV and film, doing The Picture of Dorian Gray really reignited my love for theater. There’s something electric about live performance: the discipline, the immediacy, the way you can feel the audience breathe with you. I’d love to do more of that.
At the same time, I’m actively auditioning for TV and film projects. I’m most drawn to complex female characters: women who want power, need power, or are wrestling with ambition and identity. I love roles that ask hard questions and let me explore emotional tension, desire, even greed. I don’t just want to say the lines. I want to understand the hunger behind them.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to keep building a body of work that challenges stereotypes and makes room for fuller, more dimensional portrayals, especially for Asian American women. I’m just getting started. I’m also interested in bridging the worlds of art and tech in new ways, whether through storytelling, creative technology, or even building something of my own one day. I want a career that isn’t just successful; I want it to be expansive.
Yitzi: That’s great. So this is our signature question. You’ve been blessed with a lot of success. Looking back to when you first started, you must have learned a lot from your experience. Can you share five things that you’ve learned now that you wish you knew when you first started?
Dara: Five things — there are so many, but I’ll just go off the top of my head.
- First, I’m a big believer in having a side hustle alongside a full-time job. My advice is, don’t let anyone make you feel less than for making your passion a side hustle. Unless someone is paying your bills, they don’t have the right to tell you what your job should or shouldn’t be. If you need to pay the bills a certain way — even with a job you don’t love — it doesn’t make you any less of an artist, an entrepreneur, or a dreamer. It doesn’t invalidate your passions.
- Second, if you are pursuing a side hustle or a passion project, do one thing every day. It doesn’t have to be big. For me, a lot of times it’s just sending an email. It could be that, a photo shoot, an entire gig, or an audition. But you have to keep doing something. I’ve done one thing a day for my acting career for at least the last five years. Build a website, build a reel — whatever it is, you have to keep the momentum going. If you don’t let it become part of your identity, it’ll slip away, and one day you’ll look back and wonder where the time went.
- Third, it’s easier to figure out what you don’t like than what you do like. I remember feeling really lost in college because I didn’t enjoy the computer science classes I was taking. But that realization helped me reorient myself toward a path I did enjoy. Figuring out what you don’t like is just as valuable.
- Fourth, you’ve got to be seen. You can’t be afraid of people’s perceptions of you. I didn’t start seeing movement in my acting career until everyone in my life knew I was an actor — and had seen me act. For three years, I was quietly acting, hoping and praying to get into big shows and movies, and I realized even my closest friends didn’t know I was pursuing it. I kept it close because it was precious to me, and I was afraid if I put it out into the world, people would judge me. Like, I didn’t act in high school, and I was scared people would say, “That’s kind of weird for her.” But it doesn’t matter. The second I started posting on TikTok, I started getting millions of views. That’s how I got my manager, how I built my reel. I had to be fearless and say, ‘Yeah, I’m an actor. Maybe you haven’t seen me act but I’ve been taking classes the last 5 years — you just didn’t know.’ Reinventing yourself takes guts. You don’t need permission to pivot. You can’t worry about being judged. And you have to suck before you become good.
- And fifth — take care of your mental health. If you’re doing something that’s draining you, whether it’s your passion or not, you need something else in your life to give you balance. I really enjoy the balance of tech and acting. When one is going poorly, hopefully the other is going well. It gives me different things to focus on. Actors often struggle with mental health because you can submit hundreds of auditions and not hear anything back. When you fill your life with other things — friends, family, a pet, another job, a hobby — it gives you perspective and makes you a fuller person. That energy shows up in your scenes, and you’re not as stressed about every little thing.
One last little thing I’ll share — I went to the Dorian Gray Broadway audition because it was a block away from my corporate office. I spent the morning coding, went to the audition during my lunch break, then went back to the office for meetings and more coding. That kind of balance helped me show up to the audition without second-guessing myself. Then afterward, I didn’t overthink it because I had work to jump right back into. That kind of compartmentalization is what kept me sane and helped me show up fully for both worlds.
Yitzi: Okay, so this is our final aspirational question. Dara, because of your great work and the platform you’ve built, you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could put out an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be?
Dara: To inspire a movement? Oh my. Wow, that is such a great question. I’ll answer this in two parts.
The movement I feel most passionate about — the one I’ve dedicated the last 10 years of my life to — is getting more women into tech. Ideally, women in coding, but honestly, I just want more women in tech in general.
For example, Facebook is an app used by eight billion people, and it was originally built by ten 30-year-old men in a garage. There are unintended consequences to that. The fact that something so powerful was created by such a homogenous group has real-world implications.
This is my number one passion. I feel it in my bones. Especially with where AI is headed, we need diverse voices in the room. We’re seeing people pushing these technologies forward and monetizing them without necessarily thinking about the broader ethical implications. You need people — whether they’re women, people of color, or just diverse thinkers — who are willing to ask, “Hey, is this really a good idea?”
That’s what I care about deeply: diversity in the room where decisions are being made.
The second movement I’d point to is increasing the visibility of Asian Americans in Hollywood. Not just more representation, but better representation. There are still so few Asian Americans on screen, and when we are on screen, we’re often stuck in stereotypical roles — accents, dragon ladies, ninjas, nerds.
I don’t just want Asian Americans in Hollywood. I want them in fully human roles — where their ethnicity is incidental, not the headline. They don’t need to fall into any stereotypes. They can just be people.
I feel strongly about that because the more we show Asian Americans in diverse, nuanced roles, the more we break down harmful stereotypes and create a deeper understanding across cultures. It’s about making people feel seen, and helping others realize that people are people, regardless of their ethnicity.
Yitzi: It’s beautiful. It’s been so nice to meet you. How can our readers continue to follow your work? How can they watch your shows or support you in any way?
Dara: Oh, thank you. First, I’d say come see The Picture of Dorian Gray on Broadway. It runs until June 29. Sarah Snook is a force to be reckoned with. We’ve got six Tony nominations — it’s an incredible show.
And second, follow me on Instagram and TikTok at @Silverdare. There’s more to come, and I’m excited for you all to follow along.
Yitzi: It’s been so wonderful to meet you. Wishing you continued success, blessings, and good health. I hope we can do this again next year.
Dara: Yes, I’ll see you next year. Thank you so much. These were awesome questions. I really enjoyed thinking about them and chatting with you. So thank you.
Yitzi: My pleasure. Thank you for your kind words.
Dara Woo on Jumping from Silicon Valley to Broadway, Redefining Representation, and Finding… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.