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2014 San Diego Asian Film Festival

15 Questions & 15 Answers with Leonard Wu

Posted October 22nd, 2014 by leeannkim in Blog

15 Questions and 15 Answers (in 15 words or less) with Actor Leonard Wu of SDAFF’s Opening Night Film, REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS by Lee Ann Kim

Leonard Wu (1)

1. Congrats on being part of such a high profile film with all-star cast (Ray Liota, Justin Chon, Kev Jumba, Harry Shum, Eugenia Yuan)! How do you describe the film to friends?

An incredibly kinetic, violent, Hong Kong style gangster film produced by Martin Scorsese.

2. Tell us about your character, Chen I Chung.

He’s like a relentless force of nature, a bit of a wrecking ball.

3. Are you anything like your character in real life?

Probably not so much now. I was an angry kid in high school though.

4. And tell us about that hair for the film. Did you grow it specifically for the role? Do you prefer long or short?

I actually grew it out for another project and it just stuck. I prefer long.

5. REVENGE is an action-packed film with lots of guns, knives, fights, and the POPO.

How do you prepare or train for a film like this? A lot of eating and a lot of heavy lifting at the gym.

6. Favorite scene?

My one-on-one scene with Kev (Jumba) where I tell him to obey me. Kev was fantastic.

7. Can you share one quick behind the scenes story?

During a gun fight scene, debris and squibs exploded in my face. I saw stars

8. Is it true you studied Chinese Opera? If so, what got you interested in it?

My parents forced me at first. Then I became obsessed with martial arts and acrobatics.

9. Any other hidden talents?

I love drawing. I wanted to be a comic book artist once upon a time.

10. How’s your buddy Martin Scorsese? Any stories with him on set?

I never got a chance to work with Scorsese directly on set, but just knowing he was our producer seemed so surreal in the best way possible. Sorry, this was also more than 15 words. But come on! It’s Scorsese!

11. Who do you think is the audience for this film?

People who love watching gun fights and gangsters beating each other down.

12. What got you interested or inspired to act?

Ever since childhood, I’ve been fascinated with pretending to be something I’m not.

13. You also write and produce your own work too. Any new projects underway?

Some very exciting stuff is underway, but too early to share right now.

14. By the way, you got that bad boy face down. Is there a secret to looking fierce, or is it all about duck lips?

If you’re facing the sun and it’s blinding you, you tend to just naturally grimace.

15. What do you look forward to at the San Diego Asian Film Festival?

Being able to watch some awesome films and be among inspiring peers.

dragons_aLeonard Wu (Center) Film: Revenge of the Green Dragons

You can meet Leonard Wu in person and watch REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS at the San Diego Asian Film Festival’s opening night, Thursday, November 6, 7PM at the Gaslamp Reading Cinemas. Tickets, trailer, and more info available at this link.