Bianca Stam is a true modern Renaissance woman. From modeling and acting to entrepreneurship and motherhood, she embraces every challenge with fearless determination.
In this exclusive interview, Bianca shares her journey—working with Hollywood legends, her unexpected commercial success, her passion for food and business, and the raw realities of motherhood. She also opens up about postpartum struggles, her upcoming children’s book, and why bringing her baby on set matters to her.
Her story is one of resilience, ambition, and reinvention. Read on as she shares her highs, struggles, and lessons learned along the way.
Hello Bianca! We’re so glad to have you here with us today. Thank you for taking the time to share your story.
Bianca, you’ve had such a dynamic career—modeling, acting, entrepreneurship, and now motherhood. How do you balance it all?
To be honest, I don’t feel like I am balancing it well at all. When I focus on one thing, something else suffers and then I get very depressed about the thing I am failing at/not focused on. I don’t think balance is possible, I honestly feel it’s a myth.
From starring in Chasing the Dragon alongside legends like Donnie Yen and Andy Lau to playing Faith Cole in Big Sky, what has been the most memorable moment in your acting career so far?
I take something special with me from every single film/tv show I do. I totally come alive on set and when I get to bring a character to life, I get to wear that person’s skin for a while and I just love it. So every experience is magical, but if I had to pick one, it’s when I shot my first scene on US television with Jensen Ackles. He is so huge, so famous, so intimidating, yet the most gracious person I have ever met on set; truly. He spoke to everyone, was so kind and encouraging to me and those around him, seemed to enjoy his work and was so awesome to work with as I was so nervous working with him and Kathryn Winnick, two incredible actors I so look up to. He constantly patted me on my shoulder and assured me I was doing great, picked up my gun every time I dropped it when the scene ended, a true gentleman in every way. I’ll never forget it.
You’ve been featured in major national commercials for brands like Target, Amazon, and Ritz Carlton. What do you enjoy most about commercial work, and how does it compare to film and TV?
To be frank, I’m a little stunned by my own commercial career. I never thought I would be doing this, commercials are such a crapshoot of randomness. I always felt I would be more of an actress in TV and film so it was so unexpected for me throughout my 20’s to book so many national commercials. I mean… I think I am very good at it. And it pays very well (unlike TV and film for me right now) and has given me the life I really have so I am so grateful to the modeling industry for that. I don’t enjoy it as much as acting if I am being honest, but it is kind of like acting in its own small scale way. I can appreciate it for what it is. I have to sell that product/lifestyle and I try to look as natural as possible, as many times there are no lines and I have to convey that feeling and sell that dream. That is too; acting.
Beyond entertainment, you’ve also ventured into the restaurant business. What inspired you to open Bar Roma in Chicago, and what has been the most rewarding part of being a restaurant owner?
Food, for one. But if I am to get more honest, modeling/acting is ‘youth money’. That’s not to say I can’t work until I’m 80, (I can and absolutely will), but it’s real estate investments and business that keeps your money growing for you. I urge every model/actor to have work on the side so they can save and invest wisely to be able to have a decent future. And they say if you work in fields you love, you never work a day in your life.
Now that you’re working on a cooking show focused on baby recipes and family meals, what can we expect from it? What inspired you to take on this new project?
I love food, I love TV, so it only makes sense. Padma Lakshmi was one of my idols growing up, she was a model turned food personality/host on the Food Network and I thought to myself wow, talented, beautiful and brainy. I hope to be close to that level of amazing one day! I own a restaurant as well so it kinda makes sense with my brand. But aside from that, I am a great cook and I really enjoy making meals for my family and friends; it’s my love language. I would only want to do a cooking show if I could be myself though, It’s where I can be me and shine as myself, not a movie/tv character. I will absolutely separate the two. It’s a way to get to know the real me, all my walls down.
Motherhood seems to have deeply influenced your journey. How has becoming a mom changed your approach to work and life?
Postpartum depression really hit me bad. I honestly had it throughout my entire pregnancy, before my baby was even born which I still feel guilty about because they say your baby feels everything. I hope she now knows how much I love her and how I dedicate everything to her, (even this magazine shoot and spread) and I want to extend a helping hand to women going through postpartum depression because it’s veryreal. The truth is. not every single woman feels ‘born to have children.’ Some of us really value our lives, careers and freedom; and those things absolutely take a hit when you are pregnant, that’s just the truth. However, it does get better. It’s important to educate women on the facts and be there for them in a real way, reminding them there is light at the end of the tunnel. Normalcy does return, you will get opportunities again, your life is far from over. In fact, it really has only just begun! I am obviously so grateful to my incredible husband who deserves a shout out because of his emotional and physical support of me, being a very hands-on father and allowing me to take breaks and focus on my career sometimes, and of course my friends around me, because I can’t even imagine how single mothers do it!
You bring your baby and nanny on set with you—what inspired that decision, and how has it impacted your experiences on set?
When I used to model in Asia, I would see all the models bring their babies and nannies to castings/sets. I saw that and found it so sweet! I thought to myself wow, maybe one day this will be me. Well, a few short years later, here I am. One of those girls bringing their nanny and baby on set! I just want my daughter to be a part of my life, to have interesting experiences many people don’t have access to, to meet new people of different walks of life, socialize, connect and speak all her languages. I am pentalingual and I plan on her being able to speak at least the five I know, as I’ll speak to her in those languages, and I want her to be a child of the world. I want to give her the world.
You’re also an author! Can you tell us more about your upcoming children’s book with Bitty Bao and what message you hope to share with young readers?
My children’s book is dedicated to my daughter, Eulalia and is set to be released at the end of 2025/early 2026. It’s called The Adventures of Siu Mai and Yu Dan. I was raised in Hong Kong and Cantonese is so important to me, Chinese culture in general; and I want my daughter to be in tune with that side of her heritage as she’s only 1/4 Chinese, 1/4 Italian and half German. The book features Hong Kong local street food personified as fictional characters, best friends; who go on adventures all around Hong Kong. They explore the beauty of Hong Kong, the culture, the language as it’s in Cantonese and Mandarin, and is for every little boy and girl who looks for representation in the media of themselves, who look for a way to love their Chinese-ness.
Finally, Bianca, if you could give one piece of advice to aspiring women looking to pursue their passions—whether in acting, business, or motherhood—what would it be?
Wow, humbled to be asked this as I don’t think I have the answers for anything, I feel like I just go for it. I just try and fail and try and fail, and my life is just a series of that. Perhaps that is my advice, to just go for it and not be afraid to ‘grab life by the lemons,’ so to speak. The only person that can stop you is you. You are not perfect and you will fail, but dare to fail. Dare to look a little silly, because who cares? If you try a hundred times, you may win one out of the 100. That’s what acting is all about anyway, going on 100 auditions and maybe only booking 1, such as life. Don’t be afraid to just go for it.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us! We can’t wait to see what’s next for you.
CREDIT TEAMS:
Model: Bianca Stam @biancawstam
Photographer: Lesley Bohm @lesleybohmphoto
Hair and Makeup: Patrick Santa Ana @patricksantaana
Hair and Makeup/wardrobe assistant: Johnathan Lopez @johnathanlopez_
