After regretting that I could not really greet Mr. Ken Watanabe the better way when I met him through my first background work for Memoirs of a Geisha, I passionately hoped that I would be given the second opportunity to work for this movie.
I thought it would never happen again.....But I still hoped.
And it did happen. I was very lucky, or it meant to happen or I don't know.
I was booked again for this movie for the Sumo match scene, if you remember the scene.
I remember that my call time was really early in the morning, about 3:30a.m. This is because when the production deals with many background, they have to make us perfectly ready before they start shooting. That day, I think there were almost 500 background people.
I got to the wardrobe department, and they dressed me in Kimono.
After we waited all morning, we finally moved to the studio to shoot.
I was very amazed how art department built Kokugi-kan, the Sumo match field. I thought I was in Japan.
Assistant directors began to place us to sit at the audience seat. I was told to sit where nothing was special about it which was fine for me, and I started to chat with other people.
And a little later, this dignified lady came to me with one of assistant director or something, and kept looking at me, and finally told me to come with her. Later on, I found out she was Ms. Colleen Atwood, a costume designer who won the academy award from Chicago.
I just followed her, and.....
I was placed right next to Principal booth, where Ken Watanabe, Kouji Yakusho, Michelle Yoh, and Ziyi Zhang.
Wow! How lucky I was!
Not only I got to observe and learn how they act right by them, which is a great opportunity for actors, but I was given the opportunity to once again, to possibly say "hi" to Ken Watanabe IF he smiles to me again (I don't talk to celebrities unless they talk to me).
Many people told me that I will be seen when the movie comes out to the theater since I was right next to these principals and camera was right there aiming this way.
And the hair, make up artist, and wardrobe people kept coming to me frequently to retouch.
Well, do you see me in the movie?
Unfortunately NO (haha)
They cut the frame right at the tip of my shoulder. (haha!) You can see two gentleman sitting right next to principal booth on their left, and I was right next to these gentlemen in that booth.
This is what happens in making movies, you never know how they edit the movie.
Everybody thought I would be in it, then I was not.
On the other hand, when I didn't even know when the camera was shooting me, later I happened to find out I WAS featured.
You can not seem me in Memoirs of a Geisha, but you can in the movie Flight Plan starring Jody Foster, and also Common's music video called Testified.
In Flight plan, there is a scene towards the end that this female flight attendant gets arrested at the lobby of the airport.
I was a passenger there coming back from Russia wearing a thick brown coat & green sweater with Long beige skirt. You can see me talkng to some other people at the right corner of the frame and
removing globes and stuff starting at 2:38 in this YouTube video clip:)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eZj0AoTNoZo&mode=related&search=
Then interestingly, I jump from behind the male principal actor to beside the wall reading a book, when Jody Foster stands up and carries her daughter in her arm around at 3:51. This is the editing error, but most people don't notice, I guess.
This scene was shot in extremely hot studio, so everybody wanted to go home as soon as possible. This is why I did not even know I was featured since only thing it was in my mind was "I want to take all these clothes off, and go home!"
In Common's music video "testify", you can see me in Jury section in the front row, second from the left. I was the only one Asian female jury, so you won't miss it.
You can visit YouTube.com
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WebILJKDms8
*I was fat back then. So please don't laugh! (^_^)
I have heard I was in "Gilmore girls", and Disney TV show "Life" by my friends before, but I have not watched them yet and do not have the video.
If I can think of other things, I will post again in the future:)
I hope to have much bigger role sometimes soon!!!
