Jo Mei stars in “A Picture of You”

Juilliard School of Drama graduate Jo Mei stars in director J.P. Chan’s new film “A Picture of You” opening on June 20, 2014 in New York at the AMC Loews Village VII, with additional cities to follow. It will be available on VOD in Fall 2014.

The poignant drama comedy tells the story of estranged siblings Jen and Kyle, who travel from New York to rural Pennsylvania to pack up the home of their recently deceased mother, but while going through her belongs, they make a discovery that changes their lives.

Jo Mei recently answered a few questions about the film.

ASIANCE: You’ve worked with Director J.P. Chan previously on short film projects. Tell us about your previous work with J.P. and how that influenced your decision to collaborate on ‘A Picture of You’.

Jo: JP and I have always known we wanted to make a feature together. In fact, we have plans for other feature projects in the future. But over the past several years, we have collaborated on no less than 5 short films. And each of those shorts is very different from the rest. Beijing Haze, which premiered at SXSW, is a contemplative piece about a Chinese waitress who comes to America. I Don’t Sleep I Dream, which premiered at Slamdance is twisted and weird and knives fall out of the sky. And Digital Antiquities, which we got PBS funding for, is a sci-fi film set in the future. The goal with each film was to get better at our storytelling, learn about the process of film production by doing it and of course, the two of us developed trust as collaborators and we really have a shorthand in communicating our ideas.

ASIANCE: What aspects of your character’s journey in ‘A Picture of You’ most resonated with you personally?

Jo: We meet Jen at a very difficult juncture in her life. She just lost her mother. She’s plagued by guilt. She’s realizing she’s an adult and there are no more excuses to be made. So, at the film’s start, Jen’s not very pleasant to be around. But as an Asian woman or a woman period, it felt strangely liberating to portray a character who, finally, is not encumbered with appearing nice or pleasant. She’s sad and angry and she doesn’t want to hide it. I think that’s also what makes the later parts of the film more rewarding, because Jen comes out of her shell with the help of her loved one, and they heal and have an adventure together.

ASIANCE: You look like a younger version of actress Jodi Long and could almost pass for her daughter. How did that bit of fortuitous casting happen? And had you two worked together previously?

Jo: This is my first time working with Jodi. And we have become close friends since; she’s become a mentor/adoptive mother to me. And I can’t praise her enough.
We had offered the role of the mother to Jodi because ever since I graduated from Juilliard 3 years ago, many people have come up to me and asked me if I know who Jodi Long is, because “you look just like her.” Or “You remind me so much of her.” And I’ve always thought that was a great compliment because, if you think show business is hard for an Asian woman now, it was impossible when Jodi started, and yet she has carved out an amazing and enduring career on both stage and screen. And as fortune would have it, we now have the same manager, David Guç so I gave him the script and asked if he’d reach out to Jodi for us, and just prayed she had time to do this. Luckily she liked the script and said yes.

ASIANCE: One of the story lines in the film focuses on the siblings discovering shocking photos of their mom. Have you had similar experiences with your parents old photos or mementos?

Jo: Haha! Fortunately no! I don’t know how I’d react, probably very much like Jen, which is to go a little bonkers.
But seeing old black and white photos of my parents usually makes me a little sad. Because they have not had an easy life, experiencing the Cultural Revolution in China and emigrating to the US fairly late in life in search of a better future for me. That took so much courage and endurance. So when I see pictures of their younger selves I somehow feel very protective of them.

ASIANCE: Director J.P. Chan was recently quoted on WayTooIndie.com stating that some white audience members came up to him and said the film ‘isn’t that Asian” implying it isn’t your typical Asian focused story. Tell us about your experience with audience reactions to the film and what the film’s story means to you?

Jo: The audiences I’ve heard from all really love the film. And in fact they all really appreciate how modern the story is. The main characters happen to be Asian, our friends are African American and Caucasian. We travel to an 95% Caucasian town, and then stuff happens. We joke about race and we joke about sex, but the film is not ABOUT either of those things. It’s about life and it’s unexpected challenges and the people who help us on our individual journeys. Oh and it’s funny. People really love how funny the film is. There are many many laugh out loud moments.

To see more on the film, please visit www.apoyfilm.com

For more on Jo, please visit her website www.jomei.com