The series has gotten alot of praise and positive feedback since its debut on-line 2 weeks ago (rightfully so) and the cast has experienced new-found popularity as a result (which I'm very happy to see!). There have been quite a few interviews with certain members of the cast as well as the scriptwriter and director/producer on various platforms (television, internet, newspapers, magazines, etc.) the past 2 weeks. The one I chose to post below is "fresh off the press" so to speak, as it is a live chat interview with the cast that took place a few days ago (on March 27th to be exact). Even though the interview is really long (more than 1 hour), I highly recommend watching it, as it is very entertaining -- I love the chemistry of The Menu's cast and the close friendship that the entire cast and crew have off the set as well.
** Note: There is alot of good information in this interview, including some 'behind-the-scenes' stuff about the filming process and also upcoming "must watch" scenes. Oh and for those of you interested in the sub-theme song, there's information about that as well (I actually posted about the song in AF as well, so feel free to visit here if you're interested)...the information that came out in the interview is in addition to what was already previously revealed.
*** ADDITIONAL NOTE: I actually found the source of the "Can't Let Go" song based on the information Gregory Wong provided in the interview (thank you, Greg!). Still don't know who the singer is, but I already sent a message to the music label / copyright holder to ask. Will update if I hear more. Meanwhile, I posted a clearer picture of the song's information at the very bottom of this post...
*** ADDITIONAL NOTE: I actually found the source of the "Can't Let Go" song based on the information Gregory Wong provided in the interview (thank you, Greg!). Still don't know who the singer is, but I already sent a message to the music label / copyright holder to ask. Will update if I hear more. Meanwhile, I posted a clearer picture of the song's information at the very bottom of this post...
Below is a link to the actual interview along with a [lengthy] recap that I put together. Enjoy!
****************
MemeHK Live Chat Interview with Gregory Wong (王宗堯), Catherine Chau (周家怡), and Kate Yeung (楊淇)
Recap:
-
The host introduced Greg, Catherine, and Kate as
“god and goddesses” (this is based on the reactions from netizens on the
various HK discussion forums).
-
How close are the characters to your real life
personalities?
o Kate
said that she is very similar to Mallory
o Catherine
is completely opposite of Fong Ying – her real personality is actually closer
to the character of Mallory
o Greg
says that his characters in The Election and The Menu are both him and
represent different sides of himself – there are times when he is ‘messy’ like
Lok Ka Fai and other times when he is ‘tempermental’ like Cheung Kwai Leung
-
Since the series started airing, the feedback
from audiences has been very positive.
What are your thoughts on this?
o All
3 are very grateful and hope that audiences will continue to support the series
o Catherine
said that she saw some feedback online where some people said they would watch
each episode more than once.
§ The
host concurred with this, as he is one of the people who watched more than
once. He said that in the first few
episodes, the cases were relatively simple and easy to understand, but as the
series went on, the cases got more and more complicated, so he had to re-watch
again to completely understand everything going on.
§ Greg
and Catherine said that they felt the exact same way during filming – they
actually had to map everything out in order for them to understand it.
§ Greg
said that they actually had to re-film certain scenes because they gave the
wrong reaction due to not properly understanding one of the cases (he’s
referring to the current case from episodes 12 to 14 on Liu Bing Kwan).
§ The
host complimented how, as actors, they take their work seriously and make sure
they pay attention to the plot just as much as the scriptwriter does.
-
As they were talking about re-filming and how
the props need to be the same, the host took the opportunity to ask about the
location where they filmed all the office scenes. He said the location truly did look like a
newspaper office.
o Kate
and Greg explained that it actually is a real-life news office – those scenes
were all filmed at HKTV’s headquarters.
Ricky Wong actually had his news department empty out an entire floor of
offices for them to create the set.
o The
interesting part is that the newspaper office setting with the files and papers
stacked all over the place was actually manually created by the cast and
crew. They put in the time to design and
personalize each person’s desk according to their characters in the series –
for example, Kate said that she chose to use a cup with a red lid because it’s
a bright color that suits her character Mallory. And Catherine has that figurine on her desk
that is an important prop in the series…(wow, talk about sincerity! I definitely appreciate their efforts to make
the set look realistic and adding all those personal touches!).
o The
host commented that the entire production is very meticulous and there is a lot
of attention paid to detail.
-
The host relayed a question from a netizen who
asked what were their most memorable scenes from the series.
o All
3 of them said there were way too many memorable scenes and it was too hard to
pick just one.
o Greg
said he was impressed with how meticulous the production team is and how
seriously they take the production. He
recounted the ICAC investigation segment from episodes 12 and 13. He said that even small details such as what
type of boxes the ICAC use when they pack up things they find during the
investigation, the exact words the ICAC use when they “invite” people to
cooperate with their investigation, the arrest process, etc., the production
team did a lot of research and made sure they mirror everything exactly.
o Catherine
said it’s hard for her to choose only 1 memorable segment because the entire
filming process was memorable and she loves the whole series. She said that because her character Fong Ying
has such a sad past experience and so much pent up unhappiness inside of her,
it was a challenging character to play, but she enjoyed every minute of
it.
§ Greg
chimed in and said Fong Ying is a very unique character – he said that
oftentimes, when you have a sad, depressing character like that with a lot of
crying scenes, some audiences get annoyed or turned off by it, but with Fong
Ying, that wasn’t the case at all…in fact, audiences sympathize with her more
than anything else.
§ Catherine
agreed with Greg and said that’s why when she first got the script, she was
afraid that the audiences might not like her character. She said that the 3 females in there have
such different personalities – Kate’s character Mallory is always happy and
chirpy so is easily likable, Noelle’s character Alma is strong and domineering,
but then when she got to her own character Fong Ying, there were no obvious personality
traits, so she wondered how to play the character.
§ The
host relayed 2 particular scenes that netizens praised as their favorite Fong
Ying scenes: the first was the one (in
episode 8, if I remember correctly) where Fong Ying goes to the hospital to
visit Fu Wing Hung’s (Alan Luk) mother right after his death, how she held her
emotions in while talking to her and then started crying when she walked away
(personal note – good choice, as that was one of my favorite scenes too, as it
really shows Catherine’s depth in acting).
The second one was, of course, Shek Chun Yin’s suicide scene in episode
9 – Fong Ying’s entire reaction from running up the stairs, to hearing the
‘thud’ (of Shek’s body falling to the ground) and car crash, pausing, then
turning around and running back downstairs, only to be met with tragedy and
devastation….that scene was well-executed and highly praised by
netizens/audiences (I definitely agree – Catherine’s acting was awesome in that
scene).
§ Greg
said to be on the lookout for another intense scene coming up. Kate said she felt the same way about that
suicide scene – she also shared a memorable Fong Ying scene of her own – the
scene in episode 2 where Fong Ying is alone at the bar, sadly drinking from the
bottle of whiskey that her boyfriend left for her (since Kate already knew the
entire story arc, that particular scene had emotional impact for her). Greg chimed in and said he especially liked
the scene near the end of episode 9 where Fong Ying and Mallory have that heart
to heart conversation in front of the Justice building (that was my favorite
scene too!!).
o The
host then asked Kate what was her most memorable scene involving her character
Mallory. She said there were a lot, but
hinted that it would be a scene involving her family. The host said that everyone has been guessing
Mallory’s past involves some type of domestic violence from her father towards
her mother – Kate wouldn’t reveal whether that was the case or not and
encouraged viewers to continue watching, as the ‘mystery’ will be revealed next
week.
-
Next question:
netizens really want to know about the relationship arcs in the series
and who will end up with whom.
o The
host said that obviously, Greg and Kate will end up together, since the episode
that just aired featured their intimate make-out / sex scene. Kate jokingly told Greg to do the talking
because she was a bit embarrassed. Greg
said that the scene is an important transition point – audiences might think
that this means Lok Ka Fai and Mallory will get together and live happily ever
after, but that’s actually not the case at all.
All 3 of them said there will be some things that happen that complicate
the situation, but won’t reveal any more than that.
o The
host then asked Kate an interesting question:
if this were you in real life, would you fall in love with someone like
Lok Ka Fai? Kate couldn’t help giggling
and said she probably wouldn’t because she very particular about cleanliness –
she’s willing to be friends, but definitely not someone she would consider
dating.
o Catherine
said that Lok Ka Fai is the type of guy who would be able to attract a lot of
females if he really set his heart to it (Kate chimed in and said yes, that’s
how Catherine is too). She said that he
deliberately made himself look like a bum physically, but inside, he is
actually a very good person, very smart and kind – women can become easily
attracted to guys who have inner beauty regardless of how he looks on the
outside.
o The
host then asked Greg if he would fall in love with Mallory in real life – he
said that he likes Kate more than Mallory, because Mallory can be a bit
annoying at times (Kate concurred and said she feels the same way – she said
one difference between her and Mallory is that she doesn’t talk as much and
doesn’t ask as many questions).
o Greg
said that Mallory can be annoying, but she has the ability to make you see
another side of yourself and find that ‘hidden cuteness’ in you.
o How
about Fong Ying’s relationship line? We
all know that Shek Chun Yin has a important place in her heart, but it’s
obvious that Prince (Benji Chiang’s character) has a lot of admiration for her. The host asked if they could reveal a little
bit – will Fong Ying and Prince have the opportunity to develop? Kate replied: “Perhaps….but what will happen
in the future no one knows” (she was jokingly giving the “canned”
response). Catherine replied that there
will be a little bit of development.
o The
host then asked whether in real life whether Catherine prefers the politician
(Shek Chun Yin) or Prince. Catherine
replied – definitely the politician (Shek Chun Yin). She likes that he is more reserved and refined, at least in the series.
-
Moving on to the next topic – the host went back
to the ICAC scene and mentioned all the research that went into that
segment. Since they portray reporters
who work at a newspaper agency, what other type of research had to be done to
make their character more realistic?
Also, is the newspaper agency in the series insinuating a particular
real life news agency?
o Catherine
said that this is definitely something they need to talk about, as many people
were asking them why the 2 news agencies were named ‘Lau Lin’ (Durian Daily)
and ‘Gwing Bo’ (Smart Post). She said
it’s necessary to clarify on behalf of the scriptwriter Poon Man Hong.
o Catherine
made it very clear that the 2 names have nothing to do with real life news
agencies and in no way are they trying to insinuate any particular news
agency. She also revealed that later on
in the series, they will ‘explain’ why the 2 newspapers are named the way they
are.
o One
of the netizens said that the whole news agency piece is very realistic,
down to the process, so could it be an adaptation from a real life newspaper
agency. The 3 of them explained that the
scriptwriter Poon Man Hong has a journalism background, as that was her major
in college…plus she has a lot of friends that are in that field, so she got a
lot of information from them as well.
o Also,
they said that Poon Man Hong had the concept for a news-oriented story back
when she graduated but just never got the chance to bring it to fruition. So when the opportunity presented itself
(referring to HKTV giving their scriptwriters complete creative freedom to
write about anything they want), she jumped on it.
o The
host asked about their own experience – he said that they truly do come across
like real reporters in the series…any particular preparation that they did for
their roles?
§ Catherine
said she did research on the internet, as there are plenty of news stories that
she could read to get that journalistic flavor, but at the end of the day, it
was a group effort – the director (Ben Fong) did a good job producing the
series and the scriptwriter (Poon Man Hong) did a great job with the script…plus
all the personal experiences of each character added to the mix really helped
to bring the characters to life.
§ Kate
said she actually couldn’t do much preparation because her character Mallory is
brand new to the field and doesn’t have any prior journalistic experience – if
she was too familiar with what goes on at a newspaper agency, it would be too
unrealistic. She wanted Mallory to truly
experience the process for the first time so even though she usually does
prepare for her roles, she didn’t this time.
§ Greg
said that he had some reporter friends whom he was able to get ideas from to
come up with a basic foundation for how reporters are supposed to be, then he
just threw the character into the news agency and let him loose – there wasn’t
a lot of particular preparation.
-
Next question:
netizen asked how Catherine prepared for her crying scenes and praised
her for her acting.
o First,
Catherine thanked the netizen for the compliment. She then recounted her preparation process
(which she already talked about in previous interviews). Once she got the script and read about Fong
Ying’s tragic background and experiences, she started writing daily journal
entries for the character so she could really connect with her. There was also a little bit of spontaneity
too in that, just like Greg and Kate, she let her character experience things
first-hand in the series….sometimes, you have to let the moment drive the
experience.
§ Catherine
gave a great example of this: in that
scene where Fong Ying is arguing with her mom over that report about the water,
there was no preparation as to whether she is supposed to cry or not. But as she was acting out that scene, the
argument became so heated that she felt like crying, but she (as Fong Ying)
couldn’t let her mom have the satisfaction of seeing her cry, plus there were
others around, so she held it in.
§ Catherine
emphasized how their surroundings have a huge impact on their acting (personal
note: this is very true – many truly
consummate actors/actresses have said the exact same thing).
-
After the commercial, continued on with the
interview. The host asked Catherine what
her thoughts were on becoming first lead and her sudden popularity after being
a virtual unknown for 17 years.
o First,
Catherine clarified that she didn’t feel those 17 years were ‘hardship’, as she
is an optimistic person. She said she
actually had a lot of fun those 17 years since she was doing what she likes
(acting). As supporting actors, they get
to play a variety of different and interesting characters, which helps them
accumulate experience and build their [acting skills].
o Catherine
said that she felt lucky to be able to experience so many different characters
– that’s why to this day, she is still very grateful to her previous employer
(TVB) for giving her the chance to learn so much. The host said – oh, so you don’t have any
animosity toward TVB – to which Catherine replied – of course not!
o The
host said he read some reports about Catherine asking TVB for more
opportunities, but they blatantly rejected her – wouldn’t that make her
upset? Catherine said that she doesn’t
view that as a bad thing – she understands that the company has their plans and
operational procedures. Perhaps they
analyzed it and felt it wasn’t the right time for her, so they made that
decision…can’t really blame them for making a business decision that they felt
was best for the company at that time.
o The
host relayed the sentiment of the audiences (I actually had the same thoughts
myself..lol): now that they see how good
Catherine’s acting is, of course the first thing that will come to mind is that
TVB wasted her talent all these years.
What are Catherine’s thoughts on this?
§ Catherine
said that she doesn’t feel that way. She
said that without TVB, she wouldn’t have the experiences she has today.
§ She
said that if when she started with no acting experience and they gave her a
lead role to play right off the bat, she would be dead in the water. She expressed that acting is a ‘life
calendar’ -- an actor can only get good at what he/she does through cumulative
experience…that experience is what she was able to build up in her 17 years at
TVB.
§ She
said the core difference of why she is able to have this type of
mentality: she entered the industry
wanting to be an “actress”, not a “celebrity”.
o The
host then asked Catherine why she decided to study law (note: a few years back, Catherine decided to go
back to school for a few years and get a law certification).
§ Catherine
said that she got the law certification to satisfy her parents, as they were
worried about her future and she wanted to give them reassurance that she would
have something to fall back on. But she
emphasized that it’s not a law degree, as what she got was just an advanced
certification (pretty much the first step to becoming a lawyer – there are
still years of schooling that she would
have to go through if she were to pursue that path).
-
Next, it was Kate’s turn to talk about her
background. The host said that when she
first started in the movie industry, she had the opportunity to be nominated
for several international-level acting awards, but now things have seemed to
quiet down. What are her thoughts on
this?
o Kate
said that any actor’s journey will consist of peaks and valleys. She said that she didn’t feel there were any
major waves in her acting career, it’s just that there were some personal
things that happened which she needed to take time off to handle.
o She
said that it might feel like she ‘disappeared’ from the acting scene for awhile
but she actually was still around, it’s just that she became a theater actress –
with theater, it is a niche market and there is very little promotion. (the
host gave her the opportunity to promote her upcoming stage play, which will
take place next month).
-
Next was Greg’s turn to answer a netizen’s
question: both of HKTV’s series (The
Election and The Menu) has helped Greg become popular. With the upcoming movie that he will be in,
does he have confidence in perhaps being nominated for some type of award?
o First,
Greg said that he agrees that both series have helped him become popular. He took the opportunity to thank HKTV and
director Ben Fong – if Ben hadn’t selected him to participate in The Menu, he
would not have gotten the opportunity to film The Election.
o He
said he’s grateful that he got the chance to participate in series that
“challenge” the norm, as that has always been his goal as an actor. HKTV provided a platform for him to continue
in that direction.
o Greg’s
new movie will be in theaters in June – he said that he has no particular
thoughts about whether his performance will earn him accolades or other
rewards. As an actor, his job is to put
all his effort into his acting and give a quality performance. Greg said something very similar to Catherine
and Kate in that sure, it is nice to get recognition and applause, but he views
all that as “bonus” (Catherine commented that the 3 of them have similar
thoughts toward acting career, which is why they are such good friends).
o The
host told Greg that there is an obvious physical difference with Greg in both
series – he was much slimmer in The Election.
Was that done on purpose? Greg
said yes, he deliberately gained weight for The Menu, then went on a diet
regiment for The Election.
o All
3 of them commented that they enjoy the variety of acting and getting to play
completely different characters.
-
In the next segment, the host commented that
since they portray reporters, he wanted to “test” them to see how much they
know about the current political environment and social issues concerning HK at
the moment. He would ask them a series
of questions about certain issues and wanted to get their thoughts on them.
[Translator’s note: I didn’t recap this section, as none of the
questions were relevant to the series, but I will say that this segment is
enjoyable to watch because all 3 of them answered extremely well – especially
Greg and Catherine (I could totally tell from their responses that they are
well-educated and keep up to date on current events in society). This is a good chance to see what their
personal views are on certain issues.]
-
Last segment:
What is the future direction for them?
Any upcoming special projects?
o The
host asked whether they will film season 2, which they replied that they don’t
know, especially given the current environment.
o Greg
said that he knows HKTV has at least 10 completed scripts on hand that have not
started production yet (personal note:
this is definitely news to me! I
didn’t realize they had that many scripts in inventory).
o There
are also a few series in the queue waiting to air – for example, Greg mentioned
the series Night Shift (starring Dominic Lam and Frankie Lam), which he is
personally looking forward to because it was filmed entirely at night. Then they started calling out names of the
remaining series already filmed (not sure of air dates though).
o Greg
said that he still has 1 series waiting to air with HKTV, Catherine doesn’t
have any and Kate still has Hidden Faces. Catherine is currently filming a series for RTHK and Kate has her
upcoming stage play.
o The
host asked Kate whether she will consider filming movies again, since that’s
where she started her acting career – she says she never really left, but for
right now, she’s going to focus on her stage play first. She said that the movie industry has always
been difficult to survive, as most investors / production companies won’t be
willing to invest in artists who haven’t established themselves yet (which is
very true).
o They
said that the 3 of them don’t really think too much of the future – if there
are work opportunities, they do it and work hard at it.
o Greg
made a very good point – in the West, there really isn’t a huge differentiation
in terms of TV vs Movie vs Theater artist like there is in HK. The artist can jump back and forth between
different disciplines and still be highly respected and produce quality work
(he cited actor Kevin Spacey as an example).
He said that’s the way it should be – artists crossover between various
multi-media platforms and all media companies should have access to the entire
pool of artists.
-
A netizen asked a very important question – if
TVB were to invite you guys back to film for them, would you do it (this
question is mostly for Catherine, since she’s the only one of the 3 who
actually worked for TVB)?
o Catherine
said that she views all job offers as opportunities – it doesn’t matter who the
offer is from. She will still give the
same consideration regardless of whether it’s TVB, HKTV, etc.
o The
host went further to ask – well, if TVB invites you back to play the same type
of ‘minor’ roles that you did before, what would you do?
§ Catherine
replied that it would then come down to a matter of choice -- she would look at
what jobs she currently has in the pipeline and see which one she prefers more
or which one is more ‘fun’.
-
Any particular wish / hope for the future?
o Catherine
was reading the comments from netizens on the screen – one netizen posted that
a lot of the netizens on HK’s Golden discussion forum are very supportive of
her. She first wanted to thank them –
she said that she actually does go on Golden to look at the comments (translator’s
note: in a previous interview with The
Group HK, scriptwriter Poon Man Hung said that all of them go on the discussion
forums often to get feedback).
o It
was cute that a netizen actually wrote – “I’m trying to cap pictures…can you
guys give me a close up shot of Catherine Chau please?” So the memeHK crew actually did a closeup of
Catherine and held it for a few seconds…haha…that was sweet! (and I love Greg’s
reaction..hehehe!).
o Catherine
reiterated what Greg had said about artists in the West not being clearly
‘categorized’ into a particular type of artist (TV, movie, theater, etc.). Both expressed that the market is bigger,
which does help build more tolerance for that kind of structure.
-
Back to questions about The Menu: of course, the question came up about who
sings the sub-theme song “Can’t Let Go” (this is probably one of the most
discussed topics as of late! I actually
posted about this in AF).
o The
answer is: no one knows, but they are
all diligently trying to find out. They
found the song in a data bank of songs that the company purchased. Greg once again praised the production team,
saying that they didn’t just put any song as the sub-song – there was actually
a lot of thought that went into it.
o Greg
actually took his phone out because he said he had asked someone and told them
to text him if they found out. He pulled
up the information from his phone, showed it on the screen, and told everyone
to ‘cap’ the info. [I actually did a
screenshot of what he showed and included it below.]
o A
lot of people have been asking whether they’ll be able to buy the song on
iTunes. Greg and Catherine said that
hopefully the singer of the song will find out and officially release the song.
 |
| *Pic credit to Gregory Wong* |
-
Last question – can you guys reveal any upcoming
“must watch” scenes?
o Kate
immediately said – EPISODE 24! Then
Catherine said – but episode 24 is the finale!
Then Kate said – then episode 23!
Kate said that what happens in that episode caused her to be unhappy for
6 months and Greg chimed in that the episode is ‘earth-shattering’.
o Greg
said that he would like to recommend a scene where Mallory “spills a basket of
porridge” – he said when audiences watch it, they will understand what he
means. It’s a scene involving Catherine
and Kate.
o They
all said that the entire cast has become friends now and have a very close
relationship. Kate calls Catherine ‘big
sister’.
-
Very last question: At this moment, is there anything you want to
say to Ricky Wong?
o Kate
raises 2 fingers and says: The Menu,
Season 2!
o Catherine
says: Please film stuff!
§ Catherine
went on to explain that she totally understands Ricky Wong’s position (Greg
concurred) – after having invested so much money, time, and energy, then to be
dealt such a blow (denied a license), she can understand why anyone in his
position would feel lost and uncertain (she did say that she’s not certain
whether Mr. Wong feels that way, but she would feel that way in his position)
§ She
hopes that Mr. Wong will continue to persist and not give up. Also, they will continue to support him.
§ She
and Greg are very thankful that he gave so many opportunities and experience to
so many people.
o Greg
said that Ricky Wong is a very brave person.
He hopes that he will be able to once again find the courage and ‘fire’
he had in the beginning to keep fighting.
Also, he half-jokingly said that he hopes the ‘white knights’ will help
Ricky Wong instead of Wong Ching (LOL).
After that, he said that he hoped the ‘game’ would be more ‘fair’ and HK
will let more people play, as it will be the audiences who benefit in the end.
o Catherine
said that one of the reasons why so many people who worked for HKTV are
grateful to Ricky Wong is because they truly see his heart and passion for
television: throughout the past 3 years,
he had the artists participate in various workshops where they were able to
learn a lot of things about acting and production process – they feel like
they’ve gained a lot of experience the past 3 years and truly got the chance to
grow and develop.
§ For
example, he had some of the artists participate in director’s workshops so they
can learn what directors and producers do.
His whole point is to open up the lines of communication and allow his
staff to expand their knowledge of the ‘big picture’, since that will
ultimately help with their performances.
§ The
host said – wow, that’s a new concept!
§ Catherine
said that everyone has the mindset that there’s always room for
improvement. She said that if they got
the chance to re-film The Menu, they already identified areas where they could
do it better.
-
For the last couple minutes, they read off a
whole bunch of comments from netizens, since the netizens took the time to
post, so they didn’t want to waste it
(that segment was funny..LOL).
o Most
of the comments were praising the 3 artists for their performances and also messages of encouragement (someone said that Kate
Yeung looks like Karen Mok – that person must have read my mind because that’s
the first thing that came to mind when I first saw Kate on screen).
o One
of their friends (and also fellow artist) Bryant Mak posted during the live
chat “support you guys!” The 3 of them
were so happy, they waved crazily at him (and plugged his upcoming HKTV series Night
Shift and Hidden Faces). [Note:
Bryant is actually Catherine and also Charmaine Sheh’s god-brother –
they all call him “Boy Boy” (haha…cute nickname!)].
o Someone
asked – if they were given the chance to film The Menu again, which character
would they want to play?
§ Kate
said she would still want to be Mallory
§ Catherine
said she would want to play Mallory (because that’s closer to her personality
in real life and also because the character is constantly happy)
§ Greg
said he would want to play Fu Wing Hang (Alan Luk’s character). Even though the character was only in 3
episodes, all 3 of them agreed that Alan did a great job. Greg said that he had asked Alan how he
prepared for the role – Alan said that he actually locked himself up in a room
for 3 days to get into the character.
Greg praised Alan’s professionalism and said he could definitely see the
helplessness and despair in Alan’s eyes when he was filming his scenes. Greg felt the character is a challenge and so
would like to try that character next time.
o Someone
asked why Prince (Benji Chiang) wasn’t there?
They said that Benji was actually supposed to be in the interview too,
but he fell ill so he couldn’t make it.
The host said he had actually prepared a lot of questions to ask Prince
– the others told him to go ahead and ask and they will answer.
§ The
host asked whether Prince is really that picky with his appearance in real
life. They said that Benji isn’t like
that in real life – he is actually very easy-going. Greg said that Benji is very CBC
(Canadian-born Chinese). Kate revealed
that when Benji eats shiu mai, he likes to add Worcestershire sauce (all of
them said that Benji likes to eat in general and had to try really hard to
abstain in preparation for his sex scene with Catherine).
§ Kate
said that her friendship with Benji has grown deeper because they filmed 3
series together (Once Upon A Song, Hidden Faces, The Menu).
-
Lastly, the 3 of them asked that people help
promote the series and teach their friends / family how to download the app to
watch or go on the internet. Also, they
said that there will be a preview clip airing in theaters next week, which not
many people know about so they asked if fans could spread the word.
*****
Details of The Menu's sub-song from the "music label's" database (this is essentially the same information that Greg shared, except the information is much clearer. Please refer to additional note above.
** UPDATE: According to ASCAP's database, the singer of "Can't Let Go" is a female vocalist named Laura Jones. Unfortunately, this still doesn't really help, since Laura is likely an independent singer who is probably not too well known (I actually did a search on the name and found at least 5 "Laura Jones" on the internet who fit the description of 'independent singer-songwriter' and who released music / albums in the 1990s).
