AsianConnections
Interviews Jodie
Foster
Star
of "Anna
and the King"
AsianConnections' Suzanne Kai chatted with two time Academy
Award winning Actress/Director/Producer Jodie Foster in Beverly Hills
about her experience working in Asia with Chow Yun-Fat on the epic
movie Anna and the King. Foster talks candidly of America's stereotyping
of Asians and misconceptions of Asia, and on the Thailand government's
ban of the movie.
AsianConnections: What was it like to work with Chow Yun-Fat in "Anna
and the King?"
Jodie
Foster: This is one of the reasons why I wanted to this
movie was the make it with Chow Yun-Fat and I loved his work and
not only is he a great actor which he is�he's such great depth and
sort of a stillness, a real kind of serenity but (with a) real strong
character�but he's just such a nice guy and so sexy, and all that
stuff that it takes to make the experience wonderful and to make
working with somebody wonderful. So, as far as I'm concerned and
I've said this over and over again the beauty of this movie is it
is not told from Anna's perspective. It's not from the British perspective
and it's not about English people drinking tea, it's about Asia
and�told from King Mongkut's life so it is very much his movie,
and I'm kind of there to serve him.
AsianConnections: Which perspective was the movie made?
Jodie
Foster: "We really wanted to do a movie that was
Asia from an Asian perspective that had the kind of epic grandeur
and majesty to it that showed Mongkut in the light, the true light
that he was. He was a great leader."
AsianConnections: How would you describe
the "special relationship" between King Mongkut and Anna
Leonowens?
Jodie
Foster: "We know from all the things that happened
that he gave her access and license in ways that he never gave any
other woman, certainly not any other British woman. Right then and
there it tells you that they have a relationship that's beyond the
norms, so did they have an affair? Absolutely, not. But I don't
think our film says that. I think our film just says here are two
people that have respect for each other and touched each other in
a certain way but the conventions of the time made it so that they
could never be together. And I think that's pretty true."
AsianConnections: While you are filming in Asia, what are your friends
and family saying in America?
Jodie
Foster: "Of course, every day that I was in Malaysia,
my mom would call me up and say, "You've got to get out of there.
They're burning cities! They're burning cities over there.
(laughter) They're rioting. They're rioting! I'm like, "Mom,
it's in Indonesia and really far away!" (laughter) "And
she just didn't get it. She thinks Asia's Asia, and if you are in
China, you must be 5 minutes from the Philippines, or something."
AsianConnections:
What are your thoughts on the Thai government's official ban of
the movie?
Jodie
Foster: "I think that eventually, even though maybe
the movie may never be shown in Thailand I think secretly I think
they will be very happy and very proud of our portrayal. I think
that it really shows Mongkut to be who he was. Maybe they'll never
be happy with the fact that Anna and King Mongkut have some romantic
liaison, you could understand why they wouldn't because it's not
true."
AsianConnections:
You don't believe it's true?
Jodie
Foster: "I don't think anyone does."
AsianConnections: Fabricated?
Jodie
Foster: "It is fabricated. But we don't push it
in the movie. We don't have them go out and have an affair. In Victorian
times, the most intimate a man or woman could be very often was
besides being married, was maybe to dance together, maybe to write
a letter. That was very intimate and very erotic and very charged
because of the time."
AsianConnections: What are some of your reflections on your filming
experience in Asia. You've mentioned that some people in the Western
world have a misunderstanding of Asia and Asians in general?
Jodie
Foster: "I wanted desperately to go to Asia, because
I loved it so much. I thought what an opportunity to have an adventure
to go some place for four months and to feel like you live there
and go to the cafes. And I think we, all of us from the West just
have this idea about Asia as it sort of being uniform and that,
you know, well there's some differences, but basically Koreans,
Chinese, Filipinos, Indonesians, they're all sort of the same culture.
I can't think of any group of people that are more different than
Asians. And that was so nice, especially being in Malaysia where
you have the Chinese, the Indians and the Malays and they're totally
distinct, totally different religions, completely different languages,
very different cultures�different history and yet they all figure
out how to get along and live in one country, it was a great experience
to see all the different parts of Asia in some way in one country."
--
AC Team
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Photo:
Andrew Cooper -
20th Century Fox
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More
on Jodie Foster:
Winner of two Academy Awards, Jodie Foster made her motion
picture directorial debut in 1991 with the highly acclaimed "Little
Man Tate," in which she also starred. In 1995, Foster directed her
second film, "Home for the Holidays," which she also produced. Most
recently audiences saw Foster star in Robert Zemeckis' "Contact."
In 1992, Foster founded Egg Pictures, producing "Nell" (1994),
for which Foster earned an Academy Award nomination, "Home for the
Holidays" (1995), the cable television film "The Baby Dance" (1998),
which won a Peabody Award and received four Emmy Award nominations,
and three Golden Globe Award nominations including best miniseries.
Foster has starred in more than 33 films and received her first
Oscar nomination and awards from the National Society of Film Critics
and the Los Angeles Film Critics for her role in "Taxi Driver."
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