In Conversation
with Russell Wong
Tx Date: 11 Jan 2001

Editor's Note:
This is an edited transcript of the interview.

He made his mark in the film industry in the critically acclaimed Joy Luck Club, and box-office hot, Romeo Must Die. Russell Wong is by no feat one of Hollywood's leading Asian American actors.

In his 18-year career, Russell has starred in many films and television series with roles that range from villain, womanizer to hero.

He's now up to more challenges. In the latest Hallmark Entertainment and NBC production, him plays the Monkey King. This adaptation of the ancient Chinese novel, Journey to the West by Wu Chen, has been translated into a mini series. It'll be out on the Hallmark Channel in the first quarter of this year. It was filmed in Singapore, Malaysia, and Prague.

In Conversation caught up with Russell Wong during his recent trip to Singapore.

Shankar: Russell Wong welcome to In Conversation

Russell: Thank you.

Shankar: So you are now the Monkey King?

Russell: Monkey King, yes. The great sage, "Jigong" in heaven.

Shankar: Monkey-ing around?

Russell: Ya, a little bit.

Shankar: Ya? So, what's this new film of yours about?

Russell: Well, it's about the scholar from above, played by Thomas Gibson. He's a businessman in China and he comes to China to help other businessmen, you know, work in China. And he has an experience with this woman, who is disguised, as she is in essence Guan Ying. She takes him to a world below, there's this other world which is part of the journey to the West, the story, and takes him out on an adventure and teaches him a little bit about himself. And he has to find the lost manuscript bring it back to his world because his world is in dire need of spiritual principles. That's kind of the essence of the story.

Shankar: So how did you enjoy doing the story?

Russell: Well, the Monkey King is like a classic, so I was pretty familiar with it when I was a kid and saw some other productions of it. I had just finished a filmed called "Romeo Must Die" that had some success to it and they heard about me through that and offered me the role in Monkey King.

Shankar: Well, that was very subtle. "Romeo Must die" was very well known.

Russell: Ya, very subtle?

Shankar: Indeed. But are you known more in "Romeo Must Die", or the watermelon scene in "Joy Luck Club"?

Russell: I think that watermelon scene made my career.

Shankar: It did? The watermelon did?

Russell: I was pretty well known for eating watermelon on the film.

Shankar: I'm sure. So, what brought you then to films in the first place?

Russell: I started taking acting class, dance class, mime in high school. I just didn't have the passion for the academic route. So my mum kind of influenced artistic endeavors so I just kind of stayed at it. One thing kind of led to another.

Shankar: You know, I read somewhere that as a child one of the reasons why you got into films was because you had a dream.

Russell: Yes, I had a dream when I was a kid. In the dream, there were Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. I guess that was around the time of "All the President's Men". I don't know, I was doing gymnastics on the ledge, and they were "come on you can do it, you can do it". I don't know if that means anything. Sometimes dreams don't mean anything.

Shankar: Well, they obviously do because you remember it.

Russell: I remember that one, ya.

Shankar: So are Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford heroes for you in any fashion?

Russell: Well, I admire their work really. Probably some of the best film makers … like Robert Redford, fantastic filmmaker. Dustin Hoffman, fantastic actor. I guess they are the archi-types for the craft, for the media, and for the, you know, process of film- making and story telling.

Shankar: But who would you really look up to? Who inspires you, really? When you were growing up, when you were thinking about films, who was that hero in your mind that you'll say: "Hey this is someone that I'd like to be?"

Russell : Certainly, Dustin Hoffman's acting is something that I look up to. I remember "Midnight Cowboy". Later on I had a disc and listened to the director's narration of why they choose certain scenes, and how they do certain scenes, a variety of different, I would say, filmmakers and actors, and directors who inspired me like, Zhang Yimou. Working with Wayne Wang's "Eat A Bowl Of Tea", for example. It's a low budget film but you can still make a good story and if you execute it right that can be a memorable film. So along the way, even the athletes you watch on TV inspire, inspirational words to say: "Pick little pearls of wisdom and try to incorporate them in your life as you go along".

Find out how Russell feels about being an Asian-American actor >>