Minnie Mills is a 22-year-old Canadian-American actress and former model, probably best known for portraying Shayla Wang in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” — “TSITP” web series.
Early life
Cho Min-hee [Korean name in the Instagram bio] Mills was born on 21 January 2002 in London, England. She has a sister named Emma Paris Mills, who is 15 months younger. Minnie’s mother, Semi Cho, is of South Korean descent, while her father, Trevor Mills, is Canadian. Her family moved to New York City, USA when she was four. Afterwards, Minnie landed several child modeling gigs, most notably with Tommy Hilfiger, Macy’s, Pepsi Co., and H&M. However, in her interview with the Asian American Girl Club, Minnie said she didn’t consider any town or country her home.
Minnie learned to read, write and speak Korean as a kid. She also loved traditional food. Unfortunately, she was bullied for her accent and struggled to find her favorite meals, as her family was usually the only one with Korean heritage in the vicinity.
Minnie told TODAY that she felt invisible and unconsidered while growing up. Even when people acknowledged her, they assumed that she fit all stereotypes of Asians in the US without wanting to learn more about her.
Minnie told Popsugar that her mom prioritized skincare in the household, and usually made concoctions from the ingredients that she could find. Her usual makeup routine from her teenage years onwards involved a light foundation mixed with moisturizer, followed by blush an, almost always voluminous, curled synthetic lashes.
Early education
Minnie attended All Saints Day School, although she hasn’t specified where, and matriculated as the class of 2015. According to Minnie’s LinkedIn profile, she then enrolled at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, USA, a co-educational university preparatory school. Minnie said that a fellow student once told her that she ‘was a background character because she never did anything important as a teenager in school, and most people forgot that she was there.’
In the TODAY interview, Minnie said that she would tell the version of herself from the eighth grade that ‘she can be the main character such as Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” movie.’ After matriculating in 2019, Millie enrolled at Avenues: The World School in Manhattan, New York City, US, where she studied for a year, during which time she played tennis on the varsity team.
In 2020, Millie enrolled at Columbia University in New York City to study a double major in biomedical and behavioral neuroscience. She’s expected to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2024. In New York City, Minnie was also trained in acting at the Atlantic Theatre Company’s Acting School, and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
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Source of career
Minnie told TODAY that she felt invisible and unconsidered growing up. Even when people acknowledged her, she thought that they never considered her individuality; instead, they assumed that she fit all stereotypes of Asians in the US. Despite growing up in predominantly white communities, Minnie always proudly shared that she was Korean.
Minnie also felt that the media and the Hollywood entertainment industry under-represented people of Asian descent. Additionally, she noticed an increase in Korean media popularity. According to her The Chery Picks interview, Minnie forced her sister to watch a Disney Channel movie starring Brenda Song nearly every weekend for years, because it had an Asian woman in the female lead role. In her profile on the Backpage.com website for aspiring actors, Minnie disclosed that she was a great singer but a beginner violinist and guitar player. She was also adept at skiing, gymnastics, and photography.
Career
From May 2011 to March 2017, Minnie was a model signed with Wilhelmina Models agency in New York City. In May 2017, she became an intern app content developer for Enuma, Inc., a California, US-based educational technology company offering learning mobile applications for children, such as Todo Math, Todo Korean, Todo English, and Enuma School.
Minnie left that position in August 2020, and revealed to Wonderland Magazine that she used the lockdown in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic to record and send audition tapes. She was particularly excited by Shayla. After reading the script, Minnie said that the character seemed like the Asian ‘it’ girl who was vulnerable and flawed, yet confident and unapologetic and knew that she wanted to play her.
Television debut
Minnie made her acting debut on 17 June 2022 in the first episode, “Summer House,” of the Amazon Prime Video original series “TSITP.” Her family members doubted that she could portray her because Shayla had a vastly different personality, but which only inspired Minnie. The series follows the 16-year-old Isabel “Belly” Conklin, who vacations in Cousins Beach during summer, where she meets Minnie’s character, a 16-year-old Australian girl from an affluent family.
Belly has vacationed there yearly since she was a kid. At the same time, Shayla dreams of pursuing a career in fashion design; She came to Cousins Beach to become a debutante, i.e., to present herself to the fashionable society of upper-class families who gather at the Cousins Beach Country Club.
Developing Shayla
Minnie told Wonderland magazine that Shayla wasn’t in the book of the same name by Jenny Han, on which the series was based. Minnie hadn’t read the book before sending the audition tape, but had followed the work of the Asian-American author. Jenny said that she created the role after seeing Minnie audition for one of the leads – Minnie was drinking coffee with a friend named India when she got the callback, and excitedly screamed about it on the way home.
Minnie Mills as Shayla in #TheSummerITurnedPretty Photo by Jesse Peretz pic.twitter.com/fnVF7QVKwV
— The Summer I Turned Pretty Updates (@tsitpupdates) June 25, 2022
Minnie revealed that the writers asked her to add a personal touch to Shayla’s appearance. Consequently, Minnie worked with the makeup artist and costume designer, creating many distinctive outfits and Shayla’s signature winged eyeliner look, which they called ‘Shayla’s layer of confidence’ behind the scenes. Moreover, the producers suggested that she use her multicultural accent instead of the planned standard American one. Minnie said that she and Shayla shared ‘kindness and empathy towards people they cared about.’ She also implied that she suggested the idea of a love triangle between Steven Conklin, Shayla and Belly.
Stories from the set
In her Daily Pop interview, Minnie stated that she felt like a grandma despite the young cast. She explained that she gained the nickname “Sleepyhead” because she frequently slept on set. Moreover, Sean Kaufman, who played Steven, had an entire photo album of her dozing off in various places. Minnie’s habit was sometimes more problematic, because Sean, Christopher Briney who played Conrad, and David Iacono who portrayed Cameron “Cam,” orchestrated many pranks on set. One of the main stunts involved throwing a speaker on full volume into people’s trailers.
Furthermore, Minnie became a fan of singer Taylor Swift after noticing how many of Taylor’s songs were on the soundtrack. Consequently, she created a Spotify playlist called ‘blondie’ for herself and her fans. Her favorite was the “My Tears Ricochet” track. Minnie described the show to Timid Magazine in three words: change, love, and summer. She also admitted that her favorite episode was the fourth; at one point, Steven arrived at Shayla’s house to apologize, and she loved the emotional impact of that scene.
Minnie told The Chery Picks that she urged all cast members to wear sunscreen, compelled by her mother’s insistence on skincare. Besides sunscreen products, she always brought four items to the beach: a volleyball, lemonade, sunglasses, and a hat.
Leaving “TSITP”
After being under the spotlight in all seven episodes of the first season, and dating one of the lead male characters, viewers expected Shayla to return in the second. After all, Amazon Prime Video renewed the second season before the first premiered. Unfortunately, when it aired in July 2023, they quickly discovered that Minnie was not on the list of cast members.
On 19 April 2023, Minnie clarified on Instagram that ‘playing Shayla was a privilege because the character made her grow as a person and an actor, and allowed her to play a powerful woman who didn’t need to be seen by a white male counterpart to be relevant,’ but that she was departing. However, she didn’t explain why.
Some people noticed that a week later, Minnie had lent her voice in an episode of the audio-only romantic comedy series, “Meet Cute Presents: Dump Him!” Additionally, she revealed to Timid Magazine that she’d been writing and wanted to share her literary work. ScreenRant reported that Jenny wrote that ‘she tried to involve Shayla in one episode of the second season, but that Shayla’s joyful life would contrast Belly’s grief.’ Consequently, Shayla and Steven broke up off-screen.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=612587430280700
That brought attention to Minnie’s Instagram post from 12 October 2022, in which Minnie shared her first poem, “Epiphyllum Oxypetalum,” and revealed that she’d struggled with mental illness for years. Two months later, Minnie shared her second poem, “Kintsugi.” – meaning ‘golden joinery or repair,’ it’s the Japanese art of rebuilding shattered pottery with gold and creating an art piece.
Plans
In late 2022, Minnie revealed that her favorite book is “1Q84” by Haruki Murakami; “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin is a close second. Thus, she might be interested in related projects. She also noted that she loved the “Spider-Man” franchise and would love to play Cindy Moon. Her favorite movie then was “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
In September 2023, Minnie attended the first runway presentation of her friend BACH MAI and Chanel brand‘s Lucky Chance Diner event. About two months later, she participated in the launch of Kate Spade’s book “It’s So You.”
Minnie excited her fans by announcing that she would join the “Obliterated” Netflix series halfway through its first season. In November 2023, she debuted as Jen Yung in the fourth episode, and in doing so appeared on-screen alongside actors such as Shelley Hennig, Terrence Terrel, Nick Zano, and Kimi Rutledge. Minnie reprised her role in the seventh and eighth episodes, the latter being the season finale. However, Netflix has yet to renew the series for a second season.
In mid-December 2023, Minnie was at the premiere of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” television series based on the eponymous book by Rick Riordan. Furthermore, Minnie volunteers at the Children’s Ministry Group at the Redeemer Presbyterian Church. She also works with the Liberty in North Korea group, to settle people who escaped the totalitarian dictatorship of the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un.
Rumored boyfriend, Sean Kaufman
Most people assumed that Minnie began dating her on-screen love, Sean. They were close on set and had great chemistry; Sean’s lack of social media profiles added to the mystery. However, Minnie wished him a happy birthday on 22 June 2022, attaching photos of them in various settings, and wrote that ‘he was her best friend who always made her smile.’
Rumored boyfriend, David Iacono
US Magazine journalists and many of Minnie’s social media followers have speculated whether she was dating David while the show aired. In June 2022, she uploaded a photo set of them hugging, spending time on outings such as a sports field and the beach, and wrote that ‘she was his partner in crime and that their adventures have just begun.’
About five months later, Minnie posted several Polaroid photos showing her posing at home, eating dinner in a restaurant, waiting for the train, and boating. She wrote that ‘they represented her, captured through David’s eyes.’ While David had a social media presence, he primarily used his profiles to promote the show, or post behind-the-scenes content, adding to the intrigue.
Physical characteristics
Minnie has dark brown hair, sometimes dyed black, and dark brown eyes. In her Backstage.com profile, Minnie stated that she’s 5ft 6ins (1.67m) tall and weighs about 108lbs (49kgs).
Net worth
Minnie has a net worth of about $300,000. Morris Yorn and Paradigm Talent Agency represent her, and she’s promoted Tiffany & Co., SHIFFON Co., JOAH Beauty, and Gold House brands.
