It is said that people become brutally honest during times of intoxication. We allow ourselves to feel heartbreak that we try to hold back, we tell people the things we are most afraid to admit, we even make mistakes- lots of them.
Watch Wong Fru’s most recent short “To Those Nights” as a reminder that the heart and mind wander to interesting places when under the influence of alcohol.
Justin Chon made an appearance last night on Conan, promoting his latest film, 21 and Over. Watch on as Justin talks about how much love he gets from Twilight Moms and how he prepared for his nude scenes.
Justin Chon on Twilight Moms
Justin Chon on Picking a Prosthetic Penis
Justin Chon as Jeff Chang in 21 and Over.
We’re giving away tickets to Justin Chon’s upcoming movie screening for 21 and Over on February 27th in Los Angeles!
To enter:
1. Like KoreAm/Audrey on FB & Twitter
2. Tweet: I’m excited to see @koream’s Feb cover boy @justinchon in #21andOver
3. Leave a comment on this post with your name and Twitter handle!
ABOUT 21 and Over
What do you get when you have three best friends from high school celebrating a 21st birthday, a charging buffalo and a vindictive latina sorority? Just another day for the cast of characters in 21 and Over starring Justin Chon (Twilight), Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) and Miles Teller (Project X). Written and directed by the same duo Jon Lucas and Scott Moore who were the masterminds behind The Hangover films, this film is the sophmore version of The Hangover with a splash of Weekend at Bernie’s.
Meet Jeff Chang, who is paid a surprise visit by his best friends from high school Casey and Miller, the day before a critical medical school interview. After a little bit of peer pressure, Jeff Chang succumbs and decides “one drink” won’t kill him but when one drink turns into a hundred drinks and bar hopping, the adventure begins. With a passed out Jeff Chang, Casey and Miller embark on a journey to find the one most wanted question – where does he live? After infiltrating a latina sorority, dodging a buffalo on the loose at a pep rally and rescuing Jeff Chang from the cops, these events create an even more special bond between the three of them with a touching moment spliced in between all the other misadventures and mayhem.
This film hits theaters on March 1st.
Jamie Chung, Justin Chon, and Clinton Sparks? Those are only some of the entertainment headlining Audrey’s Night Out 2012, as Audrey Magazine returns with their biggest event of the year –AND unveils the new look of the publication for their big fall issue. Oh yeah – and we’re also giving away a round trip private jet experience package to VEGAS! Read on for more information!
We all knew she could put on makeup, but what we didn’t know is that she can act. But, really, that isn’t too surprising. Her voice is so soothing that she could probably put newborns to sleep, and her appearance can only be magnified with her stealer makeup techniques.
At only 24-years-old, the #1 most subscribed woman on YouTube, Vietnamese-American make-up artist, Michelle Phan, is embarking on a new venture—incorporating short films into her already whimsical make up and beauty tutorial videos.
Just in time for December 31st, Phan’s latest YouTube video is a hybrid short film and makeup tutorial, “Midnight Kiss”, featuring actor Justin Chon. In the video, Phan re-creates every girl’s dream of the perfect Cindarella-esque kiss at midnight, equipped with a drop-dead-gorgeous New Year’s Eve party look.
Throughout the years, Asian Americans have yearned to see faces like theirs on the small screen. With Nickelodeon’s new show Supah Ninjas, the Asian American family is returning for the first time in 16 years as the star of a mainstream television series. While teen-oriented shows are saying they’re committed to diversity, do AA teens today really feel well-represented?
ISSUE: Spring 2011
DEPT: Features
STORY: Janice Jann
There’s a new family moving into TV-land this spring. The dad, a bumbling cop. The grandfather, a wise old man. And the son, a doe-eyed high-schooler named Mike who just wants to win over the girl of his dreams.
Shooting for the Moon: Actor Justin Chon is going to be busy for a while, co-starring in the next two Twilight sequels, new Moon and Eclipse. But don’t think he’s got his head in the clouds. He’s plowing ahead, keeping his head down with a backup plan or two.
ISSUE: Fall 2009
DEPT: Audrey Man
STORY: Lan N. Nguyen
Justin Chon almost passed on Twilight. First, he had no way to anticipate what a mega hit the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s young adult bestseller would be. Second, the 28-year-old Korean American actor had just wound down his role as Tony Lee on Nickelodeon’s teen show Just Jordan. He was on the hunt for something meatier than a role in a high school vampire love story.
But he changed his mind when he heard that Catherine Hardwicke was directing. “I loved Lords of Dogtown and Thirteen,” he says. “And a few days later, I found out that Kristen Stewart was attached. I loved Into the Wild.”
The rest, as they say, is movie history. Twilight has raked in more than $382 million worldwide since its 2008 release. Justin recently finished reprising his role as loveable geek Eric Yorkie in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the second film in the series. And in August, he headed back to Vancouver to once again attend Forks High School for the third film, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
Much has changed for students of Forks High in New Moon. Eric has given up trying to impress Bella, says Justin. “I am 100 percent committed to Angela,” he says of Bella’s best friend. Fans can also expect a more action-packed sequel. “The guys who play the wolf pack are going to bring more raw brawniness to the movie,” he says. “And they have Native American blood in them. So it’s cool, as an Asian American actor, to see minorities will be a major factor in something so mainstream.”
Born in 1981 in Irvine, Calif., Justin and his younger sister, Jamie, grew up in an artistic household. Before his mom, Kyung, became a homemaker, she was a pianist. And his father, Sang, was an actor in South Korea. (He went into the shoe business after immigrating to the U.S.)
“My sister and I found out [about my dad] when I was about 6 or 7,” Justin recalls. “We had found this old VHS tape and our dad was acting. We took it to our mom and she explained. It was amazing. When you think of your dad, you don’t think of him as an actor, especially being Asian American.”
Not surprisingly, when Justin enrolled at the University of Southern California, he decided to try his hand at acting. He did a two-year stint at The Joanne Baron/DW Brown Studio, an acting school in Santa Monica. And when he graduated from USC in 2004 with a bachelor’s in business, he told his parents to give him two years to give acting a chance.
“My parents were really worried,” says Justin. “You don’t normally see Asian people on TV. We grew up in an artistic household so they were not opposed to acting. They were just worried about if I could make a living. Once I showed them I could, they were more at ease.”
Work in commercials soon developed into work on TV, most notably in Just Jordan. He was also trying to carve out a movie career. His most challenging role to date has been playing a first-generation Korean immigrant in 2009’s Crossing Over, which also starred Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd.
“I was the lead in my own story line,” he says. “I had a love story and a sex scene and some intense stuff, with the dynamics between my family, friends and girlfriend. On top of that, I was playing a Korean immigrant kid so I had an accent. I had to have the demeanor and mentality of not having a place anywhere. It took a lot of work. With acting you don’t see the work behind it. You just see the finished product.”
Then there is Twilight. When Justin landed the role of Eric Yorkie, he only had a brief description to work with: Eric was 6-foot, 3-inches tall and had black, greasy hair, was the chess club type, and had bad skin. Still, Justin rose to the challenge and created a character that could be found in any real high school.
“I played upon the chess club type and being valedictorian,” he says. “From that, I derived that he kind of doesn’t fit in, but he does have a group of friends who are sort of awkward and don’t fit into any category themselves. So they’ve found each other. And each one brings a very unique thing to the group.”
Justin is “a perfectionist,” says pal Michael Welch, who plays Eric’s best friend Mike Newton. “He’s a really interesting guy. He’s a total Southern California guy. At the same time, he is very serious and a sensitive artist and actor. Actually, he has an easier time on the set when he has something meaty to do because he’s a very serious guy when it comes to his work.”
Despite being in the biggest movie of 2008 and what will likely be the biggest movie of 2009, Justin recognizes that he is unlikely to achieve superstar status himself. “At the end of the day, I am still a minority actor,” he explains. “Asian people have not really broken through in terms of becoming mainstream like Will Smith has. I don’t think we have proven we are a major market yet.”
To take more control over his career, he’s been working with some indie directors and writers to craft projects. “I love acting but who knows,” he says. “It’s a very fickle industry. I could be hot now but in five to 10 years, I’ll need something else.”
Justin’s starting on that something else right now. Following in his father’s footsteps, he started a shoe and clothing store called Attic (attic2zoo.com) with childhood friend Jimmy Yang. The pair opened a location in Buena Park, Calif., four years ago. It’s doing so well that they recently opened a second store in San Diego.
“I got a business degree and spent a lot of money for it,” he says with a laugh. “It seemed like a waste. It’s been a labor of love for Jimmy and me. For anyone who has started a business, it’s like a second job. But it’s paid off. I am really proud of it.”
Actor Archie Kao at the CAPE Soiree.
CAPE, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment’s holiday party felt a little like a company shindig-that is, if your co-workers were James Kyson Lee, Archie Kao or Carrie Anne Inaba. Oh yea, and if the party was held at the swanky Vibiana in Downtown Los Angeles. Celebs, awards, schmoozers and free-flowing alcohol was all here as the esteemed organization recognized two movers and shakers in the industry, actor/comedian Ken Jeong took home the prestigious New Horizons Award and industry exec Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, won the Visionary Award. Here are 10 Things that I mused about the soiree.
1) Lots of peer love going around.
Actors Leonardo Nam and Justin Chon share the love.
Forget the whole stigma that actors are always catty and competitive with each other. If anything, CAPE is an organization that demonstrates exactly how much Asians are supporting one another in the industry. As one of my good friends once said, “when one of us gets an opportunity like a part in a movie or show, it just moves us as an entire race, forward.”
2. I can get starstruck.
My gig as assistant editor of Audrey Magazine is pretty sweet. I get to talk to celebrities on a regular basis through interviews and parties like this. So it’s been a while since I got starstruck. But the fan-girl in me totally came out when I saw Keiko Agena on the red carpet. Gilmore Girls is forever my favorite show and I told her so the first chance I got. I think I scared her a little. Yea, having a 5’9″ asian girl in a flowery cocktail dress come up to you exclaiming, “I love your work and your show and your character and YOU” is a little scary, I suppose.
3. There is no classy way to eat chicken wings.
I tried. I really did. You just can’t make eating chicken wings at a soiree look classy. But they sure were delicious.
4. Pageant queens are a hit at parties.
As part of the Miss LA Chinatown court this year, I got to relish the attention at parties and gatherings when I’m in my crown and sash like no other. Apparently, looking like royalty is quite the conversation starter. CAPE was smart in including on their guest list two sets of pageant girls; former Miss California USAs were on hand (right) as well as the current Miss LA Chinatown court. (I’m not in my royal attire because I just wanted to be a normal civilian for one night!)
5. A church is a cool place to get down.
The Vibiana in Downtown LA is such a sweet place to throw a party! The sound system is a little tough to bear but with the classic interior and great lighting, it’s definitely a spot I’d frequent again.
6. And the outdoors is not bad either!
7. Ken Jeong is DA MAN.
He can joke, he can act, he can dance, he can make the best acceptance speeches. If I had an award to give out, I’d give it to Jeong too. (Congrats on winning the New Horizons Award!)
8. I swear I’m not an alcoholic.
But free-flowing booze like the sake shown above definitely made it easier to enjoy the evening. (Not that I wasn’t enjoying it already.)
9. Photobooth is fun!
10. People with a whole lotta heart made this event possible.
It’s to a group of very dedicated individuals that have made CAPE as successful as it is today. So cheers to you, Jennifer Sanderson, Ken Choy and company!
Thanks to CAPE Press and Carmen Chan for providing all the photos and making me look like a photo hog.
As done on award shows, we at Audrey like to also play the role of best supporting actress to our sister publication KoreAm Journal for its role in hosting a night of entertainment and awards called Unforgettable.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of KoreAm as a publication and the 10th annual anniversary of the Unforgettable gala. So come out on Saturday, Nov. 20, and join us at this premier event, hosted by comedian Randall Park.
KoreAm will present achievement awards to actress Grace Park, news anchor Juju Chang and baseball pitcher Chan Ho Park. There will be live entertainment from Brian Joo (Fly to the Sky), singer-songwriter Heather Park, DJ Kero One and Poreotix (America’s Best Dance Crew, Season 5).
Unforgettable will take place at the opulent Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, and it will be an exclusive chance to wine and dine on luscious prime rib from Lawry’s, while hobnobbing with a who’s who of the Korean American community.
For more information on how to buy tickets, visit www.iamKoreAm.com/Unforgettable10.
