"Americanese" coming August '07 — YouTube clips posted

Two years ago, around this time, I was heavy into rehearsals for my biggest acting role to date — in many ways, a role of a lifetime — starring, as the romantic lead, in " American," written & directed by Eric Byler, adapted from the novel, " American Knees," by Shawn Wong. The low-budget indie was shot in about 22 days in March-April '05, and on a number of levels was my greatest professional experience, and the most important role for me.

First of all, it's great to be the star. Seriously. Out of the entire shoot, there was only one day where I was not scheduled to work, and my assignment for that day was to have lunch with one of my co-stars, Joan Chen (Yes, a tough day at work, even on my day off. Joan lives in San Francisco, so we were not able to rehearse with her beforehand. Since our characters are supposed to be co-workers, eventually hooking up romantically, the point of our having lunch was to try to get to know eachother, at least a little, so that we'd be more at ease diving into bed — literally — on camera). For an actor, the great thing about being the star, is having the opportunity to fully develop your character, to be involved in so much of telling the story. Since your character is at the center of the film, so are you. Also, to be able to work with most of the actors on the project — and we had a great ensemble: Allison Sie, Joan Chen, Sab Shimono, Kelly Hu, Michael Paul Chan, Ben Shenkman, Autumn Reeser... and others. It's also extremely validating, after over two decades in pursuit of it, to have the chance to be a leading man, to see if this belief you've had in yourself all these years, but have been denied, is true. If you can play that role, if you can carry a picture.

The role, and the film, are also important for a number of other reasons: It is based on an important work (Shawn's novel). It is an Asian American indie film, from the creative team down to the volunteers, with characters that are personal, close to home, addressing real issues, living real lives. It has a lot to prove — I feel I have a lot to prove — with this character. Asian Americans have been marginalized, by the media and in the film world, and this film not only acknowledges us, but it's success would signify a certain level of acceptance.

I was fully conscious of all these facets of the role, while making the film, so I tried to be aware of the experience itself, to savor it as much as I could, eventhough it was hard work. But the added joy of the whole process was working with Eric. I truly believe he likes actors. He understands and respects their process, and values their contribution to filmmaking as only a complete filmmaker would. As tough as the shoot was — especially given what was riding on his shoulders — he never lost sight of performance. An actor can't ask for more, and I enjoyed every moment of working with him.

The final piece of the puzzle has yet to be positioned. The hope is, after all these years, this is my big break. That now directors, producers and casting directors, will be able to see me as a leading man. That this will lead to even greater opportunities. But for that to happen, people need to see it...

It was announced in October of last year that IFC First Take would be releasing " American" in theaters. This will happen in August, though dates are TBA. The release platform for IFC First Take is "Day-and-Date," meaning the film will get a limited theatrical release (in LA and NYC, as of now), and VOD (video-on-demand) cable release, thru Comcast Cable, at the same time. Please stay tuned for details.

In the meantime, Eric has posted several preview clips on YouTube, but the easiest way to view all of them is to go to his American Director's Cut MySpace page.

I'm hesitant to post all these clips on my page, since my feeling is there's a possible risk of over-exposure, and I'd suggest trying to preserve the first experience of viewing the film, as much as possible, for when it comes out. But the clips are out there, and I leave it to you. Here is one, though, which I had fun filming, just to whet your appetite:

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTVa5R45NLA

AUTUMN REESER plays , one of my students. My character's thoughts are on co-worker, , played by JOAN CHEN, who is seen briefly in this clip

Thanks for reading,

— CT