How Jamie Chung Turned Unemployment into Opportunity

— -- Jamie Chung is an actress best known for her leading roles as "Mulan" on ABC’s "Once Upon A Time" and Valerie Vale on Fox’s "Gotham."

But it wasn’t overnight success for Chung, now 33, who originally went to school for business, studying economics at the University of California, Riverside.

"Coming from an immigrant family, my parents didn’t graduate from college," Chung told ABC’s Chief Business, Technology and Economics Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis. "I think they wanted me to teach at a university or work at a huge firm."

Instead, Chung moved to Los Angeles and began working part-time at Cynthia Rowley, auditioning in her off hours and eventually landing acting roles in movies like "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," "The Hangover Part II" and "Sin City." She was first introduced to TV audiences on MTV’s "The Real World: San Diego" in 2004.

The toughest lesson she picked up along the way?

"Your work does not define you," Chung told Jarvis.

Ultimately, it was a dry spell in her acting career that led to one of Chung’s proudest creations -- her blog "What The Chung?"

"I had two years when I was out of work," Chung said. In that time, she started building what’s become a go-to source in the fashion community, landing ambassadorships with well-known brands Nike, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and Banana Republic and earning the #2 spot on US Magazine’s "Best Dressed" list.

This December, she’ll star in Paramount’s comedy "Office Christmas Party."

To find out more about how Jamie Chung turned a role in reality television into a successful acting career, watch her interview on "Real Biz with Rebecca Jarvis."

Disney is the parent company of ABC and ABC News