
If you’ve been on TikTok in the past few months, you may have come across the funny TikTok skits shared by Dustin Phillips (@duztn), a Starbucks employee and actor who is mostly known on the platform for his TikToks about the struggles of working in the service industry and almost being cast for the role of Konerak Sinthasomphone, the “youngest known victim” of Jeffrey Dahmer, according to People, in Netflix’s Dahmer.
Dustin debuted as a professional actor in 2018 in “Together”, a music video by music producer Marshmello, and has appeared in short films and TV series. But as an up-and-coming actor and TikTok influencer, Dustin’s story is the one we rarely get to see featured in the news or in our social media feeds which favor ‘finished’ stories where the subject has already achieved earth-shattering success. That’s why we caught up with Dustin to talk about how TikTok is slowly changing his life and his career to get behind the scenes of what it means to be a star in the making.
What made you start a TikTok account back in 2020? Was it mostly lockdown boredom, a need for a creative outlet, a mix of both, or something else entirely?
I created my TikTok account a day or 2 after the lockdown out of boredom. I didn’t originally think of it as a possible creative outlet for me. At the time, I was very much focused on building my acting career outside of social media.
Do you film your TikToks with a specific angle in mind for your profile/social media presence? Or is it more of a spontaneous thing? I understand you’re an actor and almost got a role in Dahmer so I’m wondering if you plan out your TikToks and build a brand around yourself.
I love making people laugh and I’ve always been told I’m funny and goofy. I enjoyed pranking my siblings growing up, I always cracked jokes at school, and I’m just a total goofball around my friends. So when I decided I’m going to post videos on TikTok, I thought I should build my brand around that.
I also want to be known as someone who does original work, which is why I’m glad my viral videos were my own ideas that I turned into skits. Taylor Swift definitely influenced me on this part. I’m a huge Swiftie.
You have a lot of followers so here’s the big question — which TikTok video made the biggest impact on your reach and following? Was it the Starbucks ones?
Definitely the Starbucks ones. The video where I threw the straws and sugars to the customer helped me gain about 40,000 followers in less than 3 weeks. I’m hoping to reach 100,000 followers very soon.

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Speaking of Starbucks, you shared in your TikToks that you got fired for filming at Starbucks and then got rehired again? What’s the story behind that?
They did let me go but it wasn’t entirely because of my TikTok. I was already in trouble even before I started gaining views. I was a supervisor at the time and I did things that weren’t up to Starbucks’ standards like, closing the registers early and clocking out early. Then they rehired me as a barista after I got back in LA after living in Dallas for a little while.
I’d like to think they rehired me because we were terribly understaffed but they probably just felt bad for me for what happened to me in Dallas and wanted to help me get back on my feet again. Starbucks truly does care for its employees, honestly.
Again with Starbucks, what were your worst and best experiences with customers while working there?
Best experience is when you get to have a genuine connection with your regular customers. You treat each other like friends and I love that. Worst experience is something that a lot of people who work in the service industry can attest… the Karens.
How has TikTok affected your day-to-day life and career? Were people coming to the Starbucks you’re working at to look for you? Are you getting more acting opportunities through it?
Oh my goodness, every day I think about my next potential viral video. I’m always brainstorming, writing down ideas on my notebook, and writing longer skits that I want to do outside of work. I’m also getting sponsorships and collaborations which is exciting and the extra income I get is such a relief, especially living as a barista slash up-and-coming actor in LA.
I had my first experience in acting when I was in 6th grade. I played the younger version of my brother’s character in his high school play. Then I did some high school plays myself. And after graduating, I was already set on moving to the US to officially pursue my acting career but while I waited for all the paperwork to be done, I attended college in the Philippines for a year where I majored in Performing Arts and I was an active member of the university’s “Dramatic Guild.” I arrived in the US in the summer of 2015 but I didn’t move to LA until early 2018. I attended New York Film Academy in Burbank that same year to study acting for film. Since then, I studied at other institutions like The Lee Strasberg Film & Theatre Institute and The Groundlings as well as other small acting classes. Acting is my passion and no amount of TikTok fame that may come my way will ever change that. My heart will always lean on acting.
You talked about almost getting cast in Dahmer in one of your TikToks, what was the process like?
The audition process for Dahmer was long. I got the audition for the role of “Konerak” in December 2020 and did multiple callbacks for it until March 2021. They told me I didn’t get it but then they asked me to read for another part which was Konerak’s older brother. It was another round of callbacks until the whole process concluded in May 2021.
It’s very hard to land acting gigs. It’s very hard to get an agent or manager. I thought Dahmer was finally it but obviously it wasn’t. I cried a lot of tears inside my car, in my bathroom, in public, everywhere because of rejection in the industry. But I just tell myself that a lot of big actors now also went through what I’m going through right now. And it weirdly keeps me motivated, somehow.
What has your experience been as a queer Asian man trying to make it as an actor? I know it may feel like such a boilerplate question, but usually, we only hear about these stories from Asian actors who’ve already “made it big”. As someone who’s still in the process of getting there, what has it been like for you?
I just want to say that I’m so proud to be Asian right now. I’m so proud to be gay. We’re finally breaking barriers, breaking our way through Hollywood, and it’s just about damn time. Shoutout to Simu Liu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Dolly De Leon and many more other Asian actors who are killing it in Hollywood right now. I can’t wait to join them and I believe that time will come.
I think at this point, we will have already gotten a good idea of who @duztn but how about Dustin Phillips? I hope you don’t mind me asking some more personal questions relating to your background but I’m curious about your heritage so feel free to talk about it to the extent that you’re comfortable.
I was born and raised in the Philippines until I was 18. A lot of people I meet are actually surprised by that fact. I moved to the US with my older brothers in 2015 and we lived in Sacramento, CA with our Dad and Step Mom. Adjusting to life in America was very easy for me. I guess it’s because I already had a preconceived idea of what “America” is based in movies or TV shows I’ve watched growing up. So I kind of knew what to expect.
Both my parents are Filipino but then again, the Philippines is a melting pot of both western and eastern culture and race. So to be more specific, my Dad’s side is Chinese while my Mom’s is Spanish.
My parents are very supportive of my acting career. My Mom helped me financially. From my move to LA, to acting classes, to headshots. My Dad is a US Citizen so he was the one who did all the paperwork so I can move to the US. He has high hopes for my dreams that’s why he did it without any hesitation.
What did they think of you wanting to be an actor? Also, how do they feel about your TikTok presence?
I remember I started a YouTube channel last year and my Dad was really excited about it but it didn’t work out. Now my Mom is very excited about my TikTok. She brags about it to her friends, it’s embarrassing but I love her so it’s ok.
This [interview] made me emotional because I had to look back in the past and I just saw how far I’ve come and how much farther I gotta go. In a weird way, it made me feel like everything might just work out.
Dustin Philipps is still making waves on TikTok with his Starbucks skits. He is represented by @stewarttalentnewyork. You can find him on Instagram and TikTok as @duztn.