LISA CHENG INTERVIEW: HONG KONG SPIDER GIRL

Known as the “Hong Kong Spider Girl”, world champion rock climber Lisa Cheng (鄭麗莎) is also an accomplished gymnast, martial artist, successful bodybuilder, and for the last four years has been the reigning queen of the Miss BodyFitness event at the Hong Kong Bodybuilding Championships.

Lisa’s extraordinary physical abilities and multiple athletic activities have led her into a career as actress, stuntwoman and fitness model, as well as sports broadcaster for the Chinese TV program Now Sports. Action Queens is proud to present Lisa Cheng’s first-ever interview in English! Enjoy...

Frédéric Ambroisine: Your real name is Lisa Cheng, but you’re also known as Lisa Sa. How did you choose this name?

Lisa Cheng: Actually, my real name is Cheng Lai Sho Lisa. I used Lisa Sa just for fun on FaceBook and it became really popular. Then people started to call me Sa-Sa, and I liked it (laughs)! That's why I am Lisa Sa.

FA: Does Sa-Sa have a meaning in English?

LC: No, it doesn’t. It’s just a short form of Lisa: Sa or Sa-Sa. I’m fine with people calling me by any name…

FA: You are involved in a lot of sports activities like climbing, bodybuilding, Thai boxing, gymnastics etc... When did you start practicing these sports?

LC: I have ten years experience climbing and four years in body fitness. I think climbing is my strength; I am “Spider Girl”! I started climbing in 1998, started body fitness in 2005, gymnastics and boxing in 2006, and Muay Thai in 2007. I’ve been a member of the Hong Kong Elite Sport Climbing Team since 2002, the Hong Kong Elite Body Building & Fitness Team since 2006, and I was on the Hong Kong Elite Aerobic Gymnastics Team in 2006 and 2007.

Lisa Cheng's daily routine: Working out, jumping and climbing!

FA: Have you ever used your climbing skills in real life for any reason?

LC: Um…. Climbing trees and catching a ball a few times, haha …Actually, I’ll climb anywhere if I think it’s not dangerous. It usually isn’t too high, and it’s just for fun.

FA: Why did you quit the Aerobic Gymnastics Team?

LC: The main reason I quit is because I broke my knee and incurred ligament injuries while training in 2006. I had surgery in 2007. Also, to be a member of the team I had to pay a training fee every month, which was quite expensive. So, right now I choose to do my gymnastics training in China. It’s cheaper than Hong Kong, more extensive, and very, very good.

Lisa Cheng: gymnastics training

FA: What contests have you won so far?

LC: I won the 2006 World Cup Championship in the World Speed Climbing Competition. In body fitness, I was the 2006 Miss East Asian Fitness Champion, and I also won the 2008 East Asian Championship. For the last six years I have won first place in the Hong Kong Women’s Speed Climbing Competition, and for the last four years I have consistently won the Hong Kong Body Fitness Championship.

Lisa Cheng: competing for Miss Fitness at the East Asian Bodybuilding and
Body Fitness Championships (Mongolia 2008/Singapore 2006). Guess who won?

FA: You're also a model, stuntwoman, personal trainer and actress. How do you manage your time?

LC: Right now I’m living in Guangzhou, China and am focusing 100% on training for the August 2009 Asian Body Fitness and Miss Fitness Championships in Thailand (1). I am also preparing to compete in the December 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong. I currently work and train full time Monday through Friday: three hours of belly dancing and modeling in the morning, two hours of gymnastics in the afternoon, and two hours of body fitness workout at the the gym in the evening. I’ll probably keep up this work pace until December 2009. On Saturdays and Sundays I sometimes go back to Hong Kong to do some personal training at the gym, visit my family or do other activities.

Lisa Cheng in 2009: strong is beautiful!

FA: Tell me about your action movie role!

LC: I played a hit woman in the 2008 movie “Mutant Cop” (<變種警察> or <狙击黑白森林>) [unreleased movie starring Simon Yam and Michael Miu]. I’m sorry I don’t know the English title!! I was a stuntwoman for this movie, so I used a gun and other weapons to kill a few guys... In the end, their friends shot me back and I died (laughs)! Actually, being an action actress has been my dream since childhood. Now that I am getting older and can afford to obtain more training, I really want to keep learning different skills and continue to improve myself. I want to be ready and able to handle all the different requirements of any job opportunity I might get!

FA: Who are your favorite actors and actresses?

LC: 100% Angelina and her man! I like her character in “Tomb Raider”. She’s elegant, special, beautiful, healthy and sexy. As far as Hong Kong actors, I like Michelle Yeoh and Andy Lau.


Left: Lisa Cheng & Angelina Jolie (montage) - Right: ready for Halloween! (2008)

FA: You also had a role in the movie “Blood Money”. When was that?

LC: The shooting of “Blood Money” took place in December 2008. It’s an Australian action thriller directed by Greg McQualter. They shot it in Hong Kong, China and Australia, so there were three different production crews: one for each country. The action directors came from different countries as well. I knew one of them, Zheng Liu from Beijing. As far as I remember, the story is about a drug dealer who kills somebody’s parents so their son comes back to seek revenge…

FA: What role did you play?

LC: Actually, I just played a pretty chick in this movie….I didn’t have any action! Haha! But I found a lot of guns on the set and wanted to show them some action. So I held a gun, played with my friends, and took some pictures. I love action! I hope to show it in front of the camera, not behind. Haha!

FA: You recently had a role in the comedy “All's Well Ends Well 2009”. Tell me about it.

LC: I play one of Ronald Cheng’s unlucky girlfriends. We shot it in May 2008. I spent nine hours working on my stunt, but it only appears in the movie for a couple seconds! Basically, I get hit by a carpet being carried in a passing car, and get carried away by the carpet! I personally knew a lot of the people involved with the film, and the director Vincent Kok took good care of me because the scene was a little dangerous. But I had so much fun filming that I didn’t consider it as work at all!

Ronald Cheng and Lisa Cheng in “All's Well Ends Well 2009”

FA: What kind of characters would you like to play in the future?

LC: I would like to try all different kinds of roles, but I think I'd be better at doing action movies.

Lisa Cheng: photoshoot for the August 2009 edition of Sportsoho (#7)

FA: When did you do your first TV or movie work?

LC: Let’s see… if I remember right, it was in 2006. Once I had won the World Cup in the World Speed Climbing Competition, more people started to notice me. This has enabled me to begin working in TV and movies.

FA: Do you have a manager or managing company who takes care of all your work, or are you your own manager?

LC: I handle everything myself!

FA: What have you had to do as a stuntwoman? Do you think stunt work is a tough or dangerous job?

LC: I actually don’t have very much stunt experience; just a couple times… but I used to play around just for fun. I feel that being a stunt woman is quite a dangerous job. However, if I am not confident that I can safely perform the required action, I will not take the risk. I have seen quite a lot of people get hurt. I want be an actress more than a stunt woman. I haven’t done much film work but I want to do more in the future. I don’t think my stunt experiences have been very dangerous. I thought it was all good fun: jumping into the sea, getting hit by a car a little bit, getting shot and dying, shooting people, stabbing people with a knife, fighting, climbing... I don’t think this is too dangerous. It’s so much fun! I have never had any stunt training for movies and I have never gotten hurt. But I have been injured during my regular training.

Lisa Cheng: Just some regular “Spider Girl” training!

FA: What happened?

LC: I tore my right knee ligament when I was practicing a high-to-low flip with a rotating landing. I tore my ACL ligament. So sad…

FA: For which TV and movie companies have you worked?

LC: I have worked freelance for different companies, but have spent most of my time at Now TV doing work for their sports program Now Sports.

Lisa Cheng with the Now Sports team

FA: You seem to feel comfortable talking in front of the camera for your TV interviews. Is this natural for you or did you have to gradually learn how to do it?

LC: I feel very natural in front of the camera because I just talk about my real life. I have no special training but I do have a little bit of experience. I have been interviewed by many different sport medias since I was a child.

Edcon Gabriel and Lisa Cheng preparing for an episode for Now Sports (June 2008)

FA: When were you contacted by the TV channel Now Sports to be a TV broadcaster?

LC: I’ve been working for Now Sports since January 2008. When I started, I did voice-over behind the screen once or twice a week for about three months. After that, Now Sports wanted me to sign a contract with them as full-time staff but I didn’t want to work under contract so I refused. Instead I have been doing freelance work for them.

FA: What are the easy parts, or difficult parts, about this job?

LC: I think I can communicate easily with everybody. I have discovered that many people enjoy talking with me and dialoguing. I think that the difficult part of this job is when I’m expected to talk about the rules of a sport I am not familiar with. I need to study the game and memorize all the rules in a very short period of time.

FA: How long do you spend preparing for one episode of the TV program?

LC: The truth is that I never really have much time to prepare. I work under a research team; they give me the information I need right before the deadline, or face to face on the actual day of shooting. So sometimes I need to do some extra research myself.

Lisa Cheng revising before a monologue for Now Sports (July 2008)

FA: Are the episodes scripted or improvised?

LC: They provide me with voice-over scripts for each episode. And they also provide me with recommended questions and reference materials when I interview somebody.

FA: Why did you choose to learn boxing and Muay Thai?

LC: I started boxing because I have a friend in gymnastics who is also a boxer. So it was easy for me to begin. A few months after I started regular training, I had an accident - my knee injury - so I couldn’t train anymore. But I didn’t want to give up on it, so I took a boxing coach course to learn about the theory. At that time I had a friend who was a Hong Kong boxing team committee coach. The Hong Kong team were about to enter a Muay Thai competition in Thailand. I wanted to travel and I wanted to watch fights so I bought a ticket and followed them. I found that Muay Thai is more skilled, more useful and more dynamic than boxing. And I found out that Muay Thai training in Thailand is cheap and professional: very systematic training programs are the norm there. So I started to come to Thailand by myself. I go back from time to time….

Lisa Cheng: Muay Thai Action Queen! (Thailand 2008)

FA: Did you choose to train in Muay Thai in order to attend a Mixed Martial Arts competition?

LC: I worked as a K-1 commentator for Now Sports and have also often watched MMA fights. Doing these things was motivation for me to want to train in fighting. I think Muay Thai is the most harmful fighting in the MMA (laughs)!!

Lisa Cheng & Master Noi: Muay Thai training in Bangkok (2008)

FA: Have you ever fought in real life?

LC: The last time I really fought was when I was a kid… haha! No more after that… I think I changed my attitude after I got into the sports field. It’s been a long time since I have even argued with anyone.

FA: And have you fought in a martial arts competition before?

LC: I have not yet entered a fight competition but I think I will someday. I want to win, so I want to be well prepared.

FA: Women with too much muscle are not really...“feminine”, right? I assume there are different categories and different kinds of training for female bodybuilders. Can you explain a little bit about your bodybuilding training?

LC: I agree that women should not have too much muscle. I’m in the Body Fitness and Miss Fitness categories, which are different from the Bodybuilding category. So I don’t need to build up too much muscle. I need to be more feminine, pretty, sexy, and have a healthy muscle style for the Body Fitness category. So I usually just put a lot of energy into training at the gym: five days a week, two hours per session. Concerning Miss Fitness, we are judged on the level of the physical ability of our bodies. There is a 90-second aerobic session in which you have to show off your physical skills onstage. That’s why I’m learning gymnastics right now. (2)

FA: Is there any female bodybuilder that you like?

LC: Yes! Roongtawan “Sing” Jindasing. She’s a Body Fitness, Bodybuilding and Miss Fitness champion. She’s from Thailand and was my idol when I started out in the field. On top of her multiple championships, I really like her face…and her heart.

FA: Which category do you prefer: Body Fitness or Miss Fitness?

LC: The goal of Body Fitness is to have a perfect body, and Miss Fitness is for showing off physical skills. I like the Miss Fitness category more, but Body Fitness is actually easier for me to win. I hope that more hard work will help me have better results in both categories.

Lisa Cheng:Miss Fitness event, 2008 Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships

FA: I noticed that most of the magazines about Hong Kong movie stars primarily gossip about their private lives. But it seems that magazines about sports celebrities are more serious and respectful. Am I right or wrong?

LC: Absolutely right!! I think everybody in Hong Kong, not just magazines, has respect for athletes. I like my image because I represent Hong Kong when I compete with other countries. On the other hand, regarding movie stars, this is just the way Hong Kong is… Everybody likes to talk about the stars so the media likes to follow them around and expose their private lives.

FA: For which magazines have you modeled? Was it only for Fitness magazines? Or for fashion magazines too? Any other sports magazines?

LC: I have been interviewed by almost all the Hong Kong magazines and newspapers but the interviews were mostly about my life. Occasionally they ask me to do a bit of fashion modeling, which I am happy to do. I have mostly appeared in teen and sport magazines. I have also done photo shoots for catalogues, posters and things like that for different sports companies like Nike, High Peak, Sport Direction, Exxtasy, Orca and SSI.

FA: What commercial and/or fitness videos have you shot recently?

LC: I recently shot an instructional video on how to use the fitness facilities in the Hong Kong Police fitness rooms. It was a project for the Police sponsored by the Hong Kong Government.

FA: How do you feel about the July 2009 cancellation of the Bodybuilding events by the East Asian Games Association?(3)

LC: It was unbelievable! When I heard that the Bodybuilding events were suddenly cancelled, my heart was totally broken! I had been excited and looking forward to joining the competition for an entire year. The East Asian Games Association had decided to host the Bodybuilding events and they were to take place in my home town, Hong Kong. I had East Asian competitor experience and I believed that I would be very successful and do well if I just worked hard. I decided to give up my job and even paid to go all by myself to China to do some hard training. I still feel really sad and disappointed. Now I will attend a different tournament in China. I usually use the China competition to warm up for the East Asian Games, but now I will put all my heart into the upcoming China tournament. I will actually compete in the several Miss China Fitness competitions held throughout China in September and November 2009.

Lisa Cheng - Hong Kong - September 2009

FA: Any other projects?

LC: I tutor school fitness courses because I want to save money for travelling, training and other goals! I also plan to begin preparing to do more work in commercial jobs. I’ll tell you something: I don’t know why, but I have a special feeling that something is coming up for me soon. I really hope so! Haha!

Interview conducted by Frédéric Ambroisine July-September 2009. Edited for ActionQueens.com by Sylvia Rorem and Patty Keung (Gig Creations). Photos: Lisa Cheng's personnal collection. Research for ActionQueens.com: Victor Gee, Adeline C. Kayee, Michael Ortega and dleedlee (HKMDB forum). Mega-thanks to Lisa Cheng for her kindness and patience!

(1) This section of the interview was done in early July 2009. Since then, Lisa Cheng won both the August 2009 Asian Body Fitness and Miss Fitness Championships in Thailand.
(2) Additional comment by Lisa Cheng: “Since the cancellation of the Bodybuilding events at the 2009 East Asian Games, I am now training at the gym seven days a week, two hours or more per session.”
(3) Read more about the cancellation here Bodybuilding muscled out of 2009 EAG (China Daily) and
here Lisa Cheng feels lost at Bodybuildong contest being cu (Ta Kung Pao) (Chinese only)

Translation of above article - Ta Kung Pao - July 22nd, 2009: Hong Kong athlete Lisa Cheng is in Guangzhou preparing for the East Asian Games. She feels very shocked and disappointed that the Bodybuilding events have been cut. When asked to comment regarding the incident, she said, “I was only informed by a friend this afternoon. I feel hurt and almost unable to accept this reality. I’ve only just pulled myself together. Ever since I found out that there would be Bodybuilding events at this year’s East Asian Games I have been practicing diligently. In fact, I am training with China’s Guangzhou body building team right now. I have a lot of advantage in this contest and am very confident I could win a medal. Now that I know the contest has been cut, I feel lost and very upset. Originally I intended to use the East Asian Games as a warm up before I entered the national contest in Thailand. Now I can only focus on the Thailand contest.” There is a rumor that there are conflicts between the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) and the Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (ABBF). The IFBB has apparently tried to block the official capacity of the ABBF. About this, Lisa comments, “I have heard before that there were conflicts between the two federations, but as an athlete, not everything is under my control. I can only do my best within my own arena.”

Lisa Cheng's Official Website - Lisa's blog on Alive Not Dead
Lisa's videos on Youtube - Lisa Cheng on ThaiBody.com

A TRIBUTE TO BUTTERFLY WU AT THE PARIS CHINESE FILM FESTIVAL!

The 4th annual Festival du Cinéma Chinois de Paris (Paris Chinese Film Festival) will be held at the Gaumont Opéra theaters September 22nd through October 26th, 2009. More than 30 screenings will feature many new releases including Feng Xiao-gang’s “If You Are The One / La Perle Rare 非诚勿扰”; Gordon Chan’s “Painted Skin 画皮”; Cheng Kaige’s “Mei Lanfang梅蘭芳” and Ning Jingwu’s “Lala’s Gun 滚拉拉的枪” (closing movie – the director will be attending!). Classic films include the great animation movie “The Monkey King” and a 2005 documentary about the Shanghai Animation Film Studio co-directed by Chinese cinema expert Marie-Claire Quiquemelle (also attending!).

The Festival also includes a special tribute to the Queen of Chinese Cinema, Hu Die 胡蝶 a.k.a. Butterfly Wu (1908-1989), the famous “Girl in Red” from the lost 1928 film series “Burning of the Red Lotus Temple 火烧红莲寺”. This film was the first major Chinese martial arts movie and also the longest movie ever made, with a running time of 27 hours divided between 18 parts!

The film festival begins on September 22nd, and Opening Night, September 29th, features A Tribute To Butterfly Wu presented by Frédéric Mitterand (French Minister of Culture), Wang Taihua (Chinese Minister of Radio, Cinema and Television), Jérôme Seydoux (Co-President of Pathé Films), Jean-Jacques Annaud (Film Festival “Godfather”) and Deanna Gao (Film Festival Founder and President).

• Butterfly Wu Tribute films: (click on title to read summary):

September 29th, 2009
8.00 pm “The Twin Sisters / Sœurs Jumelles 姊妹花” (1933)

October 1st, 2009
6.10 pm “A Marriage Through Tears and Laughter / Amours Prédestinés 啼笑姻缘” (1932)
8.00 pm “The Dreams of Spring / Rêves de Printemps 春之梦” (1946)

October 2nd, 2009
6.00 pm “The Divine / Le Fard et les Larmes 胭脂泪” a.k.a. “Rouge Tears” (1938)
8.10 pm “The March of Tenderness / Le Marché de la Tendresse 脂粉市场” (1933)

October 3rd , 2009
4.40 pm “Destins de Femmes / A Bible for Daughters 女儿经” a.k.a. “Bible for Girls” (1934)

This is the very first time these extremely rare prints will be shown outside of China, so don’t miss this amazing opportunity!

Festival’s Website: French - English - Chinese
Other Link: Empress Butterfly: Hu Die (The Chinese Mirror)

CANDACE KITA INTERVIEW PART 1: HOLLYWOOD HOTTIE

After playing an American housewife turned Super Villainess in the Fox Kids television show “Masked Rider” while still a teenager, actress and model Candace Kita quickly moved on to sexier characters in movies (“Barb Wire”, “I now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”) and television (“Complete Savages”, “Son of the Beach”, “Two and a Half Men”, “Nip/Tuck”).

Candace is also a women’s safety advocate and created a weekly radio show in L.A. called Hottie Help with Candace Kita in October 2008. This year she will publish The Hottie Handbook: A Girl's Guide to Safety. She also recently inspired an action comic book, Kyu-Shin, closed a deal with iPhone, is appearing in a 2010 calendar and is launching a cosmetics line for Asian women. Before you read about Candace’s future projects, please enjoy this first part of her interview in which she discusses her modeling and acting careers….

Frédéric Ambroisine: Kita is not your real last name. Why did you change it?

Candace Kita: I changed my last name several years ago after “Masked Rider” when I joined a new agency. People at the agency thought Candace Bender (my real name) varied by only a few letters to the actress Candice Bergen. So it was changed on their advice. Kita means "north" in Japanese. Many times actors change their names because their real names are too close or exactly the same to someone who is already famous. Funny, huh?

FA: You are Japanese-American. Were you born in Japan or in the US?

CK: I was born in the United States and was raised all over including California, Texas, Florida, Belgium and England.

FA: Do you speak Japanese?

CK: I speak very little Japanese unfortunately. I was primarily raised in areas where there weren’t a lot of Japanese-speaking people and didn’t have the opportunity to go to Japanese school on the weekends like a lot of Japanese Americans. Sometimes I watch the Japanese soaps and game shows on TV and can sort of make out what is going on.

FA: How often do you go to Japan?

CK: I’ve actually only been to Japan once; it was a great experience and one of my goals is to go back very soon.

FA: How long did you live in Belgium and England before moving to Texas?

CK: I was in England for two years and I was in Belgium for a year.

FA: Why did you choose to study philosophy and religion in college?

CK: I have always been interested in philosophy. Where I went to school, the philosophy and religion departments were tied together so I ended up double majoring in both. I also have an equivalent to an art minor. After college I pursued a Master’s degree in sociology. But I am lacking my thesis because I got bitten by the acting bug and quit to pursue a career in the dramatic arts.

FA: You started your artistic activities as a flautist. When was that?

CK: I started playing the flute when I was 11 years old. I love music and was interested in a woodwind instrument in particular. I ended up playing in the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra and had many wonderful experiences because of it.

FA: You also studied sign language. When and why?

CK: I studied American Sign Language in college because I had always been interested in it as a language. It is a conceptual language and the signs really correspond to their meaning. Because of this, I felt like it would be an easy language to pick up. It has actually really helped in acting as I’ve booked quite a few roles doing sign language over the years. I can be seen doing sign language in the movie “VIP” with Pamela Anderson.

FA: How did you get the opportunity to start modeling?

CK: One day I walked into a hair salon with a girlfriend of mine. She was going to get her haircut and I was just along for the ride. I have very long hair and was sitting in the foyer waiting for her. The owner of the salon asked if I would appear in an advertisement for the salon. That was my first job and it sort of went from there. I didn’t initially pursue it at all, but opportunities began to present themselves when I was out and about. I was eventually with the Wilhelmina Agency in Los Angeles for five years.

FA: What did you learn from the agency?

CK: I learned the importance of keeping your book fresh with new pictures all of the time. It is really important to shoot often to get new looks. And it is important to build good relations with clients so they will ask you back each year.

FA: What kind of work did they give you?

CK: I had campaigns for Nordstrom, Marshall Fields, Neiman Marcus, The Little Book, XOXO, Diesel, Chinese Laundry, Brighton Shoes and Accessories, Life Stride. These and others were my main clients that I worked with each year.


FA: When and how did you make the transition into acting? And where did you study?

CK: Modeling opportunities may have presented themselves to me, but beginning to act was a concerted effort. I first had to move to Los Angeles in the 90’s and then began pounding the pavement just like every other actor out there. I have always had a private coach whom I’ve worked with for years and hire him for every theatrical audition. But I’ve also studied with some great commercial and theatrical teachers in Los Angeles. Most recently, I’m taking a comedy class that will begin next month. So it is never-ending studying in a nutshell.

FA: Did you move to L.A. specifically to become an actress?

CK: Yes, I moved to L.A. with the express interest in being an actor. Good thing I didn't know how difficult it would be until I got here or I might have never moved!

FA: Your first movie appearance was in the 1991 film “Stealth Hunters”. How did this opportunity happen? Were you still living in Texas at that time?

CK: Yes, this is a great question. Sometimes things literally fall into your lap. I was living in Texas at the time and was in graduate school. A friend of mine was a special effects makeup artist and considered the best in Texas. His friend did all of the special effects weaponry on “Robocop” which was filmed in Dallas. He had a friend who was directing a film and needed a newscaster. I came in and got the part. Ironically, they changed the end of the film at the last minute and I got cut out.

FA: How easy or difficult is it to work with the right people when you’re a beginner?

CK: I was lucky; within two weeks of moving to L.A. I had both a commercial and theatrical agent. But I also didn't sit around either. I immediately found a bookstore that catered to actors, found an agent and managers book, and made over 80 submissions by mail. I'll never forget. I received calls within a week and had met with over twelve agencies within the next two weeks, and chose my agent and manager then.

FA: "Masked Rider" was your first major role. How did you get the part?

CK: I auditioned five times for the part. This took place over the course of a month. Usually you find out quickly if you’ve landed a role. For this part, every time I went to a callback, I thought that was it and moved on. Then, a week later, I’d get a call to go back again. I was much younger than the role so at first this was a problem for them. At the 4th audition, they paired me up with a few people to see who I looked right with. And the 5th I finally went to network. And after I got the part they had me come in a few times so hair and makeup could play with my look to get it just right for actual shooting.

Candace Kita in Saban's "Mask Rider" (1995)

FA: Can you describe your character in "Masked Rider"?

CK: My character, Barbara Stewart, was married to Hal Stewart. They were the typical American couple, but I was Asian and we had two adopted children, one Caucasian and one African American. We were FOX-KIDS’ first multi-racial family. Our family adopts another son who is from a far-away planet. We don’t know this and all sorts of funny things start to happen because of this. My character was kidnapped to Spider Base in outer space and becomes a villain, Barbaria. She then fights the Masked Rider.

Candace Kita as Barbaria on the set of "Mask Rider" (1995)

FA: After playing the calm, soft, typical housewife Barbara, you go to the dark side as Barbaria. It seems that you had a lot of fun playing the bad girl. How did you prepare yourself to play Barbaria?

CK: Barbara Stewart and Barbaria are two completely different characters, to say the least. I basically prepared myself by getting into the costume. I remember a quote from Jimmy Stewart; he said if he got into the shoes of his character he would become the person. Getting into the costume, which is quite elaborate, helped immensely. Also, as a sidenote, becoming Barbara Stewart was no easy task either. I don't look like Barbara, and was always the first one in the makeup chair at 5:45 a.m. each day. It involved heavy makeup and a laquered hairdo. It looked very simple on camera, but was actually not. A few times we rehearsed a scene early on set before going into makeup. The crew with whom I had worked for over a year did not recognize me.

FA: “Masked Rider” is basically an Americanized version of "Kamen Rider", right?

CK: Yes, the American version took pre-existing footage of “Kamen Rider” in Japan and used it in the new series here in the States. We did three seasons and 40 episodes, including one episode, “Ferbus’ First Christmas”, that won the Film Advisory Board Award for Excellence in Portraying Family Values. The concept was basically an alien from a distant planet, Edenoi, is marooned on earth. While on earth, he is adopted by a kind family, the Stewarts, and learns about life on earth while fighting the evil Count Dregon and his minions. The villains were great on the show and were my favorite to watch.

FA: Were you familiar with "Kamen Rider" before working on "Masked Rider"?

CK: No I was not, and researched as soon as I was told I got the part. It is funny, last July I was a guest at Comicon, San Diego. When I was there I was introduced to the director and producer of the new “Masked Rider” series. Many of the cast members in the new show had also not heard of “Masked Rider” and did the exact same thing I did as soon as they found out they got the part!

FA: Other than “Masked Rider”, you also appeared regularly in two other TV series between 2001 and 2004...

CK: Yes, I was a series recurring in a show for ABC called “Complete Savages”. I play Mel Gibson’s girlfriend, Misty, and die a funny death in three episodes. It is the only time Mel Gibson has acted on American television.

Candace Kita & Mel Gibson: Two Misty's deaths in "Complete Savages" (2004)

FA: You and Mel Gibson did some hilarious spoof safety videos for the series. Four years later you have your own radio show about safety, Hottie Help. Is this a coincidence?

CK: I know; it is funny. I realized that a while back too. Mel Gibson was executive producer of the series so he would cameo as Officer Steve Cox. Each week I died an unusual death like Kenny in “South Park”. So it is ironic. Mel and I actually spoke about people behaving inappropriately, but little did I know I'd write a book about it.

Mel & Candace in "Complete Savages" (2004 - Episode: "Thanksgiving with the Savages")

FA: How did you meet Mel Gibson for the first time, and how was it to work with the star of “Mad Max”, “Lethal Weapon”, “Braveheart” and “Payback”?

CK: Mel is a super nice, easy going, energetic person. He has more energy than almost any other person I have met. I met him the first day on set and he was full of life and made me laugh. He is actually known for being a prankster on set. He had me put on fake chest hair in the makeup department once for fun. Then in rehearsals for the hot tub scene, he told me to very casually take off my robe and get into the tub with him. The crew was so shocked for a moment no one said anything. Then, they all burst out laughing.

Candace & Mel on the set of "Complete Savages" (2004 - Episode: "Hot Water")

FA: Your “Complete Savages” safety videos are hilarious! They should have appeared more often!

CK: Mel had plans for many more episodes with me, but the series was cancelled. His next episode involved me getting attacked by giant ants at a picnic. That would have been super! And another episode where Officer Steve Cox has flashbacks and imagines me in a rice patty with a gun and huge bamboo hat on. I told him that was too stereotypical and I didn't think it would make it on air. Haha. I was also a regular on “Son of the Beach” - a spoof of “Baywatch” - on FX. I did five episodes with Tim Stack.

Candace Kita in "Son of the Beach" (2001 - Episode: "Rod Strikes Back")

FA: In the beginning of your acting career, you appeared briefly in the great erotic thriller “Wild Side” starring Christopher Walken, Anne Heche, Joan Chen and Steven Bauer...

CK: My part was cut out of “Wild Side” although I appear in the credits.

FA: Actually, you appear in the 110-minute director's cut of "Wild Side"! I read that the movie was taken from director Donald Cammel and was cut by the studio. He was so upset that he committed suicide. Four years later in 2000, the original editor restored it and made the director's cut available on DVD (Tartan UK). Did you know about that?

CK: How funny, I was cut out of one version and not the other! Yes, I knew about Donald Cammel committing suicide a few years after the fact. I knew his wife, China Kong, and felt badly for her afterwards. I don't know what she is doing now as it has been several years. Donald co-directed a very good movie starring Mick Jagger in 1970, “Performance”.

Christopher Waken, Candace Kita and Anne Heche in "Wild Side" (1996)

FA: You’re very funny as a prison convict in an episode of "Pepper Dennis" with Rebecca Romijn. What was it like shooting?

CK: It was interesting because we shot for one week in a real women's correctional facility in Los Angeles; it was high security and very interesting being in a real jail. Haha. We wore the real orange jumpsuits and were in tiny 9 x 12' cells. It made me realize you really don't want to ever go to jail; the food is just terrible!

Candace Kita and Rebecca Rominj in "Pepper Denis" (2006)

FA: You’re going to be in the very last episode of "Nip/Tuck". Can you tell me more about it?

CK: I am only allowed to say that I am a guest star on the final episode of “Nip/Tuck”. This is the very last show of the entire series, not season, and will show sometime in 2010. They said it is a "cheeky" ending to a "cheeky" series. I had actually never seen an episode until after I got the part. It is a very tongue-in-cheek show. The cast is great and Famke Janssen (“X-Men”) also has a role in the series finale.

Candace Kita on the set of "Nip/Tuck" (2009)

FA: Have you always had full control of your image as a model and actress?

CK: No and this is something that is difficult. Sometimes it is very difficult to control your image. I suggest to new models to always read the contract carefully; take the time to read it fully. And if you have any questions, ask.

End of part 1. Coming soon: Candace Kita: The Hottie Helper. In this second and final part of her interview, Candace will talk about her women’s safety radio show, Hottie Help with Candace Kita; her charity work with Hotties with a Heart; the Comic Con; the action fantasy comic book Kyu-shin, and her many other new projects!

More Candace Kita's photos by Mike Rollerson on Flikr

Interview conducted by Frédéric Ambroisine in July/August 2009 and edited by Sylvia Rorem in September 2009 for ActionQueens.com. Thanks to Mike Rollerson & Candace Kita.

Candace Kita Official Website
Candace's Blog (AliveNotDead)
Follow Candace on Twitter
Candace Kita on Facebook
Friend Candace on My Space
Candace’s videos on Youtube
Mike Rollerson photos on Flickr
Hottie Help Poscast (LA Talk Radio)
Hottie Help on MySpace
Hottie Help on FaceBook
Hotties with a ♥ on FaceBook

THE ABSURD FESTIVAL: WARRIORS, CANNIBALS, GANGSTERS, ALIENS, PSYCHOS & ACTION QUEENS!!

Action Queens.com is proud to announce its first official partnership with Absurde Séance!

Premieres, unreleased films, rare jewels, curiosities, extreme flicks and improbable z-movies: all of this in a festive atmosphere for an audience who wants a taste of something different…

The Nantes organization Absurde Séance has screened more than 350 movies in the last decade. To celebrate its 10-year Anniversary, Absurde Séance presents the 4-day Absurd Film Festival September 23rd-26th, 2009! Marc Caro (“Dante 101”), Titof (the pornstar!) and Olivier Bach (DVD distributor and producer of Greg Morin’s French zombie short “Paris by Night of the Living Dead”) will be attending!!

If you love Really Good Bad-Ass movies or movies So Bad They’re Good, The Absurd Festival guarantees a Really Good Time!!


Among the 14 movies to be shown, three are 70’s & 80’s classics: Don Coscarelli’s sword-and-sorcery fantasy “The Beastmaster” (1982) starring Marc Singer (“V”) and Tanya Roberts (“Sheena”); the 1979 Japanese space-travel sci-fi action film “G.I. Samurai” (granddaddy of the 2005 remake “Samurai Commando Mission 1549”) starring Sonny Shiba (“Streetfighter”); and the rare Italian nunsploitation flick directed by Gianfranco Mingozzi, “Flavia The Heretic” (1974).

Gianfranco Mingozzi's “Flavia The Heretic” (1974)

2008-09 movies will include the French premiere of Tom Shankland’s “The Children” - Possessed children turn against their parents on Christmas vacation! (French release: Oct. 21st, 2009).

Tom Shankland’s “The Children” (2008)

September 23, Opening day: The Absurd Festival will screen Chris Stapp’s “The Devil Dared Me To”, a film about a New Zealander trying to become the greatest living stuntman; and Martin Weisz’s “Grimm Love”, the story of a student obsessed with cannibalism.

Chris Stapp’s “The Devil Dared Me To” (2007) & Martin Weisz’s “Grimm Love” (2006)

These two films will be followed by Fantastic Night, a four-film all-night show starting at 10.30 pm!!

The Fantastic Night film line up:

John Harris’s claustrophobic monster horror film “The Descent 2” - see "The Descent 2" : Blood and (Monsters) Shit.

John Harris's “The Descent 2” (2009)

Paul Solet’s “Grace”: After a terrible accident, a woman decices to give birth to her supposedly dead baby!

Paul Solet’s “Grace” (2009)

Brett Leonard’s “Feed”, a 2005 thriller about a psycho who feeds fat women to death. Censorship was heavy on this movie in the U.S.; don’t miss this rare opportunity to see the uncut Australian version!!

Brett Leonard’s “Feed” (2005)

Jake West’s “Evil Aliens”, a UK sci-fi horror comedy à la “Bad Taste” and “Evil Dead”.

Jake West’s “Evil Aliens” (2005)

Also showing:

Released in August 2008, Jean-Marc Vincent’s “Lady Blood”, starring Emmanuelle Escourrou, is the surprising sequel to Alain Robak’s 1993 “Baby Blood” (a.k.a. “The Evil Within”). Released in France this August, Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s “20th Century Boys - Chapter 2”, adapted from Naoki Urasawa sci-fi mystery manga, is back! The movie takes place 15 years after Chapter One although both movies were made at the same time. The third part of this ambitious trilogy will be released in Japan at the end of 2009.

And finally, two great movies screened at the 15th L’Etrange Festival in Paris will premiere in Nantes at L’Absurde Festival: “Breathless” (Fantasia 2009 Best Picture and Best Actor). This brutal Korean drama marks the directorial debut of Yang Ik-June, who also happens to be screenwriter, producer, and star of the movie! Last but not least, the fantastic animation drama “Mary & Max” (featuring the voices of Toni Colette, Eric Bana and Philip Seymour Hoffman) is one of the most moving films ever made about friendship.

Yang Ik-June's “Breathless” (2009) and Adam Elliot's “Mary & Max” (2009)

FESTIVAL ABSURDE SÉANCE NANTES 2009 (Sept. 23th – 26th, 2009)
More information about the festival here: www.absurdeseance.fr (French only).
Venue : Cinéma le Katorza, 3, rue Corneille, 44000 Nantes.

Youtube trailers: "The Beastmaster" (2:12) - "G.I. Samurai" (3:20) - "Breathless" (2:01) - "Mary & Max" (2:05) - "Lady Blood" (1:33) - "20th Century Boys Chapter 2" (2:13) - "Evil Aliens" (2:00) - "Feed" (1:19) - "Grace" (2:24) - "The Descent 2" (2:43) - "The Devil Dard Me To" (1:37) - "Grimm Love" (2:11) - "Flavia The Heretic" (1:32) - "The Children" (1:28)

Tom Shankland’s “The Children” (2008)

NB: Weekly Screenings at the Nouveau Latina in Paris start on September 19th, 2009. On the evening of the 19th at exactly midnight, director Tom Shankland will personally introduce his movie “The Children”!! (see L'Absurde Séance on MySpace)

MAGGIE Q: THE "NAKED WEAPON" INTERVIEW

While “Naked Weapon” may not be the greatest movie ever made, it nevertheless made a deep impression on Hong Kong audiences and, perhaps more importantly, gave Maggie Q her first major acting role. Directed by Ching Siu-Tung (“A Chinese Ghost Story”, “Swordsman II”) and produced/written by Wong Jing (“Naked Killer”), “Naked Weapon” mixes Hollywood high-tech blockbuster with Hong Kong style exploitaction and is the movie that showcased Maggie Q’s talent and kickstarted her international career.

This is the second part of a pre-Hollywood Maggie Q interview done in 2004, two years after the Hong Kong theatrical release of “Naked Weapon”. Parts of the following interview can be found on the “Naked Weapon” French CTV International DVD (the 20-minute documentary entitled “Maggie Q & A” - in English with French subtitles) released since June 2007 (1). The full “Naked Weapon” interview with Maggie Q is now published for the first time on the Action Queens website! Enjoy...

Frédéric Ambroisine : How did you get involved in “Naked Weapon”?

Maggie Q: Hmm, it was actually Wong Jing who first came to me with the script. I didn’t like the script when I got it. I hated it, I literally felt like, “It’s out the window.” And then what happened was, I didn’t want to work on a project that included the kind of content that it had at that time. So Wong Jing went to Media Asia and said “Look, we want to do this movie; you guys should produce it.” Media Asia agreed to do it. And because I signed with them as a company, it was a very smart move on Wong Jing’s part (laughs). I had a certain amount of films I had to complete for my contract, and I told Media Asia what I thought of the script: “Look, I don’t like it, and I know I have to do films for you but I don’t like the script, and unless it’s gonna change, I’m not doing it.” They said, “Okay, let’s talk.” I have to tell you, it wasn’t really fighting, but there was a lot of discussion before I would actually take the film. I felt that the premise of the film was really good, but it went off on certain tangents that were unnecessary. So we went through a lot of negotiation and months of changing the script, rewriting and redoing the concept, and when it was done I finally agreed to take the script annd we ending up doing it. In the end, I’m really happy I did it because I have a lot of respect for the director. We got on really well, and he pushed me really far. He pushed me further than a lot of people have done. It was difficult, but at the end of the day you’re very pleased that it happened.

Maggie Q in "Naked Weapon" (2002)

FA: What was it like working with Ching Siu-tung?

MQ: If you know anything about Hong Kong films, you know he has a reputation as the toughest action director in Asia. It was very tough on the set. He was always very tough on me. It was difficult for me to ever back down because I knew there were things that were not possible for me to do. But it’s almost as if he believed in me more than I believed in myself. And because he did, I was able to do things that I never though I would accomplish in an action film. And I’m happy about that. I’m so grateful to him.

Tony Ching Siu-tung & Maggie Q on the set of "Naked Weapon"

FA: What about the things in the script that you didn’t like and that you wanted changed?

MQ: We changed a lot of things that I didn’t like. There was only one thing that they kept that I did not like. You can’t win them all, I have to say. I would say I got 80% of what I wanted removed from the script, and I had to compromise on the other 20%. Which I understand. I’m not completely happy with the film. There are things I wish they would have re-edited. But as far as the action goes, and as far as the drama goes… it’s always difficult to put drama into an action film. It’s a very fine line. Sometimes it can be very tacky; sometimes it can be very good. It really depends on being able to balance it correctly. I think Ching Siu-tung did a good job; he’s not used to directing drama and action together, so it was okay!

FA: Did you practice martial arts before you made this movie?

MQ: The funny thing about Hong Kong movies is that there are two things we don’t have: time and money (laughs). So when a production is going to go, they’re gonna go right away, they don’t want to waste any more money. Which is smart, but it’s difficult for us actors sometimes. Because, I mean, you need time; there is a process. Especially with action: you’re gonna need time to go over it with the choregraphers, and I never got that time. I mean, when I took the film we started production a week later, and that same week I was finishing up another project. And boom, I just went right into working with the toughest action director in Asia and doing some of the toughest sequences I’ve ever done in my life! It was very difficult, I have to tell you. On my down time, when I was not onscreen, I was working it out, trying to get it down, going through it with the action choreographer and my stuntwomen, and all those kinds of things. It was completely exhausting; I never had a moment to rest because I was always worried about my action on screen. Ching Siu-tung never wanted doubles to jump in front of me because I was the star of the film. He’d say, “I want to show your face. I want to show people that this is you, this is what you’re doing, and this is what we’ve turned you into. That’s gonna make me proud. I don’t want doubles, I want Maggie.” And I was like, “Jesus!” (She laughes and makes the sign of the cross). It was an honor for me that he thought I was so capable, but for me it was terrifying. I really wish I had time to do more training. If I did, it would probably have been even better. But I think, considering the limited amount of time and money we had, and the lack of experience and all these things, it came out really well.

Ching Siu-tung's "Naked Weapon" (2002)

FA: Did you discover that you had any special skills during your training for “Naked Weapon”?

MQ: I did actually. To be honest, before I started training in this way, I was the most inflexible person you could ever meet in your life. I was an athlete, so I was strong. I was a runner and a swimmer, and did things like that. Normally when you’re strong, you’re not usually flexible. You’re either one or the other. If you’re both, you’re pretty special! (laughs) I wasn’t. It is hard to pinpoint what you are good at. Ching Siu-tung told me that normally, smaller movements make women look a lot better onscreen. But we found out when I was filming that bigger movements and very dramatic moves for some reason made me look better as a woman. So he started training me with the men instead of with the women. He wanted me to get the male techniques down instead of the female techniques because it was visually better for me. That was very strange because men are tougher (laughs). So it was quite a ride. There was not a night I went home when I wasn’t bruised from head to toe, or bleeding, or had lumps somewhere. It was like five months of boot camp!

Ching Siu-tung's "Naked Weapon" (2002)

FA: Did you watch any previous Ching Siu-tung movies before or during the shooting?

MQ: Ching Siu-tung actually started out as an actor. He was an action actor for the Shaw Brothers back in the day. He did two movies which were very old and very funny. My friend, who is one of the Shaw’s sons, dug them out of the archives for me. I actually brought them to the set and played them for everybody, and he was so mad at me because he’s very shy about being known as an actor! He didn’t want anybody to know. He’s amazing; he is able to tell stories with his action. I love that.

Tony Ching Siu-tung & Maggie Q on the set of "Naked Weapon"

If you look at Hong Kong movies from 20-30 years ago, that’s what we were doing at that time: we were telling stories with movement. It was a very physical kind of storytelling. Hollywood is just now starting to catch on to that. And now everybody says “Oh it’s so special, look at “The Matrix”, look at this and that.” But in Hong Kong we were saying, “That’s not special. We’ve been doing that forever!” (laughs) I find it very interesting that people who have been around for so long, like Ching-Siu-tung, are still able to reinvent themselves and tell new stories, modern stories. The kind of movies we make now are what they were making back then. It’s just a transition in their lives. It makes me really proud to be able to work with them because I’m working with a piece of history.

Maggie Q on the set of "Naked Weapon"

FA: What was this movie with Ching Siu-tung that you found?

MQ: It’s called “Monkey Kung-Fu”! (laughs) Oh, if you could get a hold of this movie! He actually looked a bit like Jackie when he was young. He’s a small guy and he moves very well. It was unbelievable. It was so nice to see that he’s been in front of the camera as well, so he knows how I feel. Even though he’s tough he knows how to empathize with actors. So I finally learned where that empathy came from.

FA: Ching Siu-tung was also in the Shaw Brothers movie “Come Drink With Me” with Cheng Pei-pei, who plays your mother in “Naked Weapon”...

MQ: Yeah! But she didn’t get to do any action in “Naked Weapon”, which is really unfortunate, because she’s the best! She was so mad at Ching Siu-tung on the set. She said, “Next time we work together, I’d better be fighting!” And he said “Okay, I promise, I promise!” (laughs). She was great in “Naked Weapon”; I really liked her.

Cheng Pei-pei in "Naked Weapon" (2002)

FA: Have you seen any of Cheng Pei-pei’s movies?

MQ: Absolutely. I didn’t know who she was before “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” because I was not a Hong Kong film buff. When I saw “Crouching Tiger” I asked, “Who is this woman?!” They told me she is from Hong Kong and she has daughters who are martial artists and I said, “Oh my goodness!!” I asked a friend of mine who is a producer to dig up her old stuff. He edited a bunch of stuff together for me to see. This woman blows my mind! The way she moves! She’s not a small woman: she’s tall and she’s substantial. It’s amazing, amazing. She’s great!

FA: Most of the dialogue in “Naked Weapon” are in English. I guess this is for the international market? Who made this decision?

MQ: It was Media Asia. This thing [exploitaction] was sort of catching on in the west, and they wanted to use new generation actors. You know, British-born Chinese, American-born Chinese, Canadian-born Chinese. All those people who are coming back to Hong Kong and are bilingual. They wanted to make a film that showed the international audience that we have talent here, and that we can also speak English, do action, and that we’re not confined to one genre. There is an eclectic mix of people that live in Hong Kong, and we’re able to make these sort of movies on a Western level without any budget. I mean, if you look at what we did with “Naked Weapon” with the budget we had… people in the West would die if they knew how much we spent on that movie! It looks like a bigger movie because we made it look like a bigger movie. But it’s not a big movie (laughs). It’s amazing. I’m really proud of what we do in Hong Kong because we don’t have much, but we still get it done. And when you’ve worked in an industry like that, you can work anywhere.

FA: What about the eroticism in the movie? Did you have any problems with the “hot” scenes?

MQ: I didn’t have any problems with the love scenes or things like that because falling in love and being with people in that way is a natural part of life. So that wasn’t a very big problem, except logistically with what you can and cannot show. I did have a problem with some of the violation scenes. I knew what they were trying to do with it. I knew they were trying to prove what these girls had been through. But I thought the execution was not right. It really could have been edited out. Because if you don’t it execute it right, it doesn’t mean anything to the audience. It’s just gratuitous violence and sex. And that’s what I felt about it. I’ve never had too much of a problem with love scenes because I think love is a big big part of life, and it comes up in every single movie all the time. That wasn’t a big problem. The other stuff was very difficult for me.

Daniel Wu & Maggie Q in "Naked Weapon" (2002)

FA: What was your reaction when you saw “Naked Weapon” on the big screen?

MQ: I hated seeing the entire movie onscreen! I went to the premiere and… I find myself sometimes looking away whenever I see myself onscreen. Because it’s very odd. And in addition to it being odd, you’re always your worse critic. In whatever business you do, you’re always the one that is hardest on yourself. You think, “maybe I should have done that, or maybe that wasn’t right…” But, when I saw it I thought, “You know, honestly, being in the movie and knowing the conditions we worked under, we really belted it out, didn’t we!” I was really surprised how it turned out because I knew how difficult it was to make. And when you watch it on screen, it doesn’t seem that way. I think that’s the magic of movie making: that we are fooling you guys (laughs). I think we were able to do that, and I was really happy. To be honest, I was most pleased with the action. The action is, to me, the highlight of the film and the thing I’m most proud of.

Maggie Q in "Naked Weapon" (2002)

FA: Do you have something to say to readers about to discover “Naked Weapon” and Maggie Q?

MQ: Oh, my Goodness!!! (laughs) Oh God, I hate being put on the spot! Simply, I hope they will enjoy it. I really do. It was a tough film to make. It’s not the best, but look out for me! I’ll be coming out with bigger and better stuff soon!

Interview conducted in 2004 by Frédéric Ambroisine at The Drop (Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong). Edited in September 2009 by Sylvia Rorem for ActionQueens.com
Thanks to Antony Szeto, Colette Koo, Bey Logan, Laurence Ambroisine & Maggie Q.

(1) The French DVD of “Naked Weapon” will be re-released in October 2009. The movie is also available in UK (Hong Kong Legends), Germany (Ascot Elite) and of course, Hong Kong (Mega Star)

• “Naked Weapon” UK trailer (1:47)
• “Naked Weapon” Hong Kong trailer – English version (3:16)
• “Naked Weapon” Hong Kong trailer – Cantonese version (2:22)

Maggie Q Pre-Hollywood Interview (Part 1)

“MARTYRS” JAPANESE THEATRICAL RELEASE: SOLD OUT IN TOKYO!

Released in France in September 2008, Pascal Laugier's disturbing second feature “Martyrs” (the story of a young woman who wants to take revenge against the people who kidnapped and tortured her as a child) just officially hit the screens in Japan through the distribution company King Records.

Five months after its screening at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills, during the French Film Festival in Japan last March, “Martyrs” was showed again in Tokyo on August 29, 2009 at the Theater N Shibuya (THE cinema venue specializing in genre movies) and packed a full house. The last three spectators had to watch the movie standing!

According to King Records, the audience that night was a bit different from the usual horror film viewers: There were more women and the audience was more the "cinephile" type. After Tokyo, the movie will also be screened in other Japanese cities.

Mylène Jampanoï in Pascal Laugier's "Martyrs" (2008)

The “Martyrs” Japanese press-kit is online at the distributor’s website. Click on the picture below to see it (warning! Not for the faint-at-heart).

Front cover of the Japanese press-kit of "Martyrs"

“Martyrs” is also available in France on DVD/Blu-ray through Wild Side video since March 3rd, 2009, and in the U.S. through The Weinstein Company since April 28th, 2009. It has been out in UK through Optimum Home Entertainment since May 25th, 2009.

"Martyrs" UK poster

You can also watch the unreleased short documentary “Martyrs vs Censorship” featuring Pascal Laugier and the lead actress Morjana El Alaoui online by clicking on the picture below.

KATE FREUND INTERVIEW PART 2: COMEDY CENTERED

In the second and last part of her interview, D.I.Y. writer-director-actress Kate Freund talks about some of her great Channel 101 (unhopefully) rejected shows, the TV series “The Sarah Silverman Program”, Steve Agee, animation, music, and her new projects. Enjoy...

Frédéric Ambroisine: Five of the eleven shows that you did for Channel 101 have been successfully screened (“Pussy Talk”, “Mega Bitch Meltdown”, “The Day My Boyfriend Became”, “Turdy Longbows” and “The Vacationaires”). What are the titles of the unselected six others shows, and where can they be seen?

Kate Freund: Oh the list of rejected shows. I made “Astral Girl”, “Cast or Kill”, “Anna Manesia”, “Enders of Love”, “Death's Best Friend” and “Sushi Rocka”. Some of them I put up on my youtube channel, some of them lives on tape never to see the light of day.

Kate Freund in "Anna Manesia" (2007)

FA: “Anna Manesia” aired on VH1 in a TV program called Acceptable TV. Can you tell me more about it ?

KF: Acceptable TV was a sketch series that ran on VH1 for one season. Each week an internet audience would pick a user generated short that they wanted to see on TV. “Anna Manesia” was selected to play in the first episode. The plot for “Anna Manesia” revolves around a girl (played by Amy Roiland) who gets hit by a car and looses her memory. Instead of taking her to the hospital my character tells her she is a robot and forces her into slavery.

Amy Roiland as Anna in "Anna Manesia" (2007)

FA: How many “Anna Manesia” episodes did you make?

KF: I only made two episodes of “Anna”. The second Episode I think I shot in a day on a whim.

FA: Episode 2 can be seen on Rob Schrab's Youtube channel, but what happened to episode 1?

KF: For some reason, the first episode of “Anna Manesia” was yanked down from Youtube. I need to re upload that, thanks for reminding me.

FA: In “Death’s Best Friend”, you play... Death! Where did the idea come from?

I was at the gym and I was thinking about what if you were like the angel of death and didn't know it and slowly all of your friends started dying off. The I thought, maybe it would be more interesting if it was this kinda nerdy, sweet girl who's best friend was actually death. I just loved the concept of someone saying they're death's best friend and then having it be literal. It is unfortunate that this show got rejected because I really liked Kelsy Abbott and JD Ryznar in it.

“Death’s Best Friend” artwork by Hedzo (2007)

FA: All the work you've directed are obviously personnal, but what is your most personnal work so far among all your shorts so far?

KF: I think, “The Day My Boyfriend Became”. I was the most nervous about that project because I was the only girl on set. I was working with so many talented comedians and I was worried that they wouldn't think it was funny. I really tried to be as over prepared as possible and make the shoot go by quick. It's difficult when you are working with so many people, trying to direct and then act in scenes. I just wanted everyone to have a good time. I think that is the trick with actors. If they have fun the first time they work with you they will come back again.

Kate Freund in “The Day My Boyfriend Became” (2009)

FA: How did you get involved in the “The Sarah Silverman Program”?

KF: I have the lovely, Sarah Silverman to thank for casting me in her show. I just was in the right place at the right time and she thought of me.

FA: Did you know her previous work like the movie “Jesus is Magic”?

KF: I saw “Jesus is Magic” in the theater and thought it was hysterical. I also remember her from “There's Something About Mary” and thought wow, this woman is funny. I’m really fortunate to get to be around her when she performs. Sarah is so fearless on stage. She’s really an inspiration because she’s a writer, a singer and can play the guitar. She’s a true entertainer in addition to being a pretty face.

Sarah Silverman and Kate Freund in “The Sarah Silverman Program”

(Season 1 , Episode 3: Positively Negative)

FA: Do you think “nasty humour” (“Borat”, “Sarah Silverman”...) is better accepted nowadays?

KF: I think people just want to laugh. “The Sarah Silverman Program” can be nasty or raunchy but it usually is juxtaposed with something sweet or tragic. I don’t know, the second you start analyzing why something is funny, it sorta looses its humor. For me, comedy is like a reflex test. When something is so funny, your body just reacts to it.

FA: You played one character in Season 1 of “The Sarah Silverman Program” and another one in Season 2. How did that happen?

KF: Second season, I did the Margaret character at the table read. I was just subbing in, because they hadn't cast that character yet. When they cast Carrie Aizley, they thought it would be funny if I was her minion because we had a similar haircut and coloring. I just got really lucky.

Kate Freund and Carrie Aizley on the set of “The Sarah Silverman Program”

(Season 2, Episode 1: "Bored of the Rings") - Photo by Steve Agee

FA:Can you describe both of the characters that you played? (Photo below from Season 1 , Episode 3)

KF: First season, I played Whitney. She works for Sarah as an AIDS awareness volunteer. During a meeting, I say something that makes Sarah feel like I am challenging her authority and she fires me. I get her back in the end when I throw a tomato at her during a rally for AIDS.

Second season, I was cast as Margaret. She’s an uptight, Christian conservative with an extremist agenda. Sarah mistakes my character as an angry lesbian and doesn’t realize that I am helping Carrie’s character plan to blow up an abortion clinic. It was fun, I got to wear an ugly pair of ridiculously high-waisted pants and have a gun.

FA: Did you follow the script 100%? Or did you add some personnal elements or improvise?

KF: The scripts are so funny that you don’t want to go off page. However it is a pretty loose set and they give you the opportunity to make the character your own.

FA: Did you also work on the third season of “The Sarah Silverman Program”? (Photo below by Kate Freund - 2009)

Yes, I cameo as a waitress who gives Sarah a dirty look when she finds out Sarah is a bed wetter. I also did the voice of Stu the crab. They are still shooting the third season. But so far, I have been a drug induced partier and a few weeks ago, I helped choreograph a dance piece between Steve Agee and Brian Posehn. Those two guys are so, so funny. I also contributed some T-shirt designs for Sarah to wear this season.

FA: Steve Agee is best known now for his work on “The Sarah Silverman Program”, but you also collaborated with him before that on one of his 101 Channel shorts, “Just The Three Of Us”. Can you tell me more about him?

KF: Steve Agee is an American comedian. He's hilarious and just an all around great guy. I've worked with a lot. He is the voice of Treenie from “Enders of Love”, he was in the VH1 version of “Anna Manesia”, and he did me a huge favor and actually is the tall monster in “Mega Bitch Meltdown”. He's a great guy to have on set because he's funny and takes awesome pictures. This last year, I animated a teaser for his project he is doing with Matt Berry. Berry is an English comedian and the two of them write insulting songs about each other. It's pretty funny and the songs are really good.

Steve Agee and Kate Freund - Photo by Kate Freund

FA: You edit your own movies. Do you do this because you have no choice or because you like it?

KF: When it comes to editing, it’s too easy to pass it off to someone else. I have worked with director’s who have absolutely no vision or concept of what they are doing and the shoot is terrible but then they hand it off to an editor and they make it into something incredible. It’s really unfair, I feel like so many times, directors get the credit when the editor is responsible for making the film watchable. That being said, I never want to be at the mercy of an editor. When I was 22, I was producing an entertainment tonight like show called “Rough Cut LA”...

Kate Freund in “Rough Cut LA” (2005)

...I was working with my editor and I wanted a series of fast, quick cuts that would flip back and forth between the inside of the club and the outside signage. The editor looked at me like I was an idiot. He said, “Um do you know how long and how many cuts you would need for it to flicker back and forth like that? I don’t have time to do that and besides it looks good already. I mean, I guess I could do it if you want but it will be a waste of time.” I felt stupid, so I said it was fine and we called it a night. I went home and was all bummed out. I told Rob what happened and he said, “It’s called a blink filter. You just slap it on the clip.” I was stunned. The editor just wanted to go home early. I never want to be in that position where I have to compromise what I am doing because I don’t know the software. From that day forward, I learned how to edit.

Kate Freund in a Channy Special for the 2008 Channel 101 Awards

FA: You direct both animation and live-action films. Which one is more difficult to do?

KF: With animation, you have full control. If you forget to get a shot, you can just draw it up real quickly. I get more frustrated when I shoot live action. I work with a very small crew but even still the idea of a re-shoot because we forgot something always makes my stomach drop. Also with animation, you don't have to worry about locations, getting all your actors there at the same time, losing your daylight or weather conditions.

Kate Freund's “Enders of Love”

FA: Doing Animation requires time and patience. So you must actually be a very calm person, not at all like the characters that you’re usually playing?

KF: I drink a lot of caffeine when I'm animating. That helps me focus. My favorite tea is Yerba Matte when I'm animating. It's super strong but it doesn't make me feel like I'm having a heart attack. It's hard to be tethered to a computer for more then a few hours without getting distracted and start looking up crap online. Doing animation by yourself can be very lonely.

FA: Are you working on Mac or PC? (Photo below by Matt Freund)

KF: I'm a Mac girl. I use the MacBook Pro for editing and animation. The software I prefer is final cut and after effects. I'd love to learn Maya but I don't know when I would find the time. I have a habit of picking up too many hobbies.

FA: When did you start to get involved in animation and special effects?

KF: Sevan Najarian mentored me with animation. I always enjoyed drawing little cartoons. My first cartoon was a music video for Rob’s birthday. It featured all of my friends dancing on a green screen to the song Pretty in Pink. I animated the singer. It’s so wonky but I still like that video. I followed that up with another animated music video for The Magnetic Fields. I just did it for fun, because I loved the song so much and was bummed there was no music video. I thought if I animate one, it would be a great opportunity for me to practice using after effects. Little did I realize, it's more difficult to sync up the mouths when there is music embedded in the vocal track. I couldn't scrub through the audio so I had to listen to the song over and over and over again just to get the mouth movements correct. It's really a testament to how great The Magnetic Fields are. I listened to that song probably close to a thousand times and still love it. It’s been pretty well received on youtube and has over 80,000 hits. The band even contacted me and thanked me for the video so that was beyond cool.

Kate Freund's music video for “I Don't Want To Get Over You” (The Magnetic Fields)

FA: By the way, why did you choose to learn the banjo?

KF: I always wanted to play an instrument. I played drums very briefly in a band in college but then got kicked out. I was over at my friend Kevin's house and he had so many instruments on his walls. I saw the banjo hanging there and he let me borrow it. I think this was around 2004. My brother is super cool and for my birthday got me my banjo. Actually we just wrote a new song together titled, “Damn You Woman”. It's up on Rob Schrab's youtube page.

Kate Freund in “Mega Bitch Meltdown” (2007)

FA: Who are your favorite music artists /bands?

KF: The Magnetic Fields obviously. I like The Mountain Goats, Tegan and Sarah, Bright Eyes, ELO, John Lennon, Elliot Smith, Buddy Holly, Coconut Records and I just started to listen to Chad VanGaalen. He is an animator and musician. I'm obsessed with his song "Molten Light".

FA: How do you split your time between your personal projects and your paid jobs? (Photo below by Sammy Primero - 2009)

KF: I don't have weekends. My creative projects are how I socialize. I usually hang out with the people who I like working with and we spend our time being creative instead of going to the beach or shopping.

FA: Because you’re creating puppets and doing animation, do you ever think about making a puppet animation movie?

KF: I'd love to do that some day.

FA: You just did a short horror? Can you tell me more about it?

KF: “Debbie” is an experimental Horror Film. It's about a creature being held against her will and forced to listen to this agonizing voice that represents the disconnected upper class. It's a surreal torture film. What was interesting for me as a participant in the project was I was the body of the creature and also the voice of the tormentor. To be honest, I love playing monsters or creatures. I spent 6 hours completely blind for the “Debbie” shoot but loved every minute of it. “Debbie” is directed by Jonathon Sims. I met him about 5 years ago when I cast a horror project. He just called me out of the blue and said:"Do you want to dress up in a Quinceniera dress and play a tortured blind creature? ". The short should be up online in September 2009.

Kate Freund on the set of “Debbie” (2009) - Photos by Robin Von Swank

FA: What are your new projects? Your next projects?

KF: Right now I'm working on a new cartoon, a pilot and a baby blanket for my sister.

Interview done in July/August 2009. Thanks to Kate Freund, Matt Freund, Sammy Primero, Robin Von Swank, Hedzo, Channel 101 & Comedy Central. Check out the first part by clicking on the picture below.

Kate Freund: The 101 Connection

Some Kate Freund's streaming videos:

"Anna Manesia": Episode 1 - Episode 2 - "Mega Bitch Meltdown": Trailer - Episode 1 - "The Day My Boyfriend Became": Episode 1 - "Turdy Longbows": Episode 1 - "The Vacationaires": Episode 1 - Episode 2 - "Pussy Talk": Episode 1 - "Water and Power: Miami": Episode 1 - Episode 2 - "Just the Three of Us": Episode 1 - "The Pop": Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3 - Kate Freund's Converse Ad - Magnetic Fields: I Don't Want To Get Over You - "Sushi Rocka" (Short) - "The Lonely Sink" (Short) - Holiday Song (Animation / Music Video)