It’s time for Jenn Tran to be the main character of her own story.
The 26-year-old is looking for love on Season 21 of “The Bachelorette” and she revealed on Access Hollywood’s Behind the Easel, what was going through her mind when she got the call that she would be the lead in the upcoming season.
“I really had to think about it,” she told Access. “It was, you know, a decision that had been in the back of my mind for a while because I had been doing meetings about it and stuff, and I just wasn’t sure that I wanted everything that this role really entailed. It’s no secret that your entire life is on display to the public and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted that, but I knew that I wanted to find love. I’m a hopeless romantic” she added.
But before Jenn embarked on her journey to find love, she had to tell her family.
“My mom was like ‘Please hire a fake mom, I am not going on TV,’” Jenn recalled. “They were obviously really excited for me. I think they were nervous mostly just because they want the best for me and it’s not the most traditional way to go about finding love.”
Jenn particularly had to get her mom on board.
“With my mom I think it’s like every other day convincing type of deal,” she said. “I know I’m not going to convince her in one conversation. It’s kind of like priming her with each conversation.”
When it came to dating 25 men, Jenn admits it was a lot to handle.
“Dating 25 men at one time, is not something anybody should do normally. I don’t recommend it,” she told Access. “I think it’s definitely a process and it’s a lot of I think mental strength.”
As for how she navigated dating so many people at once, Jenn said it was not “an easy feat.”
“I really had to try to compartmentalize a lot of these relationships,” she said. “When I was with somebody else or having a conversation, I was just trying to really stay present in each conversation and explore each relationship in the extent that they needed to be explored.”
Jenn is the first Asian bachelorette and while getting to know the men, she said it was important to talk to them about raising a half Vietnamese child.
“When I thought about dating, I really thought about what I wanted in a lasting relationship, and a lot of those conversations that I wanted to have revolved around what it would look like having a half-Vietnamese kid, knowing what that would mean to my partner,” she said. “A lot of those conversations were definitely being had because that’s important for me to have in a partner is having someone who’s open-minded about embracing my culture.”
Ultimately, Jenn had one key takeaway from the experience.
“I really think it was such a huge learning experience for me, to learn about what I want in a relationship and what I need, but really what I think that I was most proud of myself for was learning that it’s okay to have a voice.”
Watch Jenn find love on Season 21 of “The Bachelorette,” which premieres July 8 at 8 p.m. on ABC.