Interview with Craig C. Chen

photo by Joseph Montesa

I'm not sure when I met Craig for the first time.  We met a few years ago, as background actors on the set of Taking Autumn (Matthew Fredrick, Director).  Craig looked familiar, so I asked him if we'd worked together before.  He said he'd worked on a lot of sets, so that was possible.  David Jason Perez was also working as background that day.  His nickname for Craig was She-Bang, apparently because he thought Craig resembled William Hung, on "American Idol."  More recently, Craig and I met on the set of White Crow.  Since this interview, we met on the set of the Jon Collins music video, "Let Love Live."

WMV: What does your middle initial, C., stand for?

Craig:  I'd rather not say, but I will say this:  My mom was watching a show called “Here’s
Lucy.”  Lucille Ball’s son played a character named Craig Carter.  So when I was born, I was
named Craig C. Chen.  That’s why I use my complete, full name for show business.

WMV:  When and where were you born?

Craig:  I was born in San Fernando.

photo by Joseph Montesa

WMV:  Your Facebook indicates that you lived in Santa Barbara but currently reside in Northridge, California.  Is that still true?

Craig: Yes, that is true.  I went to college in Santa Barbara for acting and architectural drafting.

WMV:  What else, if anything, would you like to tell the world about your parents, siblings, children, significant others, and/or other friends and relatives?

Craig:  Oh, I don’t know.

WMV:  Your Facebook indicates that you studied at Moorpark College.  It also indicates attendance at North Valley Occupational Center.  What degrees or certificates did you earn, in which fields of study?

Craig:  I took some acting classes at Moorpark College in architectural drafting.  I also went to North Valley Occupational Center for carpetary.  Currently, I have a license and a certificate for Pharmacy Tech, that I took at Simi Valley Adult School.  I used to have a
license for Nursing Assistant, but I changed my mind doing that.

WMV:  What Internet links would you like to share?

photo by Jerome William Berglund

Craig: 

https://www.facebook.com/craig.c.chen

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2829129
(This is [a] little bit inaccurate since I don’t have
IMDB Pro)

https://twitter.com/CraigCChen

http://www.youtube.com/user/secrecyguy

http://www.instagram.com/CraigCChen

WMV:  Your Instagram page has pictures of David Jason Perez.  How long have you been friends, and how did you first meet him?


Craig:  I've know him since I got into the show business.  I don’t remember where I first met him at.

WMV:  His IMDb page indicates that he's Philippine-American.  Are you also Philippine?

Craig:  Nope, I am half Chinese and half Vietnamese.  So I can play any Asian they ask for,
like Japanese and Korean.

WMV:  Craig is a famous Scottish surname.  Are you Scottish?

Craig:  Hahaha...  “If it’s not Scottish, it’s crap!”  What I just said is from "Saturday Night Live,"
from several years ago.  Anyway, I’m not Scottish.

WMV:  Your YouTube channel features interviews with Billynaire Cruz, Donny Cheong, and
Ben Patino.  How did you meet them, and do you intend to do more interviews?

photo by Joseph Montesa

Craig:  I met Billy [on the set of] a N.Y.F.A. [New York Film Academy] film; Donny [on the set of] an independent film called China Town Squad; and Ben [introduced me to] Billy.  I am planning to do more interviews, but it’s on a temporary hold right now.  I need to get the proper external hard drive for my computer.

WMV:  Your IMDb page indicates that you've been working in film and television at least since the year 2000.  When did you start acting, and how many of your credits are missing?

Craig:  If you want to see [all of my] credits, you can go to my Facebook, in the Notes section.  I was planning to try out the show business back in the early 'Nineties, but I changed my mind and never got into it, until one day in 1999, there were two guys named Forest Wise and Mike Dytri came up to me and said that I would be perfect for a film they were working on, so I did it.  It never got finished, though, but that’s what made me decide to get into the
show business.  [According to IMDb.com, Forest Wise and Mike Dytri are both known for producing I'm the Elephant, U Are the Mouse in 1999.]

I finally started my acting career in 2007 with a film called Return of the
Ghostbusters, and then, in 2008 and after, I started to do more stuff.

WMV:  What credits are you missing on IMDb that you'd most like to get?

Craig:  As I said, to get the most accurate credits, you have to go to my Facebook...
In the notes section...  I want to add "1000 Ways To Die" and "Unusual Suspects."  I will ask my
friend to add them for me.  [William Mortensen Vaughan had these credits added since this interview.]

I actually did two shows on "1000 Ways to Die," but the one [in which] I have [a] speaking part is called
“Driver’s Dead,” in the episode called “It’s Death:  One Size Fits All”.  I played as a student
driver.

Then I was a patrol officer in "Unusual Suspects," in the episode called “Stone Cold Killer.”
That should come out on February 23, 2014.

WMV:  It seems as though you and David Jason Perez work on one set or another almost
every day.  How do you get so much work?

photo by Joseph Montesa

Craig:  Magic!

WMV:  More than a half dozen of your roles were as law enforcement officers.  Do you have
any law enforcement training or experience?

Craig:  No...  I want to be a police officer, but I was disqualified.  I even tried out for the Sheriff's
Department, but they also disqualified me there, too.  The only training I have is basic police
training where they teach you what you can and cannot do, and give you more knowledge about the laws.  So now I just play one.

WMV:  Do you think there is a lot of prejudice in Hollywood, such as ageism, heightism, sexism, racism, etc.?

Craig:  Of course, but what can you do about it?

WMV:  Your filmography also indicates that you played Charlie Chan.  Was that the famous
character created by author Earl Derr Biggers?

Craig:  Yes, in that film, I played Warner Oland as Charlie Chan.  It was hard to do, and
hard to get his voice down.  But after watching several YouTube videos of him, I think I got him
down fairly close.  I made two mistakes in the film and that is, one) he tends to bow sometimes,
and I forgot to do that;  two) also, in one scene, I forgot to put a napkin in my pocket, which he tends
to have.  Other than that, I got pretty much everything down, including the ring he wears.

WMV:  What jobs, if any, have you worked outside of film and television?

Craig:  I worked as a salesperson at retail stores in the past, and I do security.  Now I do
security for T.V. and movie locations when I am not acting.

WMV:  Your IMDb page indicates you are a producer, and gives you one credit as an
"associate producer" of Return of the Ghostbusters.  How did you land that job?

Craig:  I actually donated some money to his film, so that’s why he [presumably Hank Braxton] gave me that credit.  Then, later, he gave me a speaking part in the film.

WMV:  Are you a fan of the Ghostbusters?

Craig:  Yes, I am.  I also have the uniform, too!

WMV:  What other films have you produced?

Craig:  I don’t really produce any films, except for a couple of short videos that you can see in
my YouTube account.  In the future, I am planning to make two short films that are loosely
based on true stories.  One film will be about my friend who committed suicide, but it will be
based on his professional poker-playing skills.  Another one will be my story, with a few girls I've
been with in the past.

WMV:  How should potential cast and crew apply to be in your films?

Craig:  You're getting ahead of yourself.  I’m not a director or producer.  I’m just an actor.
When I am ready to cast a few people for my film and my Doritos commercial, which I will do
this year, I will put it up on my Facebook and on Craig’s List.

WMV:   Craig's List, as if it were your list!  LOL  What projects are you involved with now?

Craig:  Right now, I don’t have any projects I’m working on now.  [As of the date of this interview, February 11, 2014, Craig was working on a Spike TV/Hershey/ACE promotion in Tijuana.]  Hopefully, I will soon.

There is a film that will come out On Demand and on DVD.  It’s called InSpectres.  It’s
based on a role-playing game on the Internet.  To give you an idea what it is, it’s a cross
between Ghostbusters and Zombies.  I have a cameo appearance in the film.

WMV:  Who are some of your favorite people you've worked with?

Craig:  I can’t really say who is my favorite.  I say all of them are my favorites!

WMV:  Who would you like to work with, that you haven't yet?

Craig:  That never crossed my mind.  I don’t know.

WMV:  What roles would you like to play, that you haven't yet?

Craig:  I will play any kind of roles, but I won’t do bad guys, though.  I'm afraid I will be labeled as
such, so that’s why I don’t do it.

WMV:  Having worked in entertainment for more than a dozen years, what are some of the
most significant changes that you have seen?

Craig:  I think Asians are more in demand now, which is good to see.

WMV:  Besides acting, what other talents and hobbies do you have?

Craig:  I don’t really have any other talents and hobbies, but I guess I should get some, though.

WMV:  How [were] you celebrating Valentine's Day this year?

Craig:  Unfortunately, I am not, since I have no girlfriend.

WMV:  Aw!

Interview by William Mortensen Vaughan