With cameo appearances by Hong Kong celebrities like Miriam Yeung, Better Luck Tomorrow’s Jason Tobin and Michelle Yeoh, Heavenly Kings showcases the reality behind American-born Asian artists seeking fame and fortune abroad.
First-time director Daniel Wu is in the running for the coveted SKYY prize for this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival after winning Best Director at the 26th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards. The Bay Area native and friends, including executive producer Patrick Lee, detailed every shiny sequined pantsuit, every botched rehearsal and music video mishap, while boy band ALIVE played master puppeteer to the reality TV experience.
AsianWeek sat down with ALIVE band mate Andrew Lin and chatted about what it’s like to lip sync in hot pants.
What was the idea behind creating ALIVE and making the documentary?
I came up with the idea of making a film about a boy band in Hong Kong and the process of stardom in Asia, revealing things the general audience wouldn’t know about the entertainment business. Being an actor for ten years myself, there were many issues that I think the general audience should know about how artists are surviving in the business, what they do to build a name for themselves.
How did you convince everyone that you were making a documentary?
I’d approached three of my close friends (Daniel Wu, Terence Yin, Conroy Chan) with the film concept in a party three years ago. They all liked the idea. Daniel and Terence agreed we should become a real boy band, and filming the process of making a pop boy band in Asia would make the characters more realistic. That is why the film became more documentary style.
How did your parents react to your career choices post-college?
My parents have always been very supportive of my career choices, even when I was picking a major in college. I was an art major; they knew there might be a good chance for me of becoming a starving artist after I graduated, but they still wanted me to aim for my dreams. Same thing goes for being an actor too.
What sort of audience response are you expecting for the USA premiere of HEAVENLY KINGS?
It is very hard to predict what kind of responses American audiences will have. Although the film is international, there’s some humor in the dialogue that Western countries might have a hard time understanding. But I think the responses will be very positive.
By watching THK, my closer friends in the U.S. will understand what I have been doing in Hong Kong all these years.
What’s on your wish list or to-do list for the next 2-3 years?
In the next 2-3 years, I am looking forward to either writing or directing films. After the making of THK, I have more understanding about production work. There are some stories I might try writing and have our own Man-5 production house do the production work.