Vic Chao, from the beginning, was a new experience for me. My good friend Larry introduced me to Vic’s site, where Vic’s sarcastic and flippant personality mirrored my own enough to make me take an instant liking to the guy. With credits that include guest roles in hit TV shows like “The Division,” “The District,” “Jag,” “Monk,” “Gilmore Girls,” and “Frazier,” Vic Chao has more than proven his talent as an actor as well; hopefully his upcoming role as Agent Hills in Sandra Bullock’s Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous will garner him more attention than ever before. Packed with solid acting chops and a male model’s face and physique (indeed, he started his career in entertainment as a model), Vic is a truly rare commodity in Hollywood: a masculine, sexy, talented actor of Asian descent who could easily stand alongside Clooney, Pitt, or Farrell as a romantic leading man in film.
When Vic asked to conduct this interview via email, I was worried that the finished result would not contain the spontaneous give-and-take feel a live interview often provides (live, one question’s answers often spurs a whole new line of discussion never thought of before). In Vic’s case, however, the answers to my written questions that he emailed back were reflective of his personality: intelligent, thoughtful, and well articulated … with just a hint of sarcasm thrown in like seasoning.
Ya gotta love the guy …
Born to traditional Asian parents in the “90% Jewish” Chicago suburb of Highland Park (also home to Brady dad Robert Reed and “Friends” actress Lauren Tom), it was obvious from the beginning that Vic was going to be “different.” Though pressured by his family to pursue a more traditional career choice, Vic knew from a young age he wanted the spotlight – wanted to be a performer – and while still an engineering intern for Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati (he has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, no less!), Vic Chao summoned up the courage (after one false start) to walk into his first modeling agency … muttering an almost apologetic, “Uhh, do you have any use for somebody like me?”
They did. The agency signed Vic immediately. To this day, he credits the kindness and enthusiasm his first agency gave him for jump-starting his dream career. His first job, a department store ad, “seemed like the most glamorous job ever.”
But a small role as a doctor n Pearl Harbor (which he almost missed due to a stage commitment) gave Vic his first taste of working on a major motion picture. Now, with some nice credits under his belt, I asked Vic what his most recent project – playing Agent Hills in Miss Congeniality 2 – was like to film.
“It was a great time,” Vic recalls, “especially because I worked on it for seven weeks so I got to know the cast and crew better than when I shoot a TV show for a day or a week.” He has nothing but glowing reviews for his coworkers on the set as well, calling star Sandra Bullock “a very friendly, approachable woman, which is probably why she is one of the few female stars who is liked equally well by men and women.” Vic credits actor Diedrich Bader as “one of the most intelligent actors I’ve ever met,” and is equally generous in referring to Regina King, who he says, “plays a Strong Black Woman in all her roles because in reality, she is a Strong Black Woman.” He labels the director, John Pasquin, as “really talented … (he) has a great feel for directing comedy” … and is equally enthusiastic in his appreciation for working with great actors like Enrique Murciano and Treat Williams on the shoot, as well (Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous opens March 24).
But who inspires Vic Chao? Who is he a fan of?
Without hesitation, with all the actors out there, there is one guy Vic Chao would himself most like to emulate:
“Edward Norton is definitely the actor whom I aspire to be like. The intelligence, depth, and charisma that he brings to his characters is fantastic. I respect his classical training, and the way he manages his career by producing and writing projects. It’s something all actors need to do … especially the actors at my level who are trying to break through.” Other favorites of Vic’s include John Turturro, Kevin Spacey, Johnny Depp (“[He] eschews the traditional Good Looking Guy roles to go for far more interesting characters.”) and even Brad Pitt (“Pitt doesn’t get enough credit for being a good actor because people credit his stardom just because of his looks.”). And speaking of Pitt and actors like him, when asked Vic is quick to pinpoint the kind of role he’d most like to play in the future:
“Romantic Lead. There are plenty of female Asian romantic lead roles – not so much for Asian men. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle because if the media doesn’t create any romantic lead Asian male roles, then the general public doesn’t think of Asian males as sexy, and the media in turn doesn’t feel a demand to create that sort of role. We need to change that.”
Second choice? “A superhero!” Having worked on a shoot with Stan Lee (“Probably the best celebrity meeting of my life, because Spider-Man made me believe that a small, brainy kid who got picked on by everybody else could be something special.”), Vic may well day be good for donning the costume of none other than Sub-Mariner: “Because there weren’t any Asian-American super-heroes, I decided that Sub-Mariner was Chinese. Heck, he had dark features and his eyes were weird …”
Works for me! With his star definitely on the rise, Vic lists a very simple, direct plan for others interested in a modeling or show business career. In no particular order, he feels that Talent, Hard Work, The Right Look, Knowing the Right People, A Business Mindset, and plain old-fashioned Luck are the main components for a successful career (“Don’t buy into the myth that it’s ONLY about whom you know, or how hot you are, or how lucky you are.”).
For minority performers, Vic is also a firm believer in that old adage, Create Your Own Opportunities. Indeed, he lives by his own words and is currently producing a new play for Lodestone Asian-American Theatre Ensemble (www.lodestonetheatre.org). One busy guy, Vic is also in pre-production (as producer) for a film he’s doing with his good friend, writer/director Prince Gomolvilas (www.princegomolvilas.com). And for those of you used to seeing this great (and talented) guy on television, there’s also good news – Vic’s just finished shooting a new Nickelodeon show called “Head to Toe” … and is also guest starring on the “12-1am” episode of Fox’s hit show “24”! As the executive producers of both shows have indicated they may bring Vic back for future episodes, it seems word is indeed getting around fast that this is one actor who plans on being around a long, long time.
But not ONLY as an actor, as for future plans Vic says his plan is to not only act and write … but also work behind the scenes more, as both producer and even director. A side comment he makes sums it up best: “Incredible, how much work being an actor is. But the worst day acting beats the best day engineering, trust me on that.”
This very giving performer is also a very giving human being, supporting aid to victims of the devastating tsunamis in Asia. But another organization close to Vic’s heart is Smile Train, which provides low-cost operations around the world for children with cleft plates. Also supportive of his friends, and those who help him in his career, at holiday time Vic is quick to help out some of the favorite charities of his agents, including Heart of a Child, the American Heart Association, AIDS research charities, and more.
But the giving doesn’t stop there. When asked how he feels about being asked for his autograph –about fans in general, Vic counts himself as very “approachable; am flattered to be asked for autographs. I’m happy to comply, but due to the projects on my schedule, I’m sometimes slow to respond; but I follow through eventually … I hope someday to have a recurring character that is so strong that my fans are inspired to write into the show and get it turned into a series regular.”
Hmm, sounds like a possible letter-writing campaign to the producers of “24” might be due …
You can reach Vic Chao – actor, writer, producer, and former Chicago Bulls mascot (!) at his website, www.vicchao.com. A future star in the making, it’s obvious he lives by one of his mottos – “Hard Work + Talent = Success, if you’re willing to give enough of both” –
And you know what? It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Forget what you know about first impressions; they’re not always accurate. Several months ago, while channel surfing, I landed on The International Channel – a channel I enjoy as it is – and happened upon a magazine show dedicated to Asian-American culture called “Stir”. Back then the show had 4 co-hosts and 2 correspondents – a lot of people running things for just one show – but through that crowd there was one guy whose self-satisfied smirk (and trademark “bed-head” of hair) caught your attention like a magnet.
My immediate, on-the-spot impression of Brian Tong was that he was a smug, self-absorbed class clown who fancied himself quite the chick magnet. Kind of annoying, I thought. It took me all of about one minute, though, to realize that the self-absorption was self-effacing, the chick magnet mentality a put-on, and the smugness almost charming in its self-mocking of his character. The class clown personality and bed-head were intentional. And by the show’s end, I realized this was one awesome guy.
Now I’m not only happy to call Brian Tong my friend, I’m actually proud. This busy, hardworking Chinese-American 25-year-old (originally from Mountain View, California) has a very full plate … and things are only going to get busier. The son of teachers, Brian grew up with two things going for him right away – a love for television, and a rebellious streak. Both led to an internship with a local television station while Brian was still in high school. Brian’s parents, knowing that trying to stop their son from doing what he wanted was completely pointless, tried to keep their concerns to a minimum as their son spent five years of nearly every spare hour he had at the station … all of it unpaid.
But broadcast journalism was Brian’s passion – his dream – and it was going to happen, no matter what. Nearly 2 years of job searching – sometimes in areas so remote, TV was still seen as a fad – and a chance remark by a friend led Brian to send his resume reel to KTSF, a local station in San Francisco that was putting together a “youth culture” show. Out of over 400 applicants, Brian Tong made the various cuts to be chosen as one of the 4 co-hosts of a show that would change his life forever … make him one busy guy … and put him on the first real rung of the dream he’d had since childhood: owning his own TV station geared toward the Asian-American community.
Creating a “Stir”
At 25, the guy who had once spent nearly ever free hour working free in a TV studio was suddenly flying all over the world, interviewing celebrities like Jackie Chan and covering the arts scene throughout Asia.
Brian himself defines “Stir” as “a magazine-style show with Asian-American forces or phenomenon. It’s a window into the Asian-American community in a ‘normal’ context – without the stereotypes of kung fu, effeminate men, or eroticized girls … just normal people.” When asked who he’d most like to interview for the show – or even just in general – Brian cites Usher, who he’s seen in concert and would really like to meet (a big fan of R&B and hip-hop himself, Brian has been labeled by some as the “Asian Usher” … and sure enough, from the nose down he’s a look-alike to the R&B superstar. Brain also has a real desire to meet television moguls Robert Johnson and Ted Turner; Johnson for his work in creating BET, a mega-network geared toward a minority group, and Turner for forging the path to 24-hour television when all the other networks laughed at the goal.
Other Tong favorites include Morgan Freeman … and Brian mentions Lucy Liu twice, adding “she’s hot” as possibly the real reason he’d like to meet her!
Though Brian is thrilled by the positive feedback he gets about “Stir” from people of all races, he’s particularly proud that the show is the first of its kind to cover the Asian-American community on a national level. Brian points out its importance within the culture:
“Watch shows like ‘ER,’ you’ll see maybe one Asian doctor. ‘Survivor’ – with 10 seasons and over 160 faces – has had only two Asians. It doesn’t bother me, but as an Asian-American you feel like ‘my face isn’t represented’ … what you see on TV is usually what some CEO thinks Middle Americans can stomach, as opposed to reality. That goes for Asians, Latinos, Blacks – all races.” He asserts that TV today is not representative of American culture --- that “it might be just TV, but it’s still what people – especially young people – see.” As the same time, he stresses that Asian performers shouldn’t make such an effort to always be representing the Asian community, as much as the point is just to “be yourself in a normal context; those watching can take it as they want.”
When asked about things like fame and autograph requests, Brian laughs a nervous, almost embarrassed laugh. He talks about his “small scale” fame – and how yes, of course it’s flattering to be asked for an autograph. But his goal isn’t to be famous – Brian Tong’s goal is the same as it’s been for years: to do what he loves, and love what he does.
It’s also his advice to others in pursuing their career, whatever it may be:
“In all honesty? If you truly love what you’re doing, you’ll get there.” Brian’s constantly watching his own work, taking notes and critiquing himself, always seeking improvement and pushing himself to get better. He says it best himself: “Be passionate about what you do.”
And for the Asian Usher, it seems to be working; “Stir” only grows bigger and bigger, has recently re-formatted to 2 hosts and 4 correspondents (with Brian still one of the co-hosts), and Brian is also in the beginning stages of writing his own music, with possible producing and recording plans in the future. He also plans to take acting lessons, and as buzz is already getting around L.A. that this young TV show co-host is someone to watch, it’s not out of the realm of possibly that you just might see Brian Tong in front of a TV camera soon in a whole new light.
Meanwhile, the 5-foot, 5-and-a-half inch ball of energy that is Brian Tong is also single and hiding a true romantic inside that goofy class clown you see on his show. “I’m definitely into all that cheesy stuff,” he says, including writing romantic songs for his lady. He “dates if there’s time,” but currently there’s no one special.
“Stir” can be seen on cable’s International Channel, Wednesday nights at 11pm Eastern, 8pm Pacific. It’s also shown in local markets in Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City; check your local listings, and by all means take a look at this energetic, informative and entertaining show (you can also go to www.stirtv.com for more info)!
And you can reach Brian at www.briantong.com -- and be sure, again, to catch him on “Stir”. Chances are, this talented, intelligent, funny, articulate, handsome, hardworking, charming, and truly modest guy will win you over in time; from experience, I’d say about five minutes.
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