Two days ago, Michelle Chong revealed the two male leads of her latest project to be Calvin Chen of Fahrenheit and Alexander, a former member of K-pop boyband U-Kiss. However, she declines to disclose how much the stars cost her, only willing to reveal that “Inviting them cost about 6 digit figures of our budget.”
Interested in Their Fluency in English
‘3 Peas in a Pod’ will tell the story of 3 Asian students in Australia, so all three actors have to be able to speak fluent English.
Calvin Chen’s time as a university student in Canada was deemed as one of the reasons for his suitability as one of the male leads, “I wanted a Taiwanese star who can speak English, but he can’t have a western accent. This was a challenge because most of them are ABCs (American born Chinese). Calvin speaks very good English and he doesn’t have an American accent so it was perfect!”
Calvin’s character comes from a poor background. He is gentle and quiet, a top student in school, and received a scholarship to study overseas. He is a filial son and takes part time jobs to support himself. Michelle thinks that Calvin's looks suits this character.
They met in September when Michelle attended the “South East Asia Movie Festival” In Taiwan. She has nothing but praises for him, “Positive, honest, and full of ideas.”
Calvin is definitely no newcomer in idol dramas, but this will be his very first role in a movie. Said Michelle, “This is very good, he’s just like a piece of pure jade that hasn’t been carved, there are so many possibilities on how to mold him.”
When told that Fahrenheit is no longer as popular as they used to be, Michelle said with ultimate confidence, “I’m not worried! I invited Calvin Chen, not Fahrenheit.”
Requesting Alexander to Work Out
Earlier this year, Michelle asked her followers on Twitter to recommend K-pop stars who can speak fluent English. The fans gave her names such as Alexander, Jay Park, Kevin from U-Kiss, etc. Michelle eventually decided to cast Alexander.
Alexander, who studied in California, is part Korean, Chinese and Portuguese. He can speak 7 different languages, including English, Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin.
Said Michelle, “Even just by Alexander’s appearance, he’s already very suitable for this role of a 'wealthy family's son'.” However, Michelle also expressed her wish for Alexander to work out, so as to have a slightly bigger build, “Because I want a 'sunshine boy' and not a 'pretty boy'.”
Michelle has heard that K-pop stars are supposedly difficult to handle and that Korean kimchi would have to be served with every meal, which worried her, thinking about where and how she would have to look for kimchi when they begin filming in Australia. Fortunately, from what she has heard, Alexander has lived in various different countries hence his ability to adapt well, and he’s also not picky when it comes to food.
Cameos for the Movie Fans
Michelle also invites the very popular Indonesian artist, Agnes Monica, to do a cameo in the film and to sing the main theme song for the movie. Because her debut film 'Already Famous' only screened in Singapore and Malaysia, she also expresses her hopes of ‘3 Peas in a Pod’ being able to enter more markets, including those of Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Australia.
As for whether she herself will make an appearance in the movie, she smiled and said, “Of course it has to be done! It may even be more than one character, I could be a waitress and also a college professor.”
Of course, she wouldn't leave out Pornsak and Lee Teng, the stars of her own company, right? Michelle laughed, saying that Lee Teng has a prior engagement and wouldn't be able to participate, although Pornsak has been bugging her about it.
“He has been asking me to give him a role, and even told me he has applied for leave from work so he could go to Australia with me.”
Open Casting for Female Lead
As for the female lead in the film, an audition will take place in Singapore on the 19th & 20th of January 2013 to find her, adding to the excitement of the film which will feature a fresh new face from Singapore.
Other Updates
The movie will be filmed 90% in Australia's Melbourne and Adelaide, and production is expected to begin in March 2013. The film is also scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter of next year.
The Story
3 Peas in a Pod tells the story of three university friends from Taiwan, Korea and Singapore who go on a road trip that changes their lives forever.
The movie will be filmed 90% in Australia's Melbourne and Adelaide, and production is expected to begin in March 2013. The film is also scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter of next year.
The Story
3 Peas in a Pod tells the story of three university friends from Taiwan, Korea and Singapore who go on a road trip that changes their lives forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment