Naval Academy Award
I first saw him at a local (Los Angeles) Lodestone Theatre fundraiser for their last season`s main stage show, Solve For X by Judy Soo Hoo, but we didn`t get to chat. Mind you, there were a million things that could`ve been said, because director Justin Lin must have plenty of stories to tell.
His first solo feature, Better Luck Tomorrow had the “highest grossing per screen average opening for MTV Films.” Buzz was created after a screening at the Sundance Film Festival, when an emotionally deranged white guy attacked the provocative film as “amoral,” with none other than Roger Ebert sticking up for the then-unknown Asian American film. The success of BLT crowned Lin as not only one of the ten directors to watch by Variety, but presently one of the industry trade pub`s premonitions that actually came true. The successful box office opening of Lin`s first studio flick, Annapolis, despite some lackluster reviews, proves the suits were on the ball.
Set at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis stars James Franco, Tyrese, and BLT`s Roger Fan. The film follows Jake Huard`s (Franco) struggle to best the naysayers and his disadvantaged lower class background to become the naval officer of his dreams.
While stories surrounding the American military are not apt to take on leading characters of minority status, Lin`s film tackles issues of class, race, and gender within the microcosmos of the Naval Academy. It`s no surprise that--even within the formulaic structure of a studio movie--the instances of race are present in Lin`s newest film, albeit via subplots. Annapolis is an automatic for people of color looking for representation on the screen.
With Lin`s present and future slate of studio flicks and industry kudos, it`s easy to forget that, like Annapolis` protagonist Huard, Lin comes from humble beginnings as a boy from suburban Buena Park, California, who wanted to tell stories with film. Lin had the chutzpah to make it happen, even if it took ten maxed out credit cards. While Annapolis is certainly a studio feature film, it is very much a story about dreams and dreams coming true. And according to Lin, Annapolis, in this way is “more personal than Better Luck Tomorrow.”
While it`s only been three years since BLT, Lin is already attached to direct the American version of infamous Korean film, Old Boy, and is currently finishing Fast And The Furious 3: Tokyo Drift.
Lin`s story is just beginning. Here, the filmmaker talks to ChopBlock about Better Luck Tomorrow, Roger Fan, the Asian American arts community, and what it`s like to be an underdog.
After BLT, you could`ve worked on a variety of projects. What is it about Annapolis that resonated with you?
After Better Luck Tomorrow, I wanted to try different types of filmmaking-I also wanted to make a studio film. After working on (BLT), independent studios offered a lot of projects, especially genre films like horror, action. But Annapolis spoke to me. It`s my personal attachment to the theme of the film, about a working class guy following his dreams.
Aside from the obvious, what are some of the differences working on an independent feature and a studio flick?
On the independent level, I maxed out ten credit cards and had a six-figure debt--I was literally mortgaging my life. The first day on the set (Annapolis), it was so surreal to see trucks and the lights and the whole expanse of it all. I mean, the whole budget of Better Luck Tomorrow was one day of Annapolis. But for me, to take on a studio film, it was important to know who I was going to be working with. Nina Dickson from Disney was really good about letting me have my vision. With studio films, there are a lot of politics, fighting for your vision. But with an independent flick, you have to battle for distribution.
How did the film get cast? How did Franco, Tyrese, and Fan come on board?
I immediately thought of [Franco]--he was an exciting actor to me. Likewise, he was a fan of Better Luck Tomorrow and he was the first one to come on board. I worked with Dave Collard on casting. I needed someone who matched James` presence. Tyrese was that presence. He`s very instinctual, very charismatic, and was the opposing force equal to James` dynamic presence. Roger is very talented and I`ve worked with him before.
What kind of research did you do for the film?
[With] the stories surrounding the American military, I researched at the Japanese American Museum…about the 442nd platoon and…[the] Asian American presence in the story of the American military. My research [also] consisted of going to Annapolis, and I was awed by the tradition, but really, it`s just a bunch of buildings. It comes down to the people and that`s where I did my research. I [also] had to do a lot of research on boxing. I love sports because it`s the only arena where you can`t fake it. You suck and it`s very simple.
Roger`s character Loo, sorta starts off like a by-the-rules, kind of a dick (in my opinion, but dicks tend to be cocky [Groan…that`s not a pun, is it?-Ed.] which tends to be hot [That explains a lot--Ed.]), but as the film progresses I was happy Loo took on an arc. How did you deal with his character?
I was happy with Roger`s character because I don`t like to waste characters. Many times, characters are there just for the plot, but it`s important to have characters as human beings. Dave [Collard, screenwriter] and I worked on Loo to develop it.
Annapolis is a film very much about the underdogs. I was wondering if you connected to the film`s theme, considering your own journey.
I grew up in Buena Park, and I dreamed of being a filmmaker. While LA is 30 minutes away, I didn`t know anything about what it would take or know anyone in the business. My mom and dad owned a fish and chips shop. It was like, while Hollywood is 30 minutes away, it really was a world away. When Jake Huard looks across the lake, it`s kind of like how much I needed to learn to get to where I wanted to go. There is so much to learn aside from all the industry crap. That`s why Annapolis really appealed to me, because the theme of the movie is very universal. It`s about whether you are going to let your environment determine who you are, or are you going to step up and answer it for yourself.
I know it`s difficult to encapsulate the three years since BLT into words, but can you?
It`s just been learning a lot. It`s really been a blessing and I`ve been able to learn more about what kind of filmmaker I am. I enjoy the work. It`s been fun the last three years. I`m living my dream.
Is it important to you to support the Asian American arts community?
Yes, the Asian American community is very important. I mean there are theories of why it`s important why we need to stay together. But for me, we`ve been together, and the community has always been there for me. We`ve all grown together.
You`ve cast Roger Lin in Annapolis, and Sung Kang and Jason Tobin in Tokyo Drift. Is it important to you, as a director, to work with the actors you`ve worked with prior?
Working on a film, we become a family, and all the actors in BLT were talented and good people. If they can have the opportunity, it`s part of my job to give them those opportunities. It`s was really great working on Tokyo Drift. Me and Sung were walking through the streets of Tokyo, and we look at each other and said, damn, we`ve come a long way!
