Proven Determination

AC's Dennis Amith interviews Academy Award winning actor and director, Chris Tashima of "VISAS & VIRTUE."

    He is among the few Asian Americans in the United States who have won an Academy Award. For many Asian Americans, it was good news when Chris Tashima won the Oscar for "Best Short Film."

     The film titled "VISAS & VIRTUE" directed by Tashima is based on a true story about the character Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara (played by Tashima), a Japanese Vice-Consul to Lithuania in 1940, who defied his government to issue over 2000 life saving visas to Polish Jews before he and his family were sent to prison.

     The short film has received rave reviews and it is another part of history where people will come to understand that an Asian hero did exist in World War II, even if it meant defying his own country and risking his family's life to save thousands.

     Another significance of this movie is that the lead actor is an Asian American and the movie was directed and produced by two Asian Americans, Chris Tashima and Tim Toyama. Both feel strongly about breaking down the barriers in the entertainment industry that currently exist. They are optimistic and hope that Hollywood will open its eyes to movies with Asians in the lead roles.

     I had the opportunity to talk to Chris Tashima who appeared at a screening for "VISAS & VIRTUE" at California State University, Fresno.

AC (DENNIS): Let's start with a few basics. Where were you born and raised?

CHRIS: I was born on the East Coast but I was raised in California. My father was attending school in Harvard and I was born during his senior year. My family moved back to Southern California where my parents are originally from. I grew up in Pasadena and then my family moved to the Bay Area and I lived in Berkeley for ten years and then I moved back to Los Angeles.

AC (DENNIS): How did you get involved with acting?

CHRIS: When I was in high school, during my sophomore and junior year, there were a lot of films that sort of put directors on the pedestal. These directors were very young and going to USC or UCLA. I always have loved movies and at that point I decided to become a film director. Looking back, I had no idea what that meant and it was kind of this glamorous thing. I decided that I wanted to become a film director. I pursued it to a certain degree but I didn't get into film school. What eventually happened was I accidentally discovered acting and had been pursuing that in the last 15 years. With this film, it was a chance for me to return to the work behind the camera as well.

AC (DENNIS): Let's talk about "VISAS & VIRTUE." How long did it take to complete the movie?

CHRIS: It was relatively quick from the time of the idea of making the film to the completion of the film and the screening was somewhere around 14 to 15 months. A little over a year. It was very fast. We had a seven day shoot and we spent about four months in post-production. We were lucky to barrel right through it.

AC (DENNIS): How much did it cost to make the film?

CHRIS: That's so hard to judge because there was a dollar amount that was spent and if you put a dollar amount value to it, it would have been a million dollar project. The actual cast budget was somewhere less than $40,000 and we spent around $30,000 on post-production. We had a lot of stuff donated to us.

AC (DENNIS): Let's talk about the Academy Awards and the instant you heard your name announced that you won the Oscar. What were you feeling?

CHRIS: There was so many things going in my mind. I didn't want trip on the stairs. I wanted to remember who to thank and didn't want to be cut off by the music. There was also a huge satisfaction. It was a joy for me that my parents were there and there was so many things that you just dream about. About a million things were going  through my head.

AC (DENNIS): Back in 1998 you were a recipient of the A. Magazine "Asian American Leadership Award." How was that experience for you?

CHRIS: I joked about it with my friends  because I think it's important if I am looked upon as that award describes, as a role model for young Asia America. I suddenly feel like I have this responsibility to be good and do things but I was very honored by it. The people I was honored with achieved quite a bit and I was grateful to be part of  that group and to be recognized for what that award stands for.

AC (DENNIS): What is the most satisfying part about being an Asian American actor?

CHRIS: I think it's those few instances when you find a project that has a great source of relevance for our communities. I feel that I have been pretty lucky in having a chance to do that. There's not a lot of opportunity to do that. The first time I really felt it was when I was in a production of "Dragon Wings," which is one of  Laurance Yeps' early children's books. It was adapted into a touring show out of Berkeley Repertoire Theater and was a tribute to the very early Chinese immigrants that built the railroads. They later ran the laundries in China Town and survived the earthquake. It was based on a true character who was first to fly a heavy aircraft west of the Mississippi and he built the plane himself. To me it was a really great role and we performed this at schools throughout the Bay Area. I received a letter from a Chinese American woman who took her son and for the first time saw her son proud of his heritage. He then came home  that night and explained to his father about the great play he saw. She wrote about how she cried when she saw the pride that her son felt about his culture for the first time because of something he saw in the media. It was very hard  for her to share her history with her son. I just felt lucky to be part of  that. This film (VISAS & VIRTUE) does the same thing for me. It creates a person of Japanese ancestry during World War II, but here is a man who did everyone proud, not just Asians but the whole human race.

AC (DENNIS): What is the most frustrating part about being an Asian American actor?

CHRIS: I think for any actor it's a really tough field. People don't realize how much determination it takes and how long you must stick with it before you finally get a break if your lucky. There's obvious barriers for anyone of color, not just Asians. Asians have a lot to overcome. But that has it plusses because it unites a lot of us. It gives a lot of us a lot of spirit, a lot of stories and it can be something we can take advantage of.

AC (DENNIS): What advice would you give to fellow Asians who are interested in pursuing an acting career?

CHRIS: Well, if they truly want to do it...I would never advise anyone to go into it because it's a crazy business and it's very difficult. If you really want to do it, then I think you would have to develop a real thick skin and know that rejection 90% of the time means there is still 10% where you'll get some kind of chance. When you do get a chance, you have to be prepared. Get some training, get some experience. If you want to direct or be on the other side of the camera, focus on the story. That's the key to any good film and the key to getting a lot of films made. If that's not there, then nothing else is really worth it.

AC (DENNIS): What final words do you have for your fans?

CHRIS: There are a lot of people out there, I think, that we need to know about. There are a lot of stories that we need to know about and there are a lot of people out there to be proud of. I'm grateful for the support that I have gotten from the Asian American community and I felt the same pride when Jessica Yu won the year before me and Steven Okazaki won ten years ago. These people came along and made strides. There's still a lot to be done and I don't think that there should be any limits that we set on ourselves.

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