Want to score your big break in Hollywood?
US director Jon Chu wants you to audition for Hollywood film Crazy Rich Asians
Do you want to be in a Hollywood production?
US director Jon Chu, 37, is looking for Asian faces to be part of his new film, Crazy Rich Asians, based on Singaporean Kevin Kwan's best-selling 2013 novel about wealthy Chinese families.
From now to Feb 10, if you are of Asian descent and want to be in a Hollywood film, post a video of yourself on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube with the hashtag #CrazyRichAsiansCasting for a chance to be part of the film.
The adaptation is a comedy about the lavish lifestyles of the ultra wealthy in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, as seen through the eyes of an American-born Chinese woman meeting her Singaporean boyfriend's high-society family for the first time.
Chu told The New Paper in a telephone interview that he is still searching for cast members.
He said: "We have been working with casting directors from all over, from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the US, Europe... we have seen so many videos.
"Maybe we won't find the people we want, maybe we will find the biggest star. The search is intensive as this is a Hollywood project that we have never seen before."
He added that he specifically wanted local talents as the story is set in Singapore.
Chu said the team has been in talks with several actors here, but he cannot reveal who they are.
He stressed that Crazy Rich Asians, which will be largely filmed in Singapore, is a very personal project as the theme of the identities of a Chinese person growing up in the US reflects his upbringing.
Chu said: "My mum is from Taiwan, my dad is from China, and I'm born in the US. My family has been running a Chinese restaurant in the US for 46 years."
Like his protagonist, Rachel, who experienced Chinese culture when she travelled to Singapore, Chu said his first real encounter with Chinese tradition was when he went to Taiwan for the first time at the age of nine.
"It was like Alice In Wonderland, finding oneself in a weird way," he said.
"I didn't know what my identity was at that time, yet I felt like I was home. It was such a clash of cultures."
Chu made his Hollywood feature film debut with Step Up 2: The Streets in 2008.
He directed the concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) and action flick G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).
Chu said he is aware of not turning his characters into caricatures.
"I'm very sensitive to making sure I represent the characters properly.
"We have people from all walks of life - heroes, villains, romantics - this film will break the mould of how Asians have been represented in Hollywood films."
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