Boracay memorable for ‘Hangover 2’ actress

LOS ANGELES—Boracay Island will always be memorable for Jamie Chung, who stars in “Sucker Punch” and “The Hangover Part II.” The pretty Korean-American actress, asked in our talk how she got a role—as the fiancée of Stu (Ed Helms)—in the sequel to the blockbuster first movie, narrated, “I had just finished filming ‘Premium Rush’ in New York. It was summer-hot, smelly—the kind of time when you just want to get away and go to the beach. So, my boyfriend took me to Boracay. It took about 24 hours to fly there. It’s a beautiful island!”

“The next morning, I get a phone call from my manager,” continued the San Francisco native who began her show biz career as a cast member of MTV’s “The Real World: San Diego” in 2004. “She was like, ‘You have to come back to the States.’ I replied, ‘You’re kidding me! I just got here!’ She said, ‘No, you have to come back.’ I countered, ‘There is no possible role that would make me want to come back.’

The actress continued, “My manager said, ‘The Hangover Part II,’ with director Todd Phillips.’ I said, ‘All right, I’m booking my flight.’ So, I got on the plane and went back to the States. I auditioned. At first, Todd wasn’t sure about me. He said that I look really young. But, I’m in the character’s age range, in the mid- to late 20s.

To be sure about casting Jamie, Todd brought her to a table read with the main cast, which includes Bradley Cooper, Ed and Zach Galifianakis. “I got to meet everyone,” she related. “It was so weird walking into that one—like going on ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ The cast knows each other so well. There’s a good dynamic and flow. It was more fun to observe. But, I got to engage with them. You learn a lot about comedy with such funny comedians like Zach, who’s constantly on. I can’t tell when he’s joking or not, so I just assume that everything’s a joke. They’re really funny. It was a blast. I got the part.”

Secret

We asked about Jamie’s boyfriend, whose vacation with her in Boracay was interrupted. With a grin, she said, “Let’s keep him a secret, but I will tell you that he’s half-Burmese and half-Chinese. He’s someone I grew up with. We’ve been together for about a year and a half now.”

Jamie praised her man for being “so understanding” about having to suddenly leave Boracay’s white sand and head back to the US. She recounted, “He said, ‘This is your job.’ But, I was cursing, saying, ‘Why can’t this wait until Monday?’ Later, when I told Todd the story, he was like, ‘Why didn’t we just meet in Thailand?’ Because he was going to Thailand, anyway!”

“I made it up to my boyfriend,” revealed Jamie. “I brought him to Thailand.” Jamie’s character is marrying Stu in Thailand, so the crazy posse goes there for another funny adventure. “My role is a bit more than the bride character in the first movie,” she disclosed. “My character’s family is in Thailand.”

Good marriage

Will it be a good marriage between Stu and her character? “I think so,” she answered. “He overcomes the challenge. So, hopefully, that stands for everlasting love. We’ll see if there’s a part three.”

Jamie’s tradeoff for Boracay wasn’t bad at all. “The guys did the majority of the movie in Bangkok,” she said. “But, my character’s scenes were filmed in Phulay Bay. It’s about an hour south of Krabi, in the Ritz-Carlton Resort. They rented out all the rooms. It was lavish and lovely! It really felt like a vacation.”

We told Jamie that we commend director Zack Snyder for casting not one but two Asian-American actresses in key roles in “Sucker Punch.” The movie is about a band of girls who kick ass as they escape a brothel and engage in a fantastical warfare. With Jamie and Filipino-American Vanessa Hudgens in the cast, Asian girl power is well-represented.

Jamie said, “The dynamic of the group in the film is, we have two Aussies (Abbie Cornish and Emily Browning), two brunettes (she and Vanessa), and we have Jena (Malone). It’s great working with a group of girls whom you look up to. Coming into this project, I was familiar with the work of Abbie, Jena, Vanessa and Carla (Gugino). It was very intimidating coming from where I was in my career. But, they were open, helpful and supportive. When it came to those really personal, intimate scenes in the brothel, it was like so much magic happened, because we had built this trusting relationship. That was probably the most rewarding.”

Martial arts

On whether she has always been into martial arts, which she and fellow “Sucker Punch” warriors use in the movie, Jamie admitted, “I started tae kwon do at a very young age. I was out within a week. I couldn’t handle it—the splits and all. It was just too rough for me at that age. But, I welcome any physical challenge now. What’s really interesting about taking on these physical roles is that it’s another acting outlet to express yourself. So, you can take it as far as you want. I like the kind of director who lets you do most of your stunt work. We keep it safe, of course. It’s always fun to say, ‘Yes, I did that! That was me!’”

The actress, who worked with another Filipino-American actor, Rob Schneider in “Grown Ups” (she played his daughter), is grateful for the way her parents raised her. “My parents are very traditional,” she shared. “They raised me with all the ethics, like respecting elders and the honorific form of speaking to someone who is wiser and experienced. I hold those traditions very close to me, because when you grow up in a modern city like San Francisco or Los Angeles, you lose those values. I feel those are what help keep me grounded.”

Jamie may have tasted the luxe resort life in Thailand, but she still hopes to have an uninterrupted vacation in Boracay someday. “Oh my gosh, I’d do anything to go back to Boracay,” admitted the actress who stars with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in “Premium Rush.”

She raved about the Philippines: “The people are so nice, and the country is so beautiful. My boyfriend is there now. We have friends in Manila. It’s the food and the culture. You have so many different islands to go to. Hopefully, one of these movies will take me there!”

In parting, we joked that Jamie should return to Boracay soon, because as soon as she lies down on the beach, her manager might call again with news of a role for another movie!

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