Ni Hao, Jade-Lianna Peters
Parent & Child sits down with Jade-Lianna Peters, the voice behind the star of Nickelodeon's "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan," to learn more about the importance of embracing culture.
Modest and well-spoken, Jade-Lianna Peters sounds more like a seasoned actress than an average 13-year-old. Adopted at 8 months from China, Jade has surpassed numerous obstacles to become the star of Nickelodeon’s Ni Hao, Kai-Lan and follow her dream of being an actress. Multi-talented musically, athletically, and linguistically, Jade isn’t shy about sharing her favorite hobbies, revealing her hardest challenges, and offering the best advice for overcoming “bumps in the road.”
Parent & Child: What do you like most about your job?
Jade-Lianna Peters: I like learning the Chinese language. It’s really fun.
P&C: And you know French?
JLP: I know French. I’ve been taking French since the first grade, and I still take French.
P&C: What is the most challenging part of your job?
JLP: The most challenging part is also learning the Chinese because it’s really hard to learn all the tones and the pronunciation because it’s a lot different from English. It takes a lot of time. It’s challenging, but it’s fun too.
P&C: Kai-Lan does introduce a little of the Mandarin language to viewers, right?
JLP: Yes, she introduces a lot of words and even phrases. She teaches a lot of the Chinese, and I think is really cool.
P&C: There are elements of Chinese values and culture as well.
JLP: There is a lot of culture in the show. Every show has some culture of China in it, and each show also has a problem and then a solution. For example, Rintoo will get mad, and Kai-Lan tells him to calm down, or there’s something new to try and the characters are scared to try something new. But Kai-Lan’s telling them it’s okay, that if you try something new you might like it.
P&C: Has the show taught you more about your background?
JLP: The show has taught me a lot of the culture, which I never really knew. Now every time I read a new script, I always say, “Oh, that’s cool. I never knew that.” I really do want to learn more about the culture. I go to the Milwaukee School of Languages, and I take Chinese. I think it’s a good way to help myself learn. I go to a church near our house, it’s a Chinese church. There are kids around my age. Some of them are Chinese-American and some of them are just Chinese. Some of them are adopted like me, and they speak Chinese. They’re learning Chinese, so we help each other.
P&C: Other than language and culture, how do you relate to your character, Kai-Lan?
JLP: I relate to her because, as you know, Kai-Lan is very close to her grandfather. When I was younger, I was close to my grandfather. Kai-Lan always wants the best for others. I also like to help my friends and do better. Also, Kai-Lan wants to learn more about her culture, and I want to learn more about my culture, too. So, we’re related in some ways.
P&C: You have been called a “role model Chinese-American” by the show’s creator. Do you see yourself that way?
JLP: I’m not sure. I see Kai-Lan as the role model. I think that Kai-Lan is a role model because kids will like her for trying to help out and not being selfish or mean. If kids do look up to Kai-Lan, I think that’s a good thing because then you know they want to be like Kai-Lan and help out and not be mean or bad, and want to be good like Kai-Lan.
P&C: How old were you when you found out that you were adopted?
JLP: My mom told me that I was adopted when I was 8 months, but as you know, I didn’t know much when I was 8 months. As I grew up, and as I understood more, my mom still told me that I am adopted. She never kept that from me.
P&C: What did your parents do to make your multicultural household more comfortable for you and your sister?
JLP: My mom and dad have a lot of Asian friends, so even though we grew up in Wisconsin, we still feel like there’s a lot of Chinese around us. My mom and dad are always talking to Chinese people, and we’re always going to their houses or they’re always coming to our house. We celebrate some of the festivals, like Chinese New Year. We celebrate both Christmas and the Chinese New Year. We understand, and we know about American culture and Chinese culture.
P&C: Would you give any advice to children who have been adopted from another country or to parents who adopt children from other countries?
JLP: I think that even if they’re from China or Germany or all those other places that they should learn their culture. Even if they come to America, and they’re raised in America, and they know the American culture, I still think they should learn their culture because that’s where they’re from, and that’s their heritage. That would be really cool for them to learn about their background and maybe understand more about where they come from.
P&C: Besides going to school, the Milwaukee School of Languages, working very hard on your show, and learning Mandarin, what are some of your favorite hobbies?
JLP: I can play the guitar. I play the violin. I play the piano. I’m on a competitive swim team, and I like to read, spend time with friends, and play with my dog.
P&C: What do you hope children will take away from your show?
JLP: I think and I hope they will learn new words every time, learn a valuable lesson every time, and pick up some of the culture. I think they will enjoy the show, and I think they will learn a lot of the language because Kai-lan teaches it well, and she does it in a fun way. She does it in a fun way so that we don’t think learning a language is work, work, work. It’s fun but still challenging. They’ll learn some of the culture; they’ll learn new things about China. They’ll learn valuable lessons. They’ll say “Oh well, Kai-Lan says if you’re mad, you just calm down,” and they might follow it.
P&C: What are your goals for the future?
JLP: I like acting. I want to be an actress. To me, anything that involves acting I like. Whether voice work or live action, it’s all acting, which is really fun to me.
P&C: Do you have any advice, tips, or anything to say to our readers?
JLP: Whatever you want to be, an actor, an actress, doctor, nurse, firefighter, whatever, if you want to be something and there are bumps in the road and it gets harder, if you stick to it, it will pay off later in life. You have to go through some hard times with it to get where you want to be, the point in time where you want to be. Eventually you’ll get there if you persevere, if you keep going.
