While we thought we locked down an interview with Lee-hom Wang, alas it didn’t happen on his trip to Los Angeles this time, but his time will come. We did however decide to “mix & match” Blackhatters Archie Kao and Peter Jae to bring you interviews on BLACKHAT release day!
Peter Jae sat down with Actress Melissa Jane Rodriguez to talk about film stereotypes for Asian actors (The Thug), BLACKHAT, and the original series KTOWN COWBOYS that will see it’s feature film debut this year.
Archie Kao is in Bejing and has spend much of the last couple years out of Los Angeles, but we were able to have him send us some answers to our questions about his career, what he’s been up to in China and of course his cameo appearance in BLACKHAT!
#1. When did you know that acting was your passion?
I didn’t know for a long time actually. It just looked like fun. So what better way to spend my college education than to move to LA, get a job waiting tables and join the ranks of the creatively unemployed?
Gradually as my career was developing I realized that I loved being part of a storytelling process. I’d actually say that designing the architecture of a story, be it in writing, producing, or directing is more exciting to me than acting alone.
#2. Did being in a franchise like Power Rangers open doors for you as an actor?
I’m not sure if the show itself opened doors. An audition is still an audition, and when you’re sitting in the waiting room the playing field tends to level out.
But nothing can better prepare you for the realities of being on a live set like on-the-job training, and getting better at working on cue when a room full of people are staring at you.
#3. What were some of the most memorable actors/actresses you worked with and/or episodes you filmed on CSI and Chicago PD?
My favorite memory of CSI is probably when Quentin Tarantino came and directed an episode. That guy absolutely has story seeping out of his pores. He’s so passionate that it charges the entire crew. And the first day he saw me he walked up to me and said he was a huge fan of mine. And even if that’s fluff, it was still a pretty damn cool thing for him to say.
Chicago PD was great, but apparently last year was the coldest winter in recorded history there- which is saying something, because their winters are known to be no joke. And I still managed to fall in love with the place- such a classic American city. Chicagoans love their sports, their bars and restaurants, their architecture. After spending some time there it’s easy to see why. I feel very lucky to have spent the first season in Chicago with them.
#4. You have recent movies you filmed in China including “Love Speaks,” “The Deathday Party,” and “Blackhat.” Did you make a conscious decision to focus your career in China, and if so, why?
Yes and no. I went out to China for a commercial shoot a few years ago, and realized that I am in fact, Chinese. I decided to explore more of that part of the world because I really didn’t know too much about it. My initial intention was simply to get in touch with my ethnic heritage, and studying Mandarin has and is providing a bridge back to it. While I’m glad to have grown up in Washington DC, at the time the school curriculum really provided very little, if any, support for anything Asian Pacific. If you were to see the texts that were provided to us, you would think that the whole of world history was strictly European. And the language electives they offered were Latin, Spanish, and German and French- the latter of which I took six years of. Not much practical application for a Chinese kid learning French in Virginia.
And now I feel like I’m standing at the intersection of East and West. It’s an exciting time in the history of the World to be witness this incredible growth movement in Asia, particularly China, and be able to participate in it in the dynamic way the film industry affords us.
#5. You told me that “Blackhat” holds a special place in your heart. Can you tell our audience why? Tells us about your role in the film.
I have a cameo role in Blackhat. Although I wasn’t there long, Michael Mann and company were fun to be around, and the film is emblematic of the landscape I just described- with the spoken languages being in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. The modern world is getting bigger and smaller at the same time, and stretching the fabric of the story over their financial model is further evidence that the world is becoming further integrated all the time.
But really, the reason the film is special to me is that it allowed me a couple weeks in Hong Kong, and during that time I was introduced to the lovely lady who I’m thrilled to be able to say is now my wife, Zhou Xun. It’s been an incredible journey, and I can’t wait to see where the road ahead takes us.
Lee-hom Wang
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