Meet Lauren Tsai, Terrace House star in Legion season 3 making her acting debut

For her very first acting gig, Lauren Tsai landed in the third and final season of Legion – a rather befuddling television series with a fan base that is obsessive to the point of being unforgiving. She had never watched the show until she was preparing to audition for it, and has never taken a single acting lesson besides watching “how to act” videos on YouTube. Those circumstances might have overwhelmed most newbie actresses. But for this model, artist and reality-show star, being self-taught is something she is accustomed to.

Best-known for her role in the Japanese Netflix reality show Terrace House: Aloha State, Tsai is the newest recruit in an established cast that includes Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey fame and the ever-exceptional Jean Smart. She plays Switch, a time-travelling mutant joining an existing band of mutants who specifically aligns herself with Stevens’ David Haller.

Filming was not nearly as jarring as she might have feared, she tells the Post during a recent interview at a hotel in Pasadena.

“There was not a cell in my body that ever doubted I would take this part,” says the 21-year-old. “Everyone has been extremely welcoming. The actors, producers, camera people, lighting – there was never a moment where I felt like I would become lost. Whenever I expressed uncertainty, people ran to my aid.”

It has been a fairly seamless transition for the new actress, who says her life has seen its fair share of serendipity. Born in Massachusetts – her father’s family is from Beijing, her mother is American-European – Tsai was a shy and introverted child, and acted in school plays as a way to shore up her confidence.