By Gissela SantaCruz Austin360 Staff In a nice room at the Marriott hotel in Austin, I'm greeted by the warm ear-to-ear smile of "Better Luck Tomorrow" director Justin Lin. He seems distracted. Perhaps it is because the studio hasn't provided a representative to help organize his press interviews. But he's calm. And he handles the situation the best he can: with lots of apologies. Pausing for a few seconds, he gathers his thoughts and gestures he's ready. Still smiling. The rest of the interview would prove to be just as scattered as the initial impression - with interrupting phone calls, requests to re-schedule, a college photographer taking pictures throughout the entire session - and Justin apologizing all the while. As I sat down to talk to this UCLA alumnus, he vented about the inappropriate greeting and questions posed by local radio morning show personalities during an in-studio interview. He remarks at how offended he was -- which provides the perfect set-up for to start the interview. And so I do. A360: So, Justin, how important was it to have an all-Asian cast? Justin Lin: It was important to me because growing up I could relate to any character on screen: African-Americans, Caucasians, Latinos - but I couldn't relate to Asian actors. All I saw was Kung-Fu fighting warriors - that type of character - and that wasn't me. A360: Do you feel "Better Luck Tomorrow" was sensitive to Asian stereotypes? JL: Our natural instinct is to label people. I don't want to do that. I think it (the film) addresses the stereotype, the labels, but it's not the focus. I'm not representing a community, I'm representing characters. The only way it (the film) would be negative is if I hadn't fully explored these characters. But race isn't the only issue in this film. It also deals with things such teen violence and other issues the youth is facing today. A360: Do you think there's a fine line between avoiding stereotypes and giving into them for the sake of the story? JL: Absolutely not. Like I said, stereotypes are labels. For this film it was a very unique perspective. I felt it was presenting three-dimensional human beings who have flaws. They aren't one-dimensional. One-dimensional characters are targets of stereotypes. These are three-dimensional characters are ones that people can relate to because they aren't just what they appear to be they (the characters) have flaws. A360: Do you relate to any of the characters? JL: Yeah. All of them. I'm not from today's youth, but I faced some of the same issues: angst, anger, a need to belong. I think lots of people can relate to those feelings. A360: "Better Luck Tomorrow" is the first independent film to be distributed by MTV Films. Were you asked to make changes? JL: That's the studio's job. They clean it up. But they (MTV) showed me a lot of respect and gave me final cut. So I'm grateful because I know how rare that is. A360: What has transpired since making it onto Variety Magazine's "Ten Directors to Watch" list? JL: (Laughs) A lot. I've been offered a lot of studio movies. Which is interesting. This whole thing has been a test for me. You know when you've starved you're whole life, and then people start throwing money at you, you're tempted to just take anything. Mostly though, I'm just learning how the industry works. A360: Have you chosen to work on any of those projects that have landed on your lap? JL: Yeah. I'll be working on a Spike Lee project. In fact, it might be shooting here. It's a football story based on real events - on how the mafia almost took over the NFL. Hopefully work on multiple projects. What I wanted from this film was an avenue to work in the industry. I think it's done that. Now, I'll do whatever it takes to stay in it and to support the art, because the government doesn't do it (support the arts). A360: You'll be directing this Spike Lee film? JL: Yes. I'm directing and Spike Lee is executive producer. We're working on the script right now. A360: I hear there's a behind-the-scene documentary on "Better Luck Tomorrow"? JL: Yes there is. It will be airing on PBS in mid-May. It was interesting. We had this college kid following us around the entire time; we didn't think much of it. But once we made it to Sundance and had that whole race issues talk and Ebert scene, things got really exciting. It's one of those stories that will end up being Sundance talk. Now PBS has picked it up. A360: What about the actors in "Better Luck Tomorrow," any changes for them? JL: It's never been a question of talent, but one of opportunities. Typically all they get are really small roles. This will hopefully open the doors for them - here they get to showcase their true potential. | |||||||
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