The Aftermath

Oh, boy.  Here we go.

I was 100% sure I'd have to do another entry on the "Without A Trace" episode regarding what I had said about the episode before it aired.  

Because sure enough, the posts: (Post 1, Post 2),

And comments:

THANK YOU for playing a TV drama the hot EVERY SINGLE Korean stereotype out there.

SELLOUT

It may not be a typical " Asian theme" storyline, but it's more like
of a "let's go to the Korean corner store and bust up my sister episode."

I know it's about being paid, but you could've stood up on this

I just hope you knows [sic] that you are spouting bullshit, but I have this feeling you may have deluded yourself into believing what was written.

And emails started flowing in:

Subj: Without A Trace -Are you Kidding me?

 Hey, Parry, didn't you notice that this EP hit EVERYSINGLE FRICKIN' Asian stereotype?  I just watched it and spent the last hour and a half vomiting. Great job, Parry.

And this has been my official response:

Nope--I'm not kidding you.

I still stand by what I said.  I audition a lot and my part was some of the better dialogue I've personally read for - Asian part or non.  And maybe that's a sad commentary in itself.  All I know is what I know.

There are truths to stereotypes, my friend.  I still see this kind of old world expectation stuff and expectations put on college students from their parents all the time--as a matter of fact just yesterday when I was at Northeastern University. 

So just because you've seen it before, doesn't mean it's not realistic.

And the performances were extremely solid on the show because of the writing and vice versa.  Not speaking for myself, cuz that would be presumptuous, but Nicole Bilderback and especially Kelvin Yu (he showed some major acting chops at the end) and proved to the world that Asian-Americans can act (the usual excuse of producers in the business to not cast Asians) -- and that maybe it's about time they be utilized in some other stuff.  It's all baby steps, man.    

There was nothing to stand up to.  You have to work from within the system to change things.  And I think we did that--because believe me... it could have been a lot worse in lesser hands (and we couldn't do that if the show was absolute "ass"). 

I feel this one reader's comment "got it":

I watched last nite and thought that everyone's performance was really strong.  I'm not familiar with the show, but thought that Nicole Bilderback's Roshomon like performance was very good, how different she was in each flashback depending on who was telling the story.  Although the set up was a little disappointing (Korean grocery store, old world parents, independent gal struggling to break free), I thought the writing and the performances elevated the story above the stereotypical set up.  Kudos!

So I'm not saying what all the folks above had to say is without merit --  I'm not oblivious to the setup.  But a lot of the comments and reactions to the episode have people looking at things very narrowly.  

I'm actually kind of glad all these posts are up because it clearly illustrates exactly what I touch upon in my speaking engagements when I say there's this vat of "haterade" that is often dipped into within the Asian-American community's ranks and as a result, we are so disjointed as a community.

I mean come on, having me get criticized for playing a Korean because I'm really Chinese?  (I got the same flack for playing a Filipino in "BLT" as well.  Did DeNiro get this much flack for playing 1/2 Irish in "Goodfellas"?)  And how about Daniel Dae Kim from "Lost" receiving hate mail from the Korean Community because he doesn't speak fluent Korean -- while the rest of the Asian Community bags on him because he doesn't speak English on the show?  Or people who call Justin Lin a sellout for doing "Fast and the Furious 3" and are so horrified having him do the remake of "Oldboy"?

It's about looking at the big picture.  Daniel's on a Top 5 rated show - millions of people are seeing a talented Asian Actor kick major butt week after week on screen and is now on the American Public's radar.   Justin is now working at the studio level and gaining respect there --  that respect gave him the leverage to offer Roger Fan a very coveted role in "Annapolis" (even though Hollywood had other choices, all non-Asian of course) and then that allowed him to also bring back Sung Kang and Jason Tobin in "FF3".

Yes, I know, it's "FF3" -- but would it be better to have the film filled with the rappers who can't act that the studio originally wanted?   Should Justin continue doing only little independent films and gain no clout whatsoever?   Regarding "Without A Trace", would it have been better to have even less Asians on screen?  Would it be better if Daniel wasn't on "Lost"?   (And I guarantee if Daniel Dae Kim's character ever gets killed off in "Lost", the Korean/Asian community would be in an uproar and recanting their previous "Negative-Jin" statements.) 

Here's a true story:  After "BLT", I turned down everything that came my way.  I was the biggest snob.  I was going to "stand my ground" and any project that had the slightest hint of being perceived as stereotypical or anything less than the quality of "BLT" -- I turned down. 

And you know how many projects I worked on the year after "BLT"? 

One. 

You know how much money I made from acting in 2002? 

$384.62 

And that's when I made the decision that I was not doing anybody any good just sitting on the sidelines.  I couldn't change anything that way.  And it wasn't just about the money - it also crippling me mentally as well as professionally. 

So I started 2003 with the understanding that it would be a continuing journey and battle -- not every project was going to be as progressive as "BLT" and I'd have to take every part that I could and make it a fully realized performance -- spin gold out of whatever role I was given no matter the project.  Not only continuing to bring in income and working but also doing the best I could representing Asian-Americans on screen to the public.  All that negative energy just moping around was so unproductive.    

A study from the Screen Actors Guild just came out.  In 2004, there were 31,173 total roles in Film/TV. 

917 of them went to Asian/Pacific Actors. 

Which clearly demonstrates even more so why AA Actors have got make the most of what's there -- which is 2.9% of the theatrical roles.  Writing our own roles, etc is obviously the way to go in the long run but as far as what to do in the here and now?  In my opinion, the responsibility of the AA actor is to be so good in any role so that audiences, casting directors, producers watching will go "Wow, who was that?"  Because once that happens, the "race thing" bleeds away.  Or we can continue to have a chip on our shoulders, moan and bitch about every little issue-- giving producers more of an excuse to whittle down those numbers and have our representation totally disappear on screen. 

Every role I've taken after "BLT" has been a real effort in terms of changing dialogue and characterizations to minimize a stereotype or incorrect depiction -- that was not the case with my role in "Without A Trace".   It was a dream to work on because I did not have to change or asked the dialogue/situations to be altered -- which is why I said it was one of the best experiences I've had filming.

But this is what progress is.  It's slow but forward moving.   I'm not saying never speak up for certain issues -- but it has to be focused in the proper direction, otherwise it's just a bunch of noise from those "yellow people" again.  Racist Ambercrombie & Fitch shirts? Worth speaking up against.  Protesting that a housing development isn't being built conducive to Feng-Sui?  Not worth speaking up against.  Racist Tsunami song on Hot 97?  Worth speaking up against.  A bunch of Chinese actors not playing their own Asian ethnicity?  Not so much.           

Micro-bashing everything in sight is one of the major, major reasons why we as a community are so far behind the solidarity of say, the African-American community (ex: The African-American community does not bag on Terrence Howard for playing a pimp all the time.)  We partly oppress ourselves and lose our collective strength when we do.

There I said it -- but the truth sometimes hurts.  Hate me, un-subscribe from me, set up boycott campaigns for my future projects ... but those with leveler heads will look at the bigger picture and realize that I'm on your side and will seriously delve into how we can solve this "haterade" issue as a unified community. 

Let the hate mail and comments begin.  (Whew, I'm taking a huge breath as I hit "submit" on this one!)

Making a Stand

Fifty years ago, on Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an Alabama seamstress whose soft-spoken refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man triggered the Montgomery bus boycott, the first mass action in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. 

As you might have heard, she passed away on Tuesday, Oct 25 at 92 of natural causes. 

Her show of defiance was an act of personal courage that moved millions, including a young 26-year old Baptist minister named Martin Luther King.

''I had no idea when I refused to give up my seat on that Montgomery bus that my small action would help put an end to the segregation laws in the South," she wrote in her autobiography, ''Rosa Parks: My Story" (1992). ''People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that wasn't true.  I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day.  I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then.  I was 42.

No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

When I learned about Ms. Parks in grammar school, the event seemed so far away in history that I'd always assumed she was 19 or 20 when it happened.  But she was 42. 

I think it's a great testament that it's never too late in your life to make a difference and how much one person can affect others.  Rest in peace Ms. Parks.

"Without A Trace" Airs

Here's a trailer of the episode I did on "Without a Trace" that will be airing this Thursday, Oct 27th at 10pm on CBS. 

Yep, that's me getting walloped by Ms. Bilderback. 

Although I much prefer the slower pace of feature films, there's definitely something to be said about shooting television shows: The Immediacy. 

I mean, I get to see the finished product 48 days after I shot this thing.  My other TV gig on the NBC miniseries: "Poseidon Adventure" will air on Nov 20th.  And the stint on Hallmark's "Jane Doe" on Jan 15.  

Meanwhile the two feature films I've shot, "Hatchet" and "The Gene Generation" (all shot before or at the same time of the TV shows) are probably a year or more away from seeing the light of day -- while I'm chomping at the bit for audiences to see both projects.   

Anyway, I'm hoping to get some good tape I can use on my demo reel from this episode.  My reel could use a new solid dramatic scene, so I'll be in a very analytical frame of mind when watching it for the first time:

I know, I know... the process is very self-absorbed but that's what you gotta do when compiling your reel. 

I recall watching when "Attack of the Sabertooth" aired a few months ago and being frustrated the entire time thinking, "I can't use that scene... can't use that scene... what the heck?  I can't use any of this!" 

Also, I'll be in Beantown (Boston) tomorrow on Wed, Oct 26 to speak at Northeastern University's afterHOURS for the Asian Student Union at 8pm.  Stop by if you're in the area. 

Trivia: Back in colonial days, a favorite Boston food was beans baked in molasses for several hours. Today, Boston Baked Beans are something of a rarity - there are no companies in the city making it and only a few restaurants serve it. If you'd like to learn more behind the history of this concocted legume confection,here's an in-depth article. 

Movin' on Up?

Things have been quite maddening in the past 4 weeks, hence the sparse updates.

Moving is a b*tch.  And moving into a brand new home is a b*tch.

You've gotta set everything up from scratch.  The window blinds, the grass, the flowers, the trees, getting appliances delivered, buying more furniture to fill up the place.  Getting the water, electricity, phones, trash and gas set up and endlessly explaining to the utility companies why they have no record of a previous account in the newly built house. 

Here are some of the gems in the past month:

- Having the move-in date for the new house delayed a month... after selling our old place a month ago -- thus, being in limbo with no place to live as the new owners moved into our old place. 

So as we moved out, we had to keep all our stuff on the truck for $150/day - but to save all the food in the refrigerator, I had to:  Unpack the fridge... have the movers deliver the fridge to a friend's place... plug it in there and then repack the food into the fridge. 

Thankfully we were only 'homeless' for 1 day... but that meant we first had to have the movers stop by my friend's house to pick up the fridge, where I then had to:  Unpack the fridge... and then repack it again at the new house.  And since we had to pay the movers for technically 2 moves, plus having to stop at my friend's place both times... I think we spent about an additional $500 to save $200 worth of food.  (Hey -- hindsight's 20/20, alright?) 

- Having to discover that mail service doesn't begin until 10% of the community has moved in.  Took about 2 weeks to learn that one and then track down the post office where our mail was being held.

- Having no gas for 3 weeks and taking cold showers/boiling water for the baby's baths and eating Tostino's Pizza Rolls the entire time (because that was the only 'hot meal' that fit into a toaster oven -- but then we just discovered that the home's oven is electric.  Damn, could've used it that entire time.  Hey, hey , hey, hey... I said hindsight's 20/20, okay!?!? ).

- Having the Gas Company Guy find water in the gas lines (after finally getting him there to hook up the gas).  And then having to find a plumber to flush out the gas lines and then... get the gas guy back to hook up the gas. 

- Having the washer/dryer delivered once the gas was hooked up... but one of the deliverers damaged a portion of the machine.  A replacement got sent a few days later... but then we noticed the bottom of the drum was rusted and got another replacement scheduled.  That replacement shows up with chipped paint on the porcelain, so we send that one back as well.  It's been a month that we've had these paperweights in the laundry room and have not been able to use them once (this is when owning 30 pairs of underwear comes in handy).  

- Having a new 350 lb refrigerator delivered (when no one was home) and then left on the back patio for yours truly to figure out how to get into the house.  And then once I do...I've got to: Unpack the old fridge and then repack the new one (I can do this process very quickly now).

- Having workers cut a hole in my wall to tuck in wires from the mounted television and then give up after 20 minutes (because something was blocking the wires) and say to me, "I know a guy that can patch this hole up for $75".  (Oh right, so that the 'Hole Patching Guy' can come up to me and say, "I know a guy who can paint this patched up hole for $85?!?")

- Having to give 5 minute detailed directions to all of the vendors above because my place isn't on any maps yet.

- Having been actually relieved to receive a landscaping quote for "only 20 Grand" -- because everyone else was quoting "35 to 40".  (And man, you've got to pay for that sh*t when the job's done!  No lay-away or financing whatsoever!  Yes, that's in addition to making the biggest dent in your checkbook (ever) with the purchase of the actual house!)

To quote a friend's blog who recently documented all his trials and tribulations of moving, "Despite our short stint in our new home... problems have already come up and smacked us in the face as if to say, 'Welcome to homeownership, bitches!' " 

Well, I'm sure everything will be better once I receive the first mortgage payment in the mail... property tax time should be a blast as well.  Hey, at least I now actually get them delivered to my mailbox.  Sheesh... 

"Shining" Happy People

There was this film competition that assistant film editor, Robert Ryang (25), entered.

THE RULES:  Take any movie and cut a new trailer for it -- but in an entirely different genre. Only the sound and dialogue could be modified, not the visuals.

So Ryan chose Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film, "The Shining," starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall.  And in his hands, the film became a feel good comedy about a writer struggling to find his muse and a boy lonely for a father.

Mr. Ryang won the contest.  Here's a link to his entry: "Shining"

Check it out.  The guy's got skills.  I don't think I've ever seen "The Shining" all the way through but I sure as heck don't remember it being like this.

He's been getting a lot of heat from Hollywood, impressed by his sensibilities and obvious sense for pacing.  Keep your eyes out for him in the future. 

I know I need the man's digits the next time I'm on a horrendous shoot that needs a serious re-tooling to be saved in post-production.  

Infomercials - The Reality TV of Commercials

I do a double take whenever I see the infomercial for this product called "Urine Gone".  It seems like it's one of those gag "SNL" commercials and I keep waiting for Will Ferrell to pop in to take a major wiz on the carpet or something.

Oh, but it's real all right.

In fact, it even comes with a black light so that you can track down offending spots that would normally be invisible to the naked eye... on the toilet, bedsheets, walls, etc.

I suppose the product does have its purpose but the commercial demonstration borders on being repulsive...  and a large part of it is the name: "Urine Gone".

I mean, that's like "Preparation H" going with the name "Ass Cream" or "Sphincter Gel".  The real product name: "Vagisil" also makes me shake my head in disbelief.

I've think a catchier name that would also be store-shelf appropriate for "Urine Gone" would be: "Piss Off".  "Tell those offensive stains and odors to: 'Piss Off' "!

Whatever happened to the good 'ole infomericals of yester-year, like the Flowbee?  Or Caruso Curlers (even I wanted a set... if I were a girl, that is.)

Lessons from THOR!

While working with other actors, the inevitable question that eventually pops up in conversation is, "So, who'd you study with?" 

And very quickly, you begin to hear a lot of the same names: Larry Moss, Janet Alhanti, Howard Fine, Milton Katselas, Ivana Chubbuck, Margie Haber, John Kirby, Robert Carnergie (I can't believe all these instructors had websites I could link to--would've made my life a lot easier finding them back in the day!) 

But lately I've been hearing Cameron Thor's name pop up a lot (obviously not the God of Thunder "Thor" that I led you to believe) .  Over the years I've known several friends that have come from his classes but I'd never paid much particular attention because I was happy with my own acting coach.

So while checking out his site, I discovered he has 14 mini-acting lessons on Quicktime.  The files show clips of him teaching and speaking on various acting topics ranging from: "Rehearsals" and "Script Analysis" to "Playing Comedy" and "Film Acting".  These free snippets are a cool little crash course for any readers that are interested in acting. 

Some of it will sound familiar if you've read my Acting Skool entries (Part I, Part II, Part III).   It's just that every instructor has a slightly different take/technique/terminology.  For example: I mentioned using a process called "Substitution" (that I learned from Howard Fine) when you need to zero in on a similar life experience that is being played in a scene -- However, Thor prefers to use the word "trigger" instead because he feels the word "substitution" insinuates entirely replacing what's been established. 

But as I've had exposure to all of the instructors above (either through reading their books or attending their classes), they all generally gear you towards achieving the same thing: An organically motivated performance. 

So you really can't go "wrong" with any of the instructors above.  Almost all of them allow an audit of a class for you to find the best fit.  Fine's lessons are derived from HB Studio's Uta Hagen, Carnegie and Alhanti from Sanford Meisner, Thor comes from the teachings of Roy London (I know that last sentence was just a bunch of blabba-de-blah to anyone outside the acting world).

In the end, you just basically wind up taking bits from here and there that work for you -- until you eventually compile a "Unique Technique" that's specifically tailored.

Got Ideas?

As many may know, there is a lot of downtime on sets while waiting in between setups -- and a good portion of that time is spent either resting, preparing or eating in your trailer. 

In the past 6 months, I've been inside 6 different trailers on six different projects but there has been one common denominator: They were all Star Waggons™ .

Let me flashback about 26 years -- Lyle Waggoner was the male lead on the 70's show, "Wonder Woman".  Your typical good looking, leading man type (trivia: He was almost cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne on the 60's "Batman" show before losing out to Adam West).

But this guy was no himbo (even though he was Playgirl's first centerfold in '73 -- I don't know why I even know that).

During one of his downtimes on set, he observed all the various trailers on set for the actors, production, makeup/wardrobe, etc. 

He asked a producer, "What if I brought my own camping trailer to use as my trailer on set?"  To which the producer replied, "Well, then I'd have to give you money to rent it from you, for you to use on set."

And I'm sure Waggoner with a raised eyebrow then thought to himself, "Oh really?" 

Waggoner's career post "Wonder Woman" was "okay" with projects such as "Love Boat II" and "Cyber-C.H.I.C" -- but that didn't matter.  Because Waggoner put the money he made acting into a line of trailers -- and hence Star Waggons was born.  The company is now the largest supplier of studio location rental trailers in the entertainment industry.  Pow.  How ya like that?

The guy had the right idea.  Lots of different irons in the fire. 

I always think of this story whenever I'm in my trailer because it shames me into wondering, "What else can I do with this downtime?" 

Workin' wit the Brothas & Sistas

The shoot on "Without A Trace" went really well. 

The level of efficiency and respect I experienced from the director/crew proved there was indeed a difference between a well-oiled production that has been doing it for 4 Seasons.

A total 180 from the previous entry's production.

But I also got to do something that I rarely get to do:  Work with other Asian-American actors! 

Usually we're just pitted against each other at auditions and there's only room for one Asian per episode -- anymore than that and producers fear that audiences will wonder if they're related or have some sort of connection. 

Luckily this time there was room for a fiance, brother and sister -- justification for so many Asian faces!   So it 's actually a pretty rare occasion. 

In this episode I finally got to work with Nicole Bilderback (aka 'Whitney' from "Bring It On", "Clueless" & "Can't Hardly Wait" ) -- she was very fun, sweet and supportive -- not a bit like her bitchy 'Whitney' from "BIO".  And also Kelvin Yu (upcoming "Elizabethtown" and "Grandma's Boy"-- incidentally, the 2 roles that Kelvin booked (and that I really wanted) are very funny--so watch out for him to have a breakout year).

The episode was well written and not your typical "Let's go to Chinatown/Koreatown/Little Tokyo and break up some gangs" episode.  It was definitely one of the most "meaty" TV roles I've shot to date.  You can see the episode on: Oct 27th, 10pm on CBS.   

Another cool thing is that there were a ton of Asian-American background extras as well to fill out the engagement party scene.  I've already gotten a few e-mails from readers that were there.  Next time say "hi" -- it's cool; that is unless you see I'm in the middle of rehearsal or cracking my neck (which means I'm about to start the scene!)

RANT     

I have to amend the previous entry a bit because "Without A Trace" is actually my second gig since "The Gene Generation". 

A week after I finished "TGG," I shot a small part on the Hallmark Channel's "Jane Doe" series with Lea Thompson.  It was just a one day thing that was offered to me from the people that cast me in "Poseidon Adventure".

The scene had me being a perp and hence I was chased by a bunch of federal agents throughout Chinatown.  "No audition.  No Accent.  Never played a perp before, so 'Why not?'", I thought.  However after the first 2 hours into shooting, I quickly wanted to recant my initial thoughts. 

It was crash course-stunt work 101.  I mean, full on, sprint running.  Take after take after take.  Jumping over benches, crashing into barrels, dodging crowds.  All under 95 degree weather.  After the first 2 hours I was ready to throw up -- which I wound up doing after lunch. 

You know how you always hear actors in interviews taking pride doing their own stunt work?  Well, "screw that" is all I have to say.  My stunt double's being put to work from now on -- I'm no spring chicken anymore.  

But that's not what bugged me. 

What did bug me was something that I've begun to notice a lot on sets and that is:  Directors and camera crews are so engaged with moving to the next shot or changing shots at the last minute that they neglect to tell the actor what's going on -- what they need from the actor and where they need the actor.  

One of my co-stars, who's been on sets since a child, concurred observing this growing trend.  And frankly, it was getting pretty damn annoying. 

Here's the usual etiquette if a shot's being changed last minute:  You give the camera crew some time to figure out the shot.  Then the actors are informed of the change, given new marks, rehearsal time to block all the stunts for safety and then you roll the cameras.

A bunch of times on "Jane Doe" I wasn't anywhere near the cameras when they called "Action" -- even though I was paying attention the entire time, waiting to rehearse the new change.  And who's fault does it look like if their meticulously set up shot get messed up or delayed?  Me.  The production was basically a collaborative effort between only the director and camera crews.  At one point I had to literally stop the scene immediately after "Action" was called because that was the only time I could get a word in to ask the director what was going on.  

I chalk it up to the guerilla/low production "need to move quickly" mentality and/or the ability to move quickly due to the increased use of High Definition (HD) that crews seem to just blow past the actors these days. 

Now I don't think that actors should be waited on hand and foot but honestly, when it comes down to it--all the camera set-ups, lighting and microphones are all aimed upon doing one thing: Capturing the actor's performance.  And that actor needs to be informed of what the heck is goin' on!

Even the etiquette of the production assistants letting the actors know when they can step off the set to relax was being neglected.  In this case, my co-star and I were under the pounding sun waiting to shoot the next shot -- unbeknownst to us, the camera crew was having a 15 minute pow-wow discussing the shot around a corner.   Had I been relayed to take a 15 min break, that would've bought me some recouping time in the shade while my barf settled down in my stomach.  

Seriously, the level of neglect was so bad that I thought to myself several times, "This can't be the way they do things here... I've gotta be getting Punk'd or something."  It could've just been that one day where things went down the way they did but all I can report is what I experienced.  

So to you newer actors, know to take care and stand up for yourself on these kinds of sets.  It's not diva-ish behavior to want to know from either the Director or the First AD (Assistant Director) what they are doing and to allow you the proper time to prepare and adjust for a new shot.