An Interview with Juju Chan
It is no secret, we love the women of action here at Bulletproof Action. Their beauty and brawn have stolen our hearts. That is why I was thrilled with the opportunity to interview Juju Chan, a woman who most action movie experts feel has a bright future in the business. The near future for Ms. Chan will see the release of a period piece actioner Savage Dog.
I talk Savage Dog and much more with Juju in this exclusive interview…
CTB: First off, I want to thank you for taking the time out of your schedule for this interview. Let’s get right into it and talk about something action fans are buzzing about, the upcoming movie, Savage Dog. What can you tell us about the movie and your character Isabellle specifically?
JC: Savage Dog is a full on action film with an engaging story set in Indochina, in 1959. I play Isabelle in this film, the love interest of Scott Adkin’s character, Martin. She is the stronger willed of Martin and her. Isabelle is an interesting character, strong, resilient, but most of all she is a believer in the good within the soul of man. Isabelle is an optimist, focused, and is determined to win over and influence the man she believes to be her father (Steiner, played by Vladimir Kulich). Even though every sign on earth points to him being a terrible person, Isabelle is set on proving otherwise. In movie terms she is innocent, and seemingly naive, but she is no fool. Her obvious upbringing in the midst of war makes her quite complex. She is a fighter, except that her fighting is done by her patience.
CTB: To say Savage Dog has an all-star cast would be a major understatement. Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Cung Le and Keith David all join you in Savage Dog. What was it like working with those gentleman?
JC: I feel so privileged for having the chance to work with all the wonderful cast members. We all became good friends after the shoot and we still get together for dinners and to the gym sometime. Most of my scenes are with Scott. Working with him was fun and wonderful! He is great in both action and dramatic scenes! It is very easy to get into character and emotion with him when we were doing our dramatic scenes. Keith is playing Valentine in the film, who is Isabelle’s guardian. He treats and loves my character like his daughter. It’s a great pleasure working with Keith. He is a super warm person, professional and friendly. I’ve actually known Cung Le for couple of years, meeting him when we were both attending the UFC event in Macau as guests of the event. It was great to see him again especially as this time we were actually working together on a film. I’ve only shared one scene with Marko, but we’ve got to interact a lot behind the scenes, and became good friends. He is a very disciplined person, not only in his training but also in his diet. I’ve learned a lot from him!
CTB: I know both Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror have talked about being martial arts movie fans when they were growing up. Was this the case for you and if so who were some of your favorite stars and what were your favorite movies?
JC: Yes, I got into martial arts because of my love with action film, since I was a kid. My dad loves action films and he would put on an action movie on TV at home almost every night, and when I was a kid I loved to copy what’s on TV. But of course it can be quite dangerous for a kid to just copy martial art moves without any training. I remember there was one time I was copying a stunt that Jackie Chan was doing in Rush Hour, and I broke the glass of the coffee table at home. My favorite action stars are Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Gordon Liu, Kara Hui, Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh. My favorite action films include: The 36 Chambers of Shaolin, La Femme Nikita, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Raid… to name a few off hand. There’s so many!!!
CTB: You have been touted as “the next Michelle Yeoh” and “the female Bruce Lee”. That is both lofty and well deserved praise. Does that level of praise put any added pressure on you or are you too focused on being the first Juju Chan?
JC: It’s an honor to be given such titles, and it’s an extra force that motivates me to continue improving my skills and performances. But of cause to me, I am totally focusing on being JUJU CHAN in the action film world.
CTB: You actually got to work with Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. What was it like working with a woman who really paved the way for actresses like yourself?
JC: Michelle is an inspiration. She is the classiest action star, and I have learnt a lot from working with her. She is super friendly, professional, and cheerful on set. She is very skillful in swords, and screen action. It obviously all comes from dedication, training, and experience. I really enjoyed working with her and would love to work with her again.
CTB: Another co-star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny was the one and only Donnie Yen. In the past few months with appearances in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Yen has been exposed to a whole new audience. Do you see this as the start of a trend where actors with more international fame will be able to cross over into the big Hollywood studio productions?
JC: I can definitely see the change and new opportunities for actors from different countries crossing over into Hollywood big productions. I am very happy and excited for this and I feel that the world is ready for a more diverse cast in films, and for different cultures to be showcased in entertainment. I also think diversity is a healthy thing in film. The more the general public see different people on screen breaking away from stereotypes, I think the more people will both become more accepting of differences and open to believing other people can do different things.
CTB: Speaking of Hollywood, do you think Hollywood is ready for an actress to become the star of some big budget action blockbusters?
JC: Yes, in recent years, Jennifer Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, Shailene Woodley, etc have proved that actress can lead a successful Hollywood action film. And I believe with stronger and stronger female roles in the society nowadays, audiences do want to see strong female characters in films.
CTB: I’ve heard you’ll be working with the legendary Don “The Dragon” Wilson in an upcoming film. Are there any action stars that you have not had the opportunity to work with that you’d like to in the future?
JC: I would love to work with Jackie Chan!
CTB Finally, what do you enjoy doing when you aren’t making movies?
JC: I love hiking in LA, watching movies, cooking, singing, and traveling.
