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For their first film in America, both star Liu Ye and director Shi-Zheng Chen chose a subject that shows just how universal a shocking act can be. For DARK MATTER, the two both showed audiences an in depth look at Chinese culture and its clash with the Western world at a time when China would be the only major country to embrace Communism. For star Liu Ye, already one of China's most popular actors due to his role in CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER, it was a chance to shine with a performance that relies more on his emotions than with his words, showing a passion for science. For director Chen, it was a chance to heal old wounds with the memory of the 1991 University of Iowa shootings still lingering in his mind. To promote DARK MATTER, the star and director answered questions to a roundtable of reporters including the Crypt. The following are highlights from that conversation.
Liu, this is your first English speaking role. Could you tell us about the challenges of that and what was it like working with Meryl Streep? LIU YE: Meryl Streep to me because I started acting in my home country of China, I had seen many Meryl Streep movies so to work with her is a dream. I can’t believe I worked with her but it has really happened. I was acting more like a fan while working with her. You can see in the film that my English is not good so in the movie I was asked to speak English, which was so difficult. I’m kind of the actor who needs to know everything on the set so it was a little difficult for me to understand what was happening around me but I had a little experience of working with English actors so that did help a little. How did you prepare for the role both in the character’s fish out of water element and in his theories on dark matter and astrophysics? LIU YE: Throughout the years I learned about this project and to know that Meryl Streep was to be a part of it, I was very excited about it. To prepare for the role, the filmmaker, Shi-Zheng Chen, brought me out here to America for two weeks prior to shooting to let me experience what it is like to be studying abroad. I think the most difficult part was this scientific jargon that even the regular person wouldn’t understand like the red ships and so forth. For me it was a really good opportunity to submerge myself in that role because I had to take the extra step for this role to understand all the scientific jargon, just the words. It’s not easy as if we were all sitting here over dinner just talking about it. I had to make it look like I spent my life studying this theory. Before you had done this film, had you read anything about physics? What was your education and had you spent any times in the United States before?
LIU YE: Shooting the movie was my first time
coming to America. In high school, I did study physics a little but in
college I moved to theater. My parents wanted me to go into a science
related field because my sisters studied law in college but I’m not really
good with academics. Director Shi-Zheng Chen comes from an operatic background, and he has a visual style that’s very theatrical, as with CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER. Do you have a background in theater? LIU YE: The theater is not foreign to me because in Beijing they just built a huge theatrical dome where I performed for ten days before coming to shoot DARK MATTER so I am very familiar with the theater and in opera. (Director Shi-Zheng Chen enters the room) Liu, did you go to Sundance and what was the experience like? LIU YE: I had a fear it would be pretentious but it wasn’t. Sundance was very exciting. I think for an actor that was the best reward an actor could receive, having a positive reaction. The people who go to Sundance are the folks who truly love film. They cry, they laugh, and they really interact with the audience and the film interacted with everyone. The critics that were there didn’t have any pretentiousness; they just went in to enjoy the films. Was there anyone you were surprised in meeting at Sundance? LIU YE: Yes, Aidan Quinn (Laughter). I’m just joking but people were surprised in meeting me. Shi-Zheng Chen, this is your first feature film after such an extensive opera background. What were the differences and challenges in making DARK MATTER? SHI-ZHENG CHEN: It’s the same as you’re trying to get people to give you money so you can work. You also have to attract major stars like Meryl Streep and Aidan to convince the producers that they will recuperate the money they invested. The difference is that in the opera world, it’s just the director, there’s nobody talking over your shoulder. You just say “Fuck off.” The producer is always looking over your shoulder to talk about compromise. My editor told me there’s a terminological term which I believe was “brain fucker.” They have an opinion about everything you do, and that was a surprise for me. How did you meet producer Janet Yang? SHI-ZHENG CHEN: A few years ago I did a Disney production in Los Angeles, and Janet came to see it, that’s how I met her. We had a few financing that came through, and some that didn’t come through, but we finally went through to a production company in China that was interested in DARK MATTER so we got the money together to make the film.
The film won the Alfred Sloan Award at Sundance for Best Scientific Film, what did you think of being recognized for the film’s scientific theme in addition to its theme of culture shock? SHI-ZHENG CHEN: What they told me at Sundance was that the film was quite true in the scientific environment, and that the description of the school and the DARK MATTER theory with the void and darkness in the universe was interesting to the Sundance Board. I was quite pleased when they gave me that award and I was not aware that Sundance had an award like that. The idea to me was to depict a story of people in China who are not kung fu fighters. They are full blooded, ambitious, intelligent people which aren’t shown much here in America. I’ve been living in America since the late 1980s just like the protagonist and I was very conscious of how to portray the character without so much judgment but to get the audience to see how they go through the life without having every Chinese person you meet was in costume or a waiter, to me that was the key. That was the way of trying to find the metaphor to try to find the parallel of his own life. You would think of something so high where in reality he couldn’t have it so for me that was the tragedy. How were you able to get Meryl Streep and Aidan Quinn for this film in contrast to hiring Liu Ye? SHI-ZHENG CHEN: Meryl liked the story and she committed after the first reading. She was behind the project and helped out with actors, she said if there was anyone I wanted, she would make the call, which is how Aidan became involved. She was amazing with her energy behind the project. In the film world, it makes a big difference in getting people to put their trust in the movie by having one of the great actors of our time behind the movie. Liu Ye, I’ve seen his films in China and I think he’s the best Chinese actor of his generation and is a true professional. He faked his way in the audition speaking English, though he didn’t really speak English. When we spoke in Beijing, he refused to speak a word of English to me, saying “I won’t do it, my English is too good.” He comes to Utah and he’s very convincing in knowing what he’s saying to the camera. The only problem was when Meryl started improvising, he started to panic because he didn’t know what she was saying.
In light of
Virginia Tech shootings, which I know held the film back, were you asked
to edit the film in any way?
There's an article
on a blog by an Asian writer that supported the shooter at Virgina Tech
and was very racist towards the non-Asian community. Were you worried
about a backlash at all? Thank you for your time gentlemen. BOTH: You're welcome. (Special thanks to Caitlin Speed and Betsy Rudnick at Falco Ink and Brad Balfour)
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