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Interview: Chinese-American actor wishes to tell Chinese stories to the world through films

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E-mail Xinhua, April 26, 2024

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By Xinhua Writers Bai Xu, Huang Zechen and Ye Ting

BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese films, music and art can help international audiences learn more about China's history, culture and values, said Chinese-American singer and actor Kris Phillips.

"I hope we can make internationally influential blockbusters with Chinese elements," said Phillips, who is better known in China by his Chinese name Fei Xiang, in an interview with Xinhua. He noted that this would be an excellent way for the world to better understand China.

TELLING CHINESE STORIES TO THE WORLD

Phillips is in Beijing attending the 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF). As a member of the Tiantan Awards jury, he has a tight schedule.

He starred in the Chinese mythological epic trilogy "Creation of the Gods," the first segment of which was screened in China last summer.

The trilogy is based on the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel "Fengshen Yanyi" or "The Investiture of the Gods," which tells the story of the fall of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty in the 11th century B.C. and the battles between gods, goddesses and mortals.

Phillips, who has enraptured audiences in China with his charm, starred as King Zhou, the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty.

Talking about his decision to play this role, the actor admitted that he was inspired by director Wuershan's ambition. The director approached him in 2018, when preparation work for the trilogy had already been underway for five years.

Phillips shares Wuershan's wish of telling Chinese stories to the world. In his view, a blockbuster film with a good story can easily transcend boundaries of language and culture, like the Marvel films which are popular among audiences in many different countries.

"There might be a 15-year-old boy in the United States, who watches 'Creation of The Gods' and becomes fascinated by the story and the heroes in it," he said, adding that it could spark the boy's curiosity to know more about China.

With this in mind, Phillips helped in writing the English-language subtitles for the film. The actor studied in the United States, and has performed in classics such as "The Phantom of the Opera." He believed his language skills and familiarity with the story made him the best person to work on the film's subtitles.

"For foreign audiences who cannot speak Mandarin, understanding of a Chinese film starts with the subtitles," he said, suggesting that Chinese filmmakers pay more attention to perfecting the subtitles of their films for foreign distribution.

GOLDEN AGE FOR CHINESE MOVIES

Phillips, 63, performed for the first time on the stage of China's iconic Spring Festival Gala in 1987. The dashing rock star in a red tuxedo dazzled tens of thousands of Chinese, who were just beginning to learn about Western culture after the country's reform and opening-up endeavors.

In the following years, he visited China numerous times, and witnessed the improvement of people's livelihoods. "Now young people have more and more possibilities, and China's future is promising. There is a widely-held belief among most Chinese people that life will become better and better," he said.

Along with China's overall development, Phillips also believes that China's film industry is entering a "golden era."

Phillips told Xinhua that the United States went through a similar era in terms of its cinema scene. However, rising production costs in the 1990s then pushed the American film industry towards a path of commercialization. "But China boasts a vast domestic market, which is big enough for all kinds of films. This means Chinese filmmakers have the scope to produce commercial movies, as well as independent art films," he said.

Phillips believed China has a wide range of untold stories and an enormous pool of talented people in its film industry. "As long as the industry continues to develop, Chinese films are bound to enjoy more opportunities to go international," he said.

When asked about his criteria as a jury member for the Tiantan Awards, Phillips said that he would focus on story, characters and emotion. "I love films that leave something indelible, either a mood or an image or a line of dialogue," he said. "If several days later they can still pop up in your mind, and you even talk about them with your friends, then the movie is a successful one," he added.

To this day, Phillips still remains an idol for lots of Chinese people, but he acknowledges that idols are becoming increasingly diversified for the Chinese people, in the same way that the general public in China now has more choices when it comes to the likes of coffee and fashion brands.

"Never say never," is the message Phillips wants to convey to his fans, pointing out that life may offer surprising possibilities at any age. "At 63, I have come to the BJIFF for the first time," he said to prove his point, while also disclosing another new first in his career -- starring in a comedy film. In this new movie he plays the role of a celebrity lawyer who is both incorrigible and irresistible.

"Some of my audiences are getting old like myself," he said. "What I would like to say to them is that they should cherish their friends and family, cherish every moment, and that every stage of life has its own significance." Enditem