Age is Just a Number

Being a child actor isn’t always easy, but for 12-year-old Faithe C. Herman, “it’s a lot of fun” as she has already made a name for herself, starring on NBC’s critically acclaimed drama This Is Us and in last year’s superhero spectacle Shazam!

Herman got her start by following in the footsteps of her siblings who were doing some background work at the time. Eventually, the youngest of the five ended up being the only one who continued to act and went on to nurture her dream, constantly “playing different characters, doing different things, and meeting and acting with different people.”

Since 2016, the tween has been on This Is Us as Annie Pearson, and since she is still relatively new to the acting scene, she always makes sure to be extra-prepared for her role by reading through the script and practicing with both of her parents “scene by scene.” She has already learned so much from her experiences on set and “learns a lot from the adults around me.” Herman takes note of her co-stars and watches them perform their emotional scenes.

Her co-stars – including Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, and Sterling K. Brown – have got her back, too. “I asked Mr. Sterling one time for advice, and he said it’s okay to make mistakes while filming and to not be so hard on myself. I was new to [acting], and it was my first-ever big project. I was so nervous,” shares Herman, who also has a strong support system from her family and teachers while still attending school (“‘How do I do this with so many classes and 7 different teachers?’ But everyone was very supportive, and I ended up getting a 4.0 GPA, which was really exciting”). In addition, she hopes to take after her role model: Yara Shahidi. “Yara did school and acted at the same time. She graduated and balanced it very well,” she explains. Although initially afraid of finding a balance between acting and school, she admits that her loved ones “make it so much easier for me.”

Writer: Gavy Contreras

Photographer: KAT

Stylist: Zoe Joeright

Hair: Candice Hudson

Makeup: Carlos Guillen

Videographer: Rieko Takagi

Editor: Eiko Watanabe

Special thanks to Asian Box (@asianbox - www.asianbox.com) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)