Last week, Changchien called up Movieline to discuss those parts as well as one of his earliest roles: a Jell-O pudding commercial opposite Bill Cosby himself that left him battle-scarred in a way far worse than any swordfight gone awry.
Predators has a very, small intimate cast. Did it bond you guys in the same way that it bonded your characters?
Absolutely. We shot it chronologically for the most part, so all of the cast members were there the first day that we shot. We were in Hilo, Hawaii, which is kind of a touristy place, and there isn't much to do at night -- actually, there isn't anything to do at night. The restaurants close at 8:30. We pretty much hung out all the time, on set all day, at dinner, working out in the gym. It brought us really close together, and I can say that I have seven really good friends now.
Was it super rainy during the shoot?
Yeah, we were there during the rain season, so it rained, like, five times a day. It would rain, then get really hot, then rain, then get really shot. Our first day was just a downpour, and then that had to continue for the rest of the film -- for continuity reasons, we were sprayed down with water for the entire film for every shot, and I was wearing a cashmere suit in the jungle! I smelled like a wet sheep. It became this big joke on the set, and actually, when we were done with the film, we doused our continuity person in water.
So tell me how you got the role.
It was a great gift that kind of fell out of the sky. I have to thank Nimrod and [executive producer Robert Rodriguez] for putting so much trust in me. I actually put myself on tape, believe it or not, and never met either Nimrod or Robert before we started shooting. I met them in Hawaii. It was pretty amazing. I've never had a gig like this before.
Did you have to show off your swordfighting skills on tape?
I did. I've been practicing Kendo since I was five years old, and it was an amazing opportunity for me and also my Kendo sensei. The people at Troublemaker [Studios] had been really great to me, and I asked them if I could have my sensei come to set and choreograph my fight. He was on set for about two weeks, and he's like a second father to me, so I was really proud.
OK, so clearly there's a fight scene where you start carving up some Predators with a sword. What can you say about it?
I don't know how much I can tell you, but it was an amazing experience. It's a showdown between myself and a particular Predator -- it's a new one, not the original Predator. There's a moment in the film where Hanzo's had enough of running and has kind of a showdown with this guy, and Nimrod, the director, wanted a very old-school battle [with] wide shots and not many jump cuts so you could really see the fighting that's going on. It takes place in the middle of this grassy field with wind blowing -- we had about three wind machines going on. We'd been sprayed down in every shot, this was my moment to take off my shirt, and that day we shot it in Texas, it was about thirty degrees.
Jesus.
Yeah. [Laughs] If you look carefully in the film, you can see the steam coming off my chest.
Was it weird to ask your sensei to choreograph a battle where one of the fighters is a Predator?
Well, it was a collaborative process between the stunt coordinator, my stuntman, and Brian Steele, who's the gentleman who plays several of the Predators in the film. It took about two weeks, and it was really difficult at first to figure out the vocabulary of the Predator's movements. Much more so than my movements.
I heard you had to prove to the studio that you were Japanese.
It was kind of a last-minute thing. I was working three jobs at the time, and I found out on a Thursday that they were close to signing a deal, and then on a Friday I just had to quit [my jobs] on the spot. I was like, "Look, I have Fox's blessing, they want me to get on a plane on Sunday to do a costume fitting, so I really need to prove to them that I can do this." So I wrote them a little bio about how my parents met in Japan.
Does those issues matter to you as a moviegoer? If there's a Chinese person playing a Japanese person, or a Japanese person playing a Korean, does that bother you?
You know, I can't be a hater because as an Asian-American actor, I've got to be supportive. I'm glad whenever a fellow Asian gets a part, but I do think it's a big deal in Japan and Asia. They want to see that.
I hear that you just booked Kathryn Bigelow's new HBO pilot, The Miraculous Year.
Yeah, I'm a guest star, a recurring role. I play a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art who's kind of in awe of the patriarch of the series, Frank Langella, who plays this legendary painter. [In the pilot], it's a two-person scene between me and Frank Langella. I'm kind of nervous to shoot it.
Have you met Kathryn yet?
No, I haven't met Kathryn, but I have met John Logan, the writer and executive producer. They taped me, so I'm assuming she's seen it already.
You have to meet your directors ahead of time one of these days, Louis!
[Laughs] Hey, I'll take the job any way I can!
You're also in Doug Liman's upcoming Fair Game.
It's a supporting role, not quite on the level of The Miraculous Year, but it's a good role. I have about three or four scenes in the film. I'm excited that it's a completely different role from Predators, and it's a meaningful film.
I've heard that Doug is a bit of an eccentric on set. What was he like for you?
Um, as advertised. [Laughs] He's a unique fella, but I like him.
IMDb lists your role as "Nervous Analyst."
Yeah, it's kind of funny! 2009 was like my year of nervous characters. 2010, so far, has been badasses.
I have to ask you about this: you were in a Jello pudding commercial with Bill Cosby when you were little I imagine you've been using that anecdote at bars your whole life.
Oh yeah. "Oh, you were one of those cute kids?"
What do you remember about that experience?
It's imprinted in my brain forever! I will never forget that experience. I believe I was in first or second grade, at the age where I don't think I was even aware of acting. The whole concept was, like, Bill Cosby in front of a conference room full of little children who were executives in the company, and they're doing a taste test. I will say this, though: I don't like eating chocolate Jello pudding, to this day.
Were they making you stuff your face full of pudding all day?
Yeah. In my mind, this table was about sixty feet long -- although I wouldn't be surprised if it was about twenty or thirty feet long -- and it was filled with glass ramekins with perfectly swirled Jello pudding. Back then, they didn't have the same kind of child labor laws. It was definitely a twelve-hour day, and they were shooting three commercials in the studio with Bill Cosby, and ours was the last to be shot. It was three kids -- a blond-haired girl, and African American boy, and myself -- and one of them kept messing up the lines, so we had to eat Jello over and over and over and over again.
Considering that you have to take your shirt off in movies like Predators, maybe it's good that you have an aversion to Jello pudding.
[Laughs] Maybe. Maybe.