Sarah Guirguis Living a triple life as an actress, dancer and mother of three, Joy Osmanski has established herself as one of Hollywood’s hardest-working entertainers. After being cast as the lead role in a local production of ‘Our Town’, the Korean-American actress auditioned and received her MFA from UC San Diego, one of the top three professional actor training programs in the country. Since then, she has been booking roles in hit projects including FOX’s ‘The Loop’, Netflix’s ‘Santa Clarita Diet’, Freeform’s ‘The Fosters’, ‘Fired Up’, and ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel’, to name a few. With this year’s release of her two highly anticipated television series, her career is definitely for the win.
Starring alongside Amy Poehler, Ty Burrell, Riki Lindhome and Rashida Jones, she is the voice of a five-year-old character in FOX’s animated comedy, ‘Duncanville’, which just premiered Sunday, February 16. It centers around the life of Duncan Harris, an average teenager, who is always one step away from making a bad decision. Along with Duncan lives his mom Annie, a parking enforcement officer, who dreams of being a detective someday. There is also his dad Jack, who tries to be a better father figure to Duncan than his father was to him, his sister Kimberly, who is a normal teenager going through normal teen-phases and his other adopted sister Jing (Osmanski), who is known as the moral compass of the family.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, she’s also playing the role of a villainess called Tigress in CW’s ‘Stargirl’, which will be premiering Spring 2020. The cast for this show includes Luke Wilson, Amy Smart and Luke Wilson. The story mainly revolves around highschool sophomore Courtney Whitmore, who discovers a powerful cosmic staff. After learning that her stepfather Pat Dugan used to be a hero sidekick, she becomes the inspiration for a new generation of superheroes. In this DC series, Osmanski’s character is known for her skills in hand-to-hand combat and extensive weapons background.
When she isn’t busy in front of the camera or in a studio, Osmanski will be found spending time with her husband and three kids and walking their dogs, taking care of their two bee hives or working out. We got the chance to ask her a few questions and get to know her better.
What’s the best and worst thing about voicing a five-year-old character in Duncanville?
The best thing about voicing a five-year-old is getting to pretend that I was ever that clever as a kid. I’m pretty sure I was making the typical demands and probably only amusing to my parents. There is literally no worst thing about voicing Jing. She is everything I wish I was, today.
How did you prepare for your part as a villain in Stargirl?
The first time I had a costume fitting for Tigress, I saw the rendering of the super suit and was profoundly inspired to start working out right now. I think I actually started for the door. Laura Jean Shannon created an incredible, inspiring design for the character, and all the physical training I did was to live up to and honor that costume. I wanted to be in the best physical condition I could be, and to be strong. I knew there would be a lot of stunts, and I wanted to be able to do as many as I could. Clicking into Paula Brooks, the flip side of Tigress, was pretty straightforward. Despite her actions being less than admirable, her motivation is easy to connect with — she wants to protect her family. For me, that was easy.
What type of vibes should viewers expect from both shows?
Talk about polar opposites! Duncanville and Stargirl are both about families but that’s where the similarities end. As an animated show, Duncanville has the freedom to go anywhere the writers’ imaginations can take it, and these writers took it in every fantastic direction. It is a fun push back to the context of the show which is centered around an extraordinarily average teenager. But hey, it’s Mike and Julie Scully and Amy Poehler, so you know the world of Duncanville is going to be a relatable madness. I love it.
Stargirl is a really personal project for Geoff Johns and that was palpable from the beginning of production. The show has a wonderful, fierce and funny heroine and an incredible cast, and the timeless struggle of good and evil. There’s a coming-of-age element with Stargirl discovering her powers and abilities, and that kind of transformation story is one I love telling. I can’t believe I get to be part of two such special, unique shows.
Any tips on how you can juggle time between family, fitness and a busy work schedule?
Ha — the eternal question! Finding a way to give balanced time to family, fitness and work is like trying to put clothes on a running man. My husband, Corey, and I are always finding new ways to bend and stretch around all the demands of life. And we do a fair amount of flailing. I think the one thing we’ve learned is that you must put on your own oxygen mask first. Without that, you’re no help to anyone. It’s been a lesson that’s taken me some time to learn. I haven’t always been great at taking care of myself, so I try to be better about checking in with myself often and honestly. For me, exercising regularly has changed my life. After giving birth to my daughter I experienced some terrible postpartum depression and anxiety. Making exercise a priority was a huge part of pulling me out of that darkness. With actors, work is often unpredictable and sporadic, so as a family we aim for as much consistency as possible. It’s not always easy, but I think my kids are coming to understand the nature of what we do as actors.
