SAVING FACE
Source:www.sdaff.org
SDAFF: I understand you've done a lot of self-promotion. Did that help you in landing your role in SAVING FACE?
MK: Ha. Self promotion. That sounds terrible on paper. But I admit, I am my own worst critic and I think my best fan as well. I've worked really hard to pursue acting. I think it's a real privilege to be able to do this for a living and I'm extremely dedicated. When it came time to proving myself for the lead role in SAVING FACE, I think it was to my advantage that I flew myself out to NY to audition for Alice and in addition, studied Mandarin in Taiwan before I was even cast. I think on passion alone, I wanted Alice to know how much I wanted to be a part of her film, but I also think Alice wouldn't have cast me if I wasn't essentially and hopefully the best actor for the role.
SDAFF: How different (or similar) has your life been compared to Wil's, in terms of family and cultural pressure?
MK: Wil and I are very similar emotionally. Everyone suffers from their own insecurities and that was a feeling I had to draw on very personally when it came to portraying Wil. I chose something very specific that I felt both Wil and I identified with and hopefully would resonate deeply on screen and in terms of physicality, I was mostly inspired by Alice, the director, to create Wil's quirks, posture and mannerisms. Of course, in dealing with the relationship of "Ma" to Wil, that was very organic and familiar. My own relationship to my mother draws on similar feelings of wanting to be a good enough daughter and allowing my mother to maintain a kind of hierarchy over me because I have had such empathy for my mother's sacrifices and very difficult life. Certainly, if my mother had to move in with me, I think my reaction would be more on the level of bad horror rather than Alice's sophisticated romantic comedy. Don't tell my mother I said that.
SDAFF: Did you also identify with the character of Vivian, who has chosen a career in the popular arts, which is not often encouraged among Chinese-American families? (Wil, the surgical resident, seems much more stereotypical of the first generation Chinese-American.)
MK: Definitely. I distinctly remember my mother asking me in my junior year of college what "theater" was. I think for whatever reason, it wasn't a term I often used in front of her so when it was introduced to her I realized that my mother didn't know that it was one of my majors. (I double majored in English and Theater Arts.) It was very trying during high school to pursue acting and especially as an adolescent, I so much wanted to become a dancer. For whatever reason, I started making money from small acting jobs in the little town of [Virginia] Beach and I think my mother had a hard time arguing against acting because on a very practical level—I was making money! But overall, it's taken a long time for her to really understand that I am not giving it up and gain her emotional support which is very different from supporting someone in general, and I think my own resoluteness has forced her to support me.
SDAFF: You've been getting some great reviews for your performance in SAVING FACE. Has it led to any other chances for leading roles (other than the main character's brother's Asian girlfriend)?
MK: Ha. Don't curse me just yet! As a matter of fact, it has started opening up doors. We shall see where those doors lead to, but in the end, quite frankly, I have always believed in being pro-active. I love to write. I work on plays. I perform Made in Taiwan, my one woman show. I know—and firmly believe that the road looks promising but I'm not one to sit back and wait. And lets face it, SAVING FACE is an incredible script with incredible female leads. Hollywood isn't pouring with roles like that. Going out for leading roles is a wonderful opportunity now that is a direct result from SAVING FACE, but Asian-Americans writing, expressing themselves politically, generating new work as artists in all types of mediums, supporting films like this—those are the things that will help both myself and our community in the long run.
SDAFF: There certainly were some racy scenes in SAVING FACE. Was it a difficult choice to make, knowing what was expected of you in the role? How have Asian audiences responded? And your parents?
MK: Racy? That's not the first word that comes to mind, but everything is subjective. I think Alice directed [Lynn Chen and I] in a very believable relationship and when you have good writing and an excellent story in place, the love scene just falls in place. If the relationship wasn't authentic then I think "nudity" always comes across tacky or gratuitous. I've done nudity before and when it supports the character and the credibility of the story at hand, I think it shouldn't be a huge concern. I don't know how Asian audiences will respond. I hope well, of course. And I hope people will be able to separate Michelle the actress from Wil, the character. I think that is how my parents see it. I think my parents are quite progressive in that respect. They see it as my work as an actor.
SDAFF: I noticed that while much of the dialogue was in Mandarin, this was a very American film that addresses the cultural conflicts of Chinese immigrants in the United States. Do you feel that SAVING FACE will reach an audience beyond Asian-Americans, and show Americans of all color the difficulties of balancing traditional values with those that are much more accepted in the US?
MK: Yes. I believe this film will do that very thing all good stories do—become identifiably universal. Ultimately, you have a love story at hand. One between a mother and a daughter and one between two lovers. I think the setting of the story, specific to Chinese America, Flushing, etc., gives this age-old theme a wonderful flavor of distinctiveness and authenticity, but it also gives it heart. We are a country of immigrants. All of us, every single one of us, save for the Native Americans, I suppose, came to America for freedom and opportunity. That is "America." So, SAVING FACE is your quintessential American story. I think you feel it in the film. It's not a conceptual thing that Alice is trying to hammer into her audience, so it is universal and I believe is the reason why it has the potential of "crossing over."
SDAFF: Can we expect to see you at our 6th Annual Festival, in September/October?
MK: Well, since SAVING FACE, my appearance fee has increased. So, lets see—I'm joking, of course. I hope that as long as I am working in the arts, if there are things I can share that can inspire, encourage or inform others...I hope I can continue to do so.
------------------------------------------------
Source:movies.about.com
Michelle Krusiec on "Saving Face" and Her Lesbian Love Scene
Michelle Krusiec on Getting Cast in “Saving Face”
“I have a one-woman show called Made in Taiwan and Teddy [Zee] the producer saw it and called me in based on seeing that. He said, ‘Here, take the script. How's your Mandarin? I said, ‘It's fantastic.’ But at the time it was pretty remedial. And I read it and I was so overwhelmed by how good the script was. That started my journey to try and get the role.”
Dissecting Her One-Woman Show:
“My show is not about, ‘Let's see how many characters I can do.’ My show is more about showing a mother and daughter and showing both sides of the arguments. And I think [Teddy] felt there was something in that that maybe I could bring to the role of Wil.”
Michelle Krusiec Defines Her Character in “Saving Face:”
“She's a lot different from most of my friends or people who know me might expect. I pretty much modeled the character off of [writer/director Alice Wu]. As we started rehearsing, I started seeing things that she would do. I know she's writing from a very personal perspective, but she would do things that I found fascinating and I started adopting her mannerisms.
While we rehearsed we would find the emotional truth of the character. But in terms of physicality, I pretty much just stole everything that she would give me, from pulling her hair to the way she scrunched over. To me, I'm much more fascinated by human behavior in that respect. I'm much more interested in that kind of work as an actor.”
Michelle Krusiec on Speaking Mandarin at Home:
“In my house we spoke Chinglish, which is broken down English. My mother could sit here and you could ask me everything and I'll say exactly what you're saying, but I'll break it down for her. And that's how my mother will respond in terms of English. But we didn't speak Mandarin in the house. She was learning English.
My Mandarin was pretty poor and when Teddy told me that Alice was concerned that my Mandarin wasn't very good, I flew myself to Taiwan a couple of times and for a period of about 3 or 4 months I went to school every day for about 6 hours and learned how to speak Mandarin, which is one of the most difficult languages to learn.”
On Being Nervous About Carrying a Movie:
“ Yeah, I was. After every take I would go in my trailer and, “F**k! I wish I had one more take,” because I felt like I only got one take and everyone else got seven or eight. That's how I saw everything. But yeah, it's my first lead role and I'm playing more of a ‘character’ more than anything. If I was doing something that I'd done before and I was regurgitating those same things then I would say, ‘No big deal.’ But I was playing something quite different than what I'd done before. Given that it was new and given that I was 99% of the film, in the film, my big fear was that I would suck (laughing).”
Love Scenes with Women vs. Love Scenes with Men:
“It is different because there is something delicate about it, at least the way we played it. We were both a little shy, both a little awkward. Alice specifically said Wil may not be the same way in bed as she may carry herself outside. Meaning that she may not be so awkward. She might actually come out a little bit more, in terms of her aggressiveness. So once I got that sort of understanding, it was a little bit easier for me to guide myself through the emotions of the scene. You know, when you call, “Cut,” you're just hanging out and talking to each other. After a period you do get a little more comfortable. There’s carbonation to it.”
The Emotional Challenges of Being in an Onscreen Lesbian Relationship:
“Initially, I was attracted to certain actresses when we were auditioning. I noticed I was attracted to certain actresses that were more masculine. Then I realized for me that if I'm going to be in a relationship with a woman, I'm drawn to a certain kind of energy. That's not where Alice casts – I told her who I was attracted to. Lynn [Chen] and I, I don't think we have the chemistry we had in the film. Whereas for me, I was drawn to this person because she had a tougher personality.”
SDAFF: I understand you've done a lot of self-promotion. Did that help you in landing your role in SAVING FACE?
MK: Ha. Self promotion. That sounds terrible on paper. But I admit, I am my own worst critic and I think my best fan as well. I've worked really hard to pursue acting. I think it's a real privilege to be able to do this for a living and I'm extremely dedicated. When it came time to proving myself for the lead role in SAVING FACE, I think it was to my advantage that I flew myself out to NY to audition for Alice and in addition, studied Mandarin in Taiwan before I was even cast. I think on passion alone, I wanted Alice to know how much I wanted to be a part of her film, but I also think Alice wouldn't have cast me if I wasn't essentially and hopefully the best actor for the role.
SDAFF: How different (or similar) has your life been compared to Wil's, in terms of family and cultural pressure?
MK: Wil and I are very similar emotionally. Everyone suffers from their own insecurities and that was a feeling I had to draw on very personally when it came to portraying Wil. I chose something very specific that I felt both Wil and I identified with and hopefully would resonate deeply on screen and in terms of physicality, I was mostly inspired by Alice, the director, to create Wil's quirks, posture and mannerisms. Of course, in dealing with the relationship of "Ma" to Wil, that was very organic and familiar. My own relationship to my mother draws on similar feelings of wanting to be a good enough daughter and allowing my mother to maintain a kind of hierarchy over me because I have had such empathy for my mother's sacrifices and very difficult life. Certainly, if my mother had to move in with me, I think my reaction would be more on the level of bad horror rather than Alice's sophisticated romantic comedy. Don't tell my mother I said that.
SDAFF: Did you also identify with the character of Vivian, who has chosen a career in the popular arts, which is not often encouraged among Chinese-American families? (Wil, the surgical resident, seems much more stereotypical of the first generation Chinese-American.)
MK: Definitely. I distinctly remember my mother asking me in my junior year of college what "theater" was. I think for whatever reason, it wasn't a term I often used in front of her so when it was introduced to her I realized that my mother didn't know that it was one of my majors. (I double majored in English and Theater Arts.) It was very trying during high school to pursue acting and especially as an adolescent, I so much wanted to become a dancer. For whatever reason, I started making money from small acting jobs in the little town of [Virginia] Beach and I think my mother had a hard time arguing against acting because on a very practical level—I was making money! But overall, it's taken a long time for her to really understand that I am not giving it up and gain her emotional support which is very different from supporting someone in general, and I think my own resoluteness has forced her to support me.
SDAFF: You've been getting some great reviews for your performance in SAVING FACE. Has it led to any other chances for leading roles (other than the main character's brother's Asian girlfriend)?
MK: Ha. Don't curse me just yet! As a matter of fact, it has started opening up doors. We shall see where those doors lead to, but in the end, quite frankly, I have always believed in being pro-active. I love to write. I work on plays. I perform Made in Taiwan, my one woman show. I know—and firmly believe that the road looks promising but I'm not one to sit back and wait. And lets face it, SAVING FACE is an incredible script with incredible female leads. Hollywood isn't pouring with roles like that. Going out for leading roles is a wonderful opportunity now that is a direct result from SAVING FACE, but Asian-Americans writing, expressing themselves politically, generating new work as artists in all types of mediums, supporting films like this—those are the things that will help both myself and our community in the long run.
SDAFF: There certainly were some racy scenes in SAVING FACE. Was it a difficult choice to make, knowing what was expected of you in the role? How have Asian audiences responded? And your parents?
MK: Racy? That's not the first word that comes to mind, but everything is subjective. I think Alice directed [Lynn Chen and I] in a very believable relationship and when you have good writing and an excellent story in place, the love scene just falls in place. If the relationship wasn't authentic then I think "nudity" always comes across tacky or gratuitous. I've done nudity before and when it supports the character and the credibility of the story at hand, I think it shouldn't be a huge concern. I don't know how Asian audiences will respond. I hope well, of course. And I hope people will be able to separate Michelle the actress from Wil, the character. I think that is how my parents see it. I think my parents are quite progressive in that respect. They see it as my work as an actor.
SDAFF: I noticed that while much of the dialogue was in Mandarin, this was a very American film that addresses the cultural conflicts of Chinese immigrants in the United States. Do you feel that SAVING FACE will reach an audience beyond Asian-Americans, and show Americans of all color the difficulties of balancing traditional values with those that are much more accepted in the US?
MK: Yes. I believe this film will do that very thing all good stories do—become identifiably universal. Ultimately, you have a love story at hand. One between a mother and a daughter and one between two lovers. I think the setting of the story, specific to Chinese America, Flushing, etc., gives this age-old theme a wonderful flavor of distinctiveness and authenticity, but it also gives it heart. We are a country of immigrants. All of us, every single one of us, save for the Native Americans, I suppose, came to America for freedom and opportunity. That is "America." So, SAVING FACE is your quintessential American story. I think you feel it in the film. It's not a conceptual thing that Alice is trying to hammer into her audience, so it is universal and I believe is the reason why it has the potential of "crossing over."
SDAFF: Can we expect to see you at our 6th Annual Festival, in September/October?
MK: Well, since SAVING FACE, my appearance fee has increased. So, lets see—I'm joking, of course. I hope that as long as I am working in the arts, if there are things I can share that can inspire, encourage or inform others...I hope I can continue to do so.
------------------------------------------------
Source:movies.about.com
Michelle Krusiec on "Saving Face" and Her Lesbian Love Scene
Michelle Krusiec on Getting Cast in “Saving Face”
“I have a one-woman show called Made in Taiwan and Teddy [Zee] the producer saw it and called me in based on seeing that. He said, ‘Here, take the script. How's your Mandarin? I said, ‘It's fantastic.’ But at the time it was pretty remedial. And I read it and I was so overwhelmed by how good the script was. That started my journey to try and get the role.”
Dissecting Her One-Woman Show:
“My show is not about, ‘Let's see how many characters I can do.’ My show is more about showing a mother and daughter and showing both sides of the arguments. And I think [Teddy] felt there was something in that that maybe I could bring to the role of Wil.”
Michelle Krusiec Defines Her Character in “Saving Face:”
“She's a lot different from most of my friends or people who know me might expect. I pretty much modeled the character off of [writer/director Alice Wu]. As we started rehearsing, I started seeing things that she would do. I know she's writing from a very personal perspective, but she would do things that I found fascinating and I started adopting her mannerisms.
While we rehearsed we would find the emotional truth of the character. But in terms of physicality, I pretty much just stole everything that she would give me, from pulling her hair to the way she scrunched over. To me, I'm much more fascinated by human behavior in that respect. I'm much more interested in that kind of work as an actor.”
Michelle Krusiec on Speaking Mandarin at Home:
“In my house we spoke Chinglish, which is broken down English. My mother could sit here and you could ask me everything and I'll say exactly what you're saying, but I'll break it down for her. And that's how my mother will respond in terms of English. But we didn't speak Mandarin in the house. She was learning English.
My Mandarin was pretty poor and when Teddy told me that Alice was concerned that my Mandarin wasn't very good, I flew myself to Taiwan a couple of times and for a period of about 3 or 4 months I went to school every day for about 6 hours and learned how to speak Mandarin, which is one of the most difficult languages to learn.”
On Being Nervous About Carrying a Movie:
“ Yeah, I was. After every take I would go in my trailer and, “F**k! I wish I had one more take,” because I felt like I only got one take and everyone else got seven or eight. That's how I saw everything. But yeah, it's my first lead role and I'm playing more of a ‘character’ more than anything. If I was doing something that I'd done before and I was regurgitating those same things then I would say, ‘No big deal.’ But I was playing something quite different than what I'd done before. Given that it was new and given that I was 99% of the film, in the film, my big fear was that I would suck (laughing).”
Love Scenes with Women vs. Love Scenes with Men:
“It is different because there is something delicate about it, at least the way we played it. We were both a little shy, both a little awkward. Alice specifically said Wil may not be the same way in bed as she may carry herself outside. Meaning that she may not be so awkward. She might actually come out a little bit more, in terms of her aggressiveness. So once I got that sort of understanding, it was a little bit easier for me to guide myself through the emotions of the scene. You know, when you call, “Cut,” you're just hanging out and talking to each other. After a period you do get a little more comfortable. There’s carbonation to it.”
The Emotional Challenges of Being in an Onscreen Lesbian Relationship:
“Initially, I was attracted to certain actresses when we were auditioning. I noticed I was attracted to certain actresses that were more masculine. Then I realized for me that if I'm going to be in a relationship with a woman, I'm drawn to a certain kind of energy. That's not where Alice casts – I told her who I was attracted to. Lynn [Chen] and I, I don't think we have the chemistry we had in the film. Whereas for me, I was drawn to this person because she had a tougher personality.”
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