Campbell has been acting since the tender age of six, first appearing on a Colgate television commercial.
If you ever watched “Anna and the King”, you likely spotted Campbell as a young Siamese princess alongside Jodie Foster and Chow Yun Fatt.
This year, she played a supporting role in “That Cover Girl”, the first Malaysian-made series released worldwide on Amazon Prime on Oct 19.
Needless to say, despite her relatively young age of 32, Campbell has already quite the resume and it is likely to grow.
Despite her successes, she remains quite modest, happy to take some time off her busy schedule to speak with FMT Lifestyle.
Speaking in a strong New York accent which she acquired while studying there, Campbell assured that she is still very much Malaysian. “I’m a local girl, lah! I went to school in Sri KDU, grew up in Kota Damansara.”
Her decision to embrace stage life was her own, she said. “I was always the kid at the edge of my seat when I watched onstage performances.”
Apparently, she still remembers her first time acting – as Mary in a nativity play. “I remember being so committed to the part of rocking this plastic baby doll!”
Her time working on the set of “Anna and the King” further confirmed her acting aspirations: “It cemented for me that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
For an eight-year-old like herself, the world of the stage, with its costumes and sets, was like “magic” and she wanted in.
Now that she is an adult in the entertainment world, she has experienced enough to know that getting there has not been easy.
“You are faced with lot of dejection,” she said, adding that she just put her head down and focussed on the work. “If you’re committed and dedicated, people can see it.”
Despite feeling dejected, she said that what was more important was remaining grounded whether you experienced success and failure.
Campbell spent several years in highly competitive Hollywood. “There, you have to jump through hoops just to be seen. It’s not as easy as submitting yourself for an audition.”
That said, she is optimistic about Malaysia’s own entertainment industry, with audiences demanding quality content lately.
“At least here, as an artiste, you can have a bit more control over your career,” she said, adding that Malaysian performers have more options to explore.
And how how did Campbell get involved with “That Cover Girl”? Apparently, the producer reached out to her.
“I had a look at the script and it was really good! The dialogue, story, strong and interesting female characters. This was different.”
Funnily enough, she was not aware the series was going international until she was already on set. And she was suitably thrilled about this revelation.
So what is the TV series about? “That Cover Girl” stars Malaysian Siti Saleha as Sofi Safwan, a fashion entrepreneur with a powerful business empire.
Of course, heavy is the head that wears the crown. Scandals and conspiracies are constant, with Sofi having to deal with each one in turn.
Campbell plays Su Ann, Sofi’s best friend. “She is clever, smart and witty with great zingers. She is practical and fiercely, fiercely loyal.”
She said she found herself relating to her character a fair bit, enough for director Abid Hussain to give her freedom to improv as needed.
She will likely grace the silver screen again soon, including in upcoming film “Padu”, where she plays a national basketball player.
Still, what gives her the most joy is when people find themselves in the stories she tells. “When someone relates to the story, that’s what brings me joy as that’s what film is all about.”
Season 1 of ‘That Cover Girl’ can be streamed on Amazon Prime.