If you're Asian American you've probably seen Justin Lin's 2002 smash hit Better Luck Tomorrow. And if you're like one of my male friends, you probably had a crush on the cheerleader, Karin Anna Cheung. So when director Quentin Lee and producer Stanley Yung approached me to write a script with her I jumped at the opportunity.
What did you take away from your debut in "Better Luck Tomorrow," one of the most successful Asian American films to-date?
Karin: The success of BLT (Better Luck Tomorrow) really put me on the map and helped me to launch my acting career. It has also opened up a lot of doors, and it got me noticed really quickly. But no matter how much help I get, it's still a huge responsibility to put myself out there. One thing I particularly enjoy is to set up or host a lot of events for the Asian American community, young artists and emerging talents. The BLT publicity campaign was a lot of work. It was a whirlwind. At some point, I was doing so much that my acting career ended up taking a backseat and I lost track of the importance of taking care of myself. But now, I'm at a much better place where I have enough experience that I can balance everything all out.
It is nerve wracking to work closely with someone who has had success in the industry and is on the cusp of major stardom. Since I was nervous to meet her and to make sure I didn't come across like a total idiot, I did some research before our first meeting on what Karin's been doing since BLT. I went out and rented Abominable, a Sci-Fi Channel original movie that she co-starred in, and read as much as I could about her involvement with the Asian American television pilot, My LifeOe Disoriented.
What was it like co-starring in "Abominable"? What was it like working on a horror flick?
Karin: I got stomped to death again and again by Big Foot. (Laughing...) Ryan Schifrin, the director, was a fan of "Better Luck Tomorrow," so they called me, dropped off the script and gave me an hour to decide. I said "Yes." They got me my SAG card and got me on up to the mountains of Idyllwild within two days. It was snowing up there, and I got to die over and over again on the snowy ground. Ryan and the gang were so passionate about horror, and it was a total pleasure to work with people who were very passionate about the genre and their work. The DP shot "Blair Witch Project." Ryan is a fan of classic horror films. For me, I have been a scaredy cat and haven't watched that much horror. But now I'm in one. And I guess seeing how a horror film gets made helped to conquer my fear.
Most recently, you co-starred in the PBS pilot "My LifeOe Disoriented" with Di Quon. How did that happen and how was your experience?
Karin: I met Di at an audition. We were both going for the lead role of a pilot. I met her and I thought she was really cool. Maybe it's that competitive factor but honestly you don't often meet cool people in the waiting room of a network show audition. We really clicked and she said, "We should play sisters some time." I said, "Sure." One year later, I bumped into her again and she said she had gotten Eric Byler as the director for the project and it was happening. "Do you still wanna play my sister?" she asked. "Bring it on!" I said. It turned out to be a great experience because I got to work with both up and coming actors and also seasoned Asian American actors like Tamlyn Tomita and Dennis Dun. I've always looked up to Tamlyn as a role model both as an actress and an Asian American woman. She was an amazing person to work with. Dennis was also a lot of fun to work with. What I've learned from working with seasoned actors is that they get right into it and know exactly what to do.
Karin, Quentin, Stan and I had our first meeting at a place in Hollywood. Over our lunch we talked about the kind of movie we, ourselves, would want to watch. We immediately agreed that we wanted a story about a strong and empowered Asian American female. Amazingly, we were all on the same page from the beginning and were able to create a rough outline that very day. The People I Slept With was born out of that first creative session.
How did you get involved with your latest project, "The People I've Slept With," that I'm writing?
Karin: Another cool thing about "Better Luck Tomorrow" was that I met Quentin Lee, who directed "Shopping for Fangs" with Justin. In the past couple years, Quentin and I have started to spend more time together and gotten closer. I kept telling him I wanted him to do more stuff and he always told me that I was a great actor. One night, we were hanging out at a friend's place. We looked at each other and he said we should do a movie together. I said, "Yeah!" We discussed developing a romantic comedy, and I met up with you and Stan. And we became one happy family and started developing the project. As I'm balancing my life out, I get to know myself more and I decided to focus on doing a few indie films. Not that I would mind being in a big Hollywood movie or a network TV series, but I've always been about the passion of art. It's really empowering to get to develop a vehicle for myself and have a hand in shaping the script and the characters.
Tell us about the story and your character.
Karin: Angela is a character created kind of close to me even though she's obviously a fictional character. She is a strong-willed and modern womanOe also very much a woman from the "Sex and the City" world. A part of her tells her that she has a schedule to follow-go to school, graduate, meet her husband, have kids by 25/26Oe But life tosses her a curveball when her long term boyfriend dumps her and she get pregnant during a binge of "Sex and the City" fun. "The People I Slept With" is probably the first Asian American female driven romantic comedy that is sexy and empowering to women.
What do you mean by sexy?
Karin: Guys are studs if they sleep around. Women are sluts if they do. Encouraged by her gay best friend, Angela takes on the role of the stud. She is a modern woman to the extreme. She is not afraid to flaunt the fact that she dates around and keeps a pack of cards with all her lovers' photos. Again, the script is unique because it empowers Asian American female sexuality. Women should be able do whatever they want in this postmodern society, and she does. She's a stud.
And it's also a story about the friendship between Angela and her gay best friendOe
Karin: Yes, I have a lot of gay friends I'm really close to. In fact, they are like my second family. I love my boys, even with all their drama. I've lived in West Hollywood for over a year, and I have been meeting a lot of committed gay couples. I've been blessed to see this side that society doesn't show. I've seen how committed they are, and they may even be better parents than straight parents. With "People," I want to emphasize that the gay best friend has as much chance as anyone of settling down. I just love being with a group of people where everyone just wants to be accepted for who they are. And when people make fun of me hanging out with gay men and women, I'd say that they've got a lot more love to give than the average person.
What are your expectations for "People"?Karin: Personally, I consider every project I do a growing experience. I hope that the film will help to have more Asian American stories being told and more Asian American filmmakers making films. I like to make a statement, whether it's in art, music, acting, painting or filmmaking. The most important job for art is to provoke emotions and make some kind of an impact in people from all different background.
Over the course of writing this project, I have gotten to know Karin well and we've all become a family. Something that most people don't know about her is that besides being an actress, she's also an artist and a musician.
Tell us about your art and your music. What can't you do?
Karin: I'm a photographer too! I started playing the piano since I was five and I grew up in a musically inclined family. I literally grew up in a church but despite all the gospel music I also used to make secret mixed tapes of pop tunes. I picked up a guitar toward the end of high school and started writing music. I've always been more of a poetic writer. I have also been drawing and painting a lot. In college, I majored in art and that's why I enjoy different forms of art. In college, I got hired to shoot models for catalogues and businesses that paid me minimum wage. When I got into film, I really wanted to be a DP. I love it when you can stop any frame of a movie, blow it up and frame that perfect and beautiful shot. I brought out my camera on the set of "Better Luck Tomorrow" where Justin allowed me to shoot stills for him on the set. I also shot a photo of him that got printed in "Vanity Fair" and I was so happy that they credited me also. On the art side, I've started to show my drawings in group shows and some of my block prints should go on sale soon. Stay in touch with me on Myspace!
Any other projects in the wings?
Karin: Of course! Your other script "Shanghai Palace" got picked up by an indie company. In "Shanghai Palace" I'm playing this crazy girl who plays the guitar in a band. Her boyfriend just gets out of jail and immediately she gets caught in this whirlwind of cocaine and greed. It's great that I get to play this crazy ass character and then Angela, a completely different character. I guess that's the balancing of my life that I've been talking about.
Following this interview, here's an update on where we're at with The People I've Slept With: We've been through several drafts and done a couple of table reads. We've picked up the pace of work and Quentin, Stan, Karin and I meet on an almost weekly basis to polish the script. It has been a long process and I think I can speak for the group by saying that we would love to get finished soon and into production so that we can share this with you. Be on the look out for The People I've Slept With in a theater near you.
Koji Steven Sakai, a graduate from the University of Southern California's Masters of Professional Writing program, had his first feature film, Haunted Highway directed by the Japanese director Junichi Suzuki and distributed by Lions Gate DVD. He has held several fellowships, starting with the most recent, which include: Film Independent's Project: Involve (2007), Visual Communication's Armed With a Camera (2006), and Screenwriting Expo 4 Screenplay Competition New Visions Fellowship award (2005).
