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Almost Perfect : Set Visit interview

Coverage By Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

Interview with Actor Edison Chen

 

Q: You were born in Vancouver Canada, even graduated the high school over there, so how did you end up acting in Hong kong?

Edison Chen: It just came to me. I've never done drama school, never went to film school. But when I was 19 years old, I went back to Hong Kong. I was partying with my friends, then I got cast for a commercial. It was a Citibank commercial directed by a really famous actor called Leon Lai, so it got a lot of press. So after that, Jackie Chan and his management company actually found me and asked me to sign with them as an actor/singer. That's how I fell into acting. I loved the movies when I was a kid anyway, but I'd never thought of myself as an actor. To be honest with you, in my first few movies, I wasn't an actor. I wasn't yet; it took me seven or eight movies to finally realize what acting was. I read books, theory, then actually doing the acting was a different thing. And a lot of people taught me--Andy Rau and Anthony Won, they are my mentors kind of.

Q: In this country, we rarely see a film with a mostly Asian cast, and even the director is Asian this time. Is this a totally refreshing atmosphere for you?

Edison Chen: For me I don't like to see race or color barriers; I kind of think all are just people. Of course I understand that it's an Asian film, but we have Caucasians, and some Mexicans and African Americans on the set as well. I don't see it that way. But I definitely think it looks great for Bertha (the director). I think Bertha is a very good director, especially that way she coaches the actors. She tells us exactly what emotions [we have], why we have that emotion, and how to deliver that emotion. And you know, I worked in all-Asian casts where they won't be any Caucasian people around. So it doesn't feel as Asian as my Hong kong movies do. And I haven't worked on so many American movies that I would be able to say like "Oh, This is an all-Asian cast," you know.

Q: Could you talk about what role you are playing this time?

Edison Chen: I'm actually playing Kelly Fu's(the lead) younger brother, and we are in a dysfunctional family. We have a horrible family, and I hate everyone in my family except for Kelly's character, which is Vannesa. And me and her have a strong bond, and basically navigate through--basically in how to escape the parallels of living in a bad situation. So she needs to break free of the so-called family curse of bad love, bad relationships, bad everything, and trying to find her place in this world.

Q: So, how is the collaboration working with her?

Edison Chen: She's very professional, she's very prepared, she goes very deep into preparing her roles. She has a Rolodex full of cards, talking about how she felt before those scenes and how she felt after the scenes even without filming it. So that's ultra-professional to me. I might do that in my head, but I never wrote it so I can go back and look at it. And you know, she's a very wonderful person, very easy to get along with. I feel very comfortable working with her.

Q: What were the toughest sequences that you shot so far?

Edison Chen: I'd say that there's the drunk scenes, and they had no alcohol. The scene was at the engagement party, I would have a little wine to deliver that moment, but they told me that they didn't have any alcohol. So I had to emerge myself into a drunk mode, so that was kind of challenging for me. And also crying --I had a crying scene that was the first time ever [of me] crying on a film, so I'm pretty proud of myself. (LOL)

Q: Now, you are working on a film in the United States. What elements in Asian film are lacking as you compare this to filming in the U.S.?

Edison Chen: Unions! That's what they are lacking the most!? I mean I worked here 12 hours, and they are like "Oh, we have to work maybe 30 minutes extra, how do you feel?" But in Hong Kong, they were like, "We're working three days in a row," and I said, "Oh, can I go home a little?" and they said, "No." So I would say that's what Asia lacks. And I think what America lacks is more investment, time and more creation in more off-the-road subjects. You know in Asia, you can really film some really random, very strange films. Like Japanese director Takashi Miike--he films some strange films but they are good.

I think in America it takes a long time for someone to believe that it'll work. The world is becoming smaller with communication on the Internet, with how everyone is biting off each other's cultures--Americans trying to film Chinese movies or Indian movies, Indian or Chinese movies trying to be more like Americans. I think what we need to be more opened to their creative ideas.

Q: You have worked in a couple of Japanese films. What attracted you to work in Japan?

Edison Chen: I love Japan! I love their food, I love the culture, I love to shop there, I love the women, my friend, the architecture, the museums. I absolutely love Japan! So I was going to Japan before I filmed my first movie, where I did a cameo, called "Dead or Alive 2." So I had been going there for six years already back then. And every year I go there three or four times. I've been to Japan now probably 200 times. So I love Japan, and I wanted to test myself when I shot the film called "Onajitsuki Wo Miteiru" with Yosuke Kubozuka, Meisa Kuroki. I became very close friends to both of them. So I wanted to test myself in a different environment and different setting. I try to expand my range as an actor.

Q: So did you ever think of going back to Japan to shoot another film?

Edison Chen: I would definitely be open to that. Of course, it would have to be the right opportunities, and the right script.

Q: What about your music career right now?

Edison Chen: I've been focusing on the films, and you know on the music side I have my own music production company called C.M.D. (Clot Media Division). So I'm producing artists--I have two artists' albums releasing in the next two weeks, and I signed three artists who will release their records next year. So you know my singing career: I'm not exactly sure when I'm gonna go and start that again, or if I'll ever... I have a lot of things that I believe that are more important to me than doing music as a singer.

Q: What was the main reason for you wanting to focus your work here in the United States?

Edison Chen: I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I feel that a lot of Chinese films now--their creativity is at a low point, not because people aren't creative, because they have to pass the Chinese censor. So a lot of [things] we filmed before, when we brought the script to them and said "Can we film? they said, "No," because there are so many rules in China about film[ing]. I wanted to get away, and I have to leave Asia, just because what happens with everything. So I've been looking around in America, trying to find some opportunities here to act in English.

Q: What about the selection of foreign films in China? Did it used to be only 20 films?

Edison Chen: No, they opened that up now. They expanded. I think they are up to 75~100 now. And that's foreign films, and Hong kong films are not foreign films any more. More like Italian, American, French and so on. A year, a couple years ago there were only 20~25 films. It was quite a change.

Q: Last year was really tough for you. How much did you learn about go through this hardship?

Edison Chen: I've learned many, many, many things. I gained more experience. I'm a method actor; I need the experiences to come to work, and use those experiences. So I feel that everything that happened to me made me into a better actor--everything that happened to me made me into a better person. When I moved to L.A.--I'm not a superstar, no one cares about me--it brought me back to the level of regular human being, and I felt like I've been missing that for long time, where I can go anywhere and be a person and not have to worry about the paparazzi. I can go bring my garbage to the trash can, not worrying about the people saying, "I'm cheap!" In here, I'm doing everything myself, I feel great.

Q: I heard that Chinese gossip is really mean?

Edison Chen: Yeah, pretty crazy but at the same time, I don't think it's really their fault. If the people didn't want to read those gossip articles, it wouldn't be selling, you know.

Good luck with your work!

Edison Chen: Thank you!

End