My Life Disoriented’s Di Quon
Di Quon made her big screen debut as “Lily Kim” – hotel seamstress in, Maid In Manhattan starring Jennifer Lopez and directed by Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club). In the past, she has had recurring roles on Boston Public and Grounded for life, Guest star roles on Medium and Campus Ladies, shot several pilots, including one for the WB in Barcelona, was in the feature film Pulse and the indie film Space and Time and has been in more
commercials then she can count. Now in her 6th year as a full-time actor, she steps on as a producer and takes the lead role in her own TV pilot for PBS called My Life… Disoriented. My Life… Disoriented is the first ever Asian American Dramedy television pilot to be aired. Asiance had a chance to chat with Di Quon about her career as an Asian American actor and the Asian American atmosphere that seems to be breaking ground.
ASIANCE: What is your ethnic background?
Di Quon: I’m Chinese-American. 4th and 5th generation American.
ASIANCE: Education?
Di Quon: I have a B.S. in Marketing Communications, however I started working as an actor my last semester, so I actually finished my degree over the internet.
ASIANCE: Tell us about My Life Disoriented?
Di Quon: It’s the story of an Asian American family that relocates from San Francisco to Bakersfield because the father lost his job. The sisters end up being the only two Asian girls in the entire high school.
There is so many different ways to look at the show as a whole – “ I think you have already talked to Claire, so I’ll focus on my character’s perspective since most of the show is from her point of view. Kimberlee Fung is trying to reconcile being Asian and what that means in a high school setting when you are a minority and seen as one. She has the classic problems as a teen – “ an overachieving perfect older sister, a family with problems, and then you add the fact that she is a minority at a new school where the “popular girls” are welcoming her and in order for her to be accepted, she feels she has to reject the two Asian boys at the school. Reject her ethnic identity, as if to say “I’m just like you.”
As an Asian American actress, I have sometimes felt that there are limited roles for me. Often times the roles offered are full of stereotypes. Because as a society we look towards media to show us our place within it, it meant a lot to me to create something positive that properly represents me and the Ethnic Minority Group I am part of. Everyone involved with My Life… Disoriented tried to walk the fine line of keeping cultural identity without playing into stereotypes.
I am very grateful that ITVS/Independent Lens and PBS were brave enough to give us a chance to show their viewers an honest perspective.
ASIANCE: Which do you like better? Television or Movies?
Di Quon: It’s hard to say because I haven’t had a TV for as long as I have been a full-time professional actor (5 years… 2007 is the start of my 6th). I would say movies because I am quite an avid film watcher and overall I think the quality of film versus TV is better, however the last two years television has changed a lot. TV shows have gotten so good. Last year, I considered buying a TV until I found that you could watch all the shows (worth watching) either on the internet or by DVD rental.
ASIANCE: What about theatre?
Di Quon: I have always studied primarily in the theatre genre. My first acting class in New York – “ Michael Howard Studios – had the understudy for the Phantom.. as in Phantom of the Opera. I remember because I wanted to do a scene with him and he was out of class for a while because he was filling in while the lead had gotten bronchitis or something. I had seen Phantom as a child and was like “OH MY GOD, HE’S ON BROADWAY AS THE PHANTOM!” Everyone was so talented in that class, I was definitely the freshman then.
I think that you have to know the fundamentals of theatre in order to be a good actor in any medium, however as for working, with the exception of a small short commitment theater piece I did last summer off-Broadway, I don’t generally work in that genre. The time commitment is very long, you are under a contract that keeps you from accepting other work, the pay is lower then the other mediums, and I am not someone that needs the audience. In fact, I prefer “closed sets.” The actors that I know that really shine in theatre are the ones that feed off the audience. They want to perform in front of people.
I like to do the work behind the role, become the role for those moments. That is what I enjoy. I often don’t really see the end results until after it’s aired… since I don’t have a TV. In fact, there are some things I have done that I haven’t even seen at all.
Of course, this can change… so ask me again in a few years.
ASIANCE: You are the producer and Claire is the writer. It seems you are finally taking an important step and getting into roles in which business decisions are made for these types of movies. What was it like working with Claire?
Di Quon: Claire and I are both producers on this project. Producing is a more natural fit for me, but acting, probably because I really work for it, has more of a reward for me personally.
I learned as a Producer for this type of project (where there isn’t a lot of money) the main thing you are doing is asking for help and explaining why it’s worth their time. I am a very passionate person about everything I do. So it’s a natural thing for me to express the importance of a project and to really believe in its success. I never doubted that My Life.. Disoriented – “ the pilot, would air.
As for Claire – “ before I found her, I had come up with all kinds of crazy ideas to find a writer. Eric Byler can tell you that the one I was pushing the most was a contest of sorts, having the 10 best writers all spend the weekend in my loft (at the time I was living in downtown L.A. in a really large loft) and by the end of the weekend we would have a script. When I think about it now, it’s really funny… but at the time, it seemed like a good idea, and even more funny is that Eric almost agreed to it.
When I read Claire’s writing I knew that she was the one. Not just for My Life.. Disoriented, but as a writer, Claire Yorita Lee will be someone in 5 years that everyone in Hollywood will know of. I also knew that she could express what I was trying to say. And more importantly, she really brought to life the original characters I had created, and created others that really gave the cast a wholeness.
Kimberlee Fung is a character that is based on a combination of myself and my cousin. The relationship between Kimberlee and Aimee is based on the relationship between my cousin and I, however being an only child, Claire brought to their relationship a sibling rivalry that was more organic. In many ways, Claire took the embryo of Kimberlee and really formed her. I guess you could say if I am the mom, she is the dad.. and that makes Eric … .. the grandfather?
ASIANCE: Did you form a special bond?
Di Quon: There is an inside joke that I had slippers at Claire’s house. It’s true. I traveled often over the two years we made the show from New York to Los Angeles. And when I came to Los Angeles for My Life… Disoriented, I stayed with Claire at her house. I don’t think you can really get closer than slippers.
ASIANCE: How and when can we see My Life Disoriented?
Di Quon: Well, hopefully you caught it when it aired on PBS – “ Independent Lens, Short Stack episode (Terrence Howard introduces it). There is a possibility of re-running, but that isn’t certain yet. You can also see clips on You Tube. I believe there may be a DVD coming out, but more importantly, we are hoping that soon we will be an episodic series on a national television network.
ASIANCE: Who would you love to work with?
Di Quon: There are so many people I would love to work with… And there are a lot of people I love to watch and admire that aren’t listed here.
I guess off the top of my head:
Male actors – “ Gary Oldman, George Clooney (with him directing), Ken Watanabe, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ewan McGregor and Ben Foster (who will be a name to reckon with in a few years.)
Female actors – “ Gong Li, Lucy Liu, Rosario Dawson, Meryl Streep and Claire Danes. Both Amanda Fuller and Autumn Resser who were in My Life… Disoriented are two incredibly talented actresses. I studied with both of them and really wanted to do “real work” with them. I was so happy they were available and willing to do the show.
And as directors go, I was already blessed to work with Wayne Wang, but I would also like to work with Justin Lin, AngLee, Steven Spielberg (who wouldn’t), Spike Lee, Antoine Fuqua (again) and Luc Besson.
I would I’d also love to do anything Amy Tan or Tina Fey.
ASIANCE: Besides your mom, what Asian American women do you admire?
Di Quon: I really admire people that brake through molds in entertainment. Two Asian American woman that I really admire… and would love to play someday in a biographic sense is Anna May Wong and Yoko Ono.
ASIANCE: Any influential movies that have really had an impact on you in terms of your ethnicity?
Di Quon: Eat Drink Man Woman, The Wedding Banquet, Joy Luck Club, and Better Luck Tomorrow.
Both of the Ang Lee movies were the first films I ever saw that were “Asian” so they had a big impact on me. It was so rare to ever see Asians not doing martial arts.
I played Mah Jong ever since I was a child and the relationships in Joy Luck Club were so familiar to my family dynamic that I felt for the first time there was a real representation of Asian American Families. There should have been some Oscar nods in that direction if you ask me.
Better Luck Tomorrow came out in theaters the same year that Maid In Manhattan did. In fact, Karin Anna Cheung and I met testing for the same pilot role for NBC. She told me about the film and said – “ you should support the film because it’s a young all Asian American cast. I went to the screening, and Karin said that she was shocked that I came. We have been friends ever since.
What makes that film so important, and it’s been said a zillion times, is that it is just teens being teens, and the focus wasn’t on the fact that they were “Asian.” It was such a statement. I also love the fact that Justin Lin has been very loyal to his actors and casts them again and again. I know must of those BLT guys … it’s a small world, and they are all very talented. It’s a blessing to have someone looking out for you making sure you have great roles and are working.
ASIANCE: What was it like working with Jennifer Lopez?
Di Quon: What’s so funny is that I have been lucky to be around really famous people quite a few times in my life. There is so much publicity behind them that you feel like you already know them before you meet them.
My first scene shot in my first feature film was with Jennifer Lopez alone. I was petrified and she was so kind, friendly and professional. She even did her off camera lines – “ which often “stars” don’t do. During the filming of Maid In Manhattan I went to the premiere of another one of her films, Enough. When I went up to congratulate her she was really sweet and thanked me for coming. At the end of the day, in real life, she really is just “Jenny from the Block” – quite a cool person.
I have to say I learned one very important thing from working with her, and that is that hard work does pay off eventually. I can honestly say Jennifer is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. She would be on set early in the morning, work all day, then go to an event at night, and fly the next day to open a restaurant or launch a fragrance. When I look at her career, regardless of what anyone thinks of her abilities, I think… she deserves her fame and fortune and I admire her for all of it.
ASIANCE: What would you say to Asian American/Asian girls who want to get into acting?
Di Quon: For all actors, regardless of your ethnicity, you have to really want to do acting. Not necessarily be a star, just love the process of acting. You have to be okay with not necessarily knowing when your next pay check is coming. As an actor, your daily job is to audition and study. If you aren’t okay with rejection, this is not the career for you. I am a full-time actor and work about every three months. I audition, some seasons, twice a day. That means I’m rejected more than I am accepted.
You have to be able to know that it is not personal, and believe that you are talented and the right role is out there for you.
Being Asian there is also a whole other challenge to all this, which is… you are “too Asian,” “not Asian enough,” “the wrong “Asian-type.”
The real hard truth – “ talent doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be able to make a living. It’s timing, luck, the right energy and preparation.
If you want it, you really have to want it. And know what “it” is. For me, I would be happy always making a living, but of course, I would also like to win an Oscar someday.
ASIANCE: Tamilyn Tomita is such an Asian American pioneer. What was it like working with her?
Di Quon: What can I say… she is beautiful and talented. She has had a wonderful career and is one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. Working with her was like a dream. I couldn’t believe she accepted the role, and … . well, for no pay in the beginning.
She was overwhelmingly supportive of the project and what I was trying to do. In fact, at the wrap party she said something like – “ I’m passing the torch on to you or it’s your turn. I had a few $5 Martini’s by then, but I remembered the feeling was so overwhelming and powerful. I felt so lucky to have met her.
ASIANCE: What’s up next?
Di Quon: Well, I shot a pilot for ABC Family and a guest star lead right before the holidays. The guest star lead was my first all improv performance and the most fun I have ever had on a set. The episode – “ Foreign Policy – “ on the show Campus Ladies (Oxygen Network) will be airing the very end of January/beginning of February. I am very excited to see it since it’s the only role I’ve ever taken where I have an “accent.” I generally stay away from those because often I think that they are unnecessary and lead to stereo-typing, however this particular role, was so hilarious, not at the cost of my ethnic minority group, but because of the ignorance behind the stereo-typing some people do.
I am also in the running for a lead in a feature film…
2007 is already a great year for me.
ASIANCE: How much longer before we see an Asian American version of the Cosby show? What do you think the show would need in order for it to appeal to Americans as a whole?
Di Quon: Well, I’d like to say My Life… Disoriented is ready and truthfully, I believe that it has appeal for all Americans. We are getting letters upon letters saying that. It helps that we really do have a multicultural cast. It just happens that the main character is Asian so therefore has an Asian Family.
I hope by the time this goes to publication that we will have an offer on the table… ..
We’ll see…