Spring is officially in full bloom, well, at least here in sunny Southern California! Even the tulips are blooming in the colder states like Michigan. My career is also starting to bloom, or so I hope! In the time since my last post, my episode of Those Who Kill finally aired on A&E, although the series was pulled after the first two episodes. It will now return on Lifetime instead. My featured role as a Model in Limo on abc’s Mixology also aired recently. Here are some screen caps of my appearances:
Cindy Chu on ‘Those Who Kill’
Cindy Chu on ‘Mixology’
I also booked my first commercial job in LA, appearing as a rock climber in a print ad. Here I am with my fellow models.
Rock Climbing print ad at Stronghold Gym in downtown LA
This week I started a 4-week audition technique intensive class at the ever popular Margie Haber Studio. I’m studying under Courtney Burr and our first session went great! Can’t wait to go back tonight and learn more.
I’ve been attending workshops and manager meetings, and I hope to sign with either a manager or theatrical agent in the next few months. Hollywood is a tough egg to crack. Self-esteem and confidence are always good things to work on in this industry, especially, and I am feeling more of both after working on a photo shoot recently…
My photographer friend Mioara Dragan (who works between Detroit and LA) was in town for LA Fashion Week last month, and we found this contest for Free People, where they would select a photographer, stylist, and model to come to NY for a photo shoot, and we wanted to do something for it. We decided in some of her spare time we would style some shots and I would play the model. I was stunned with the results! She captured me in the way I imagine myself at my best, not knowing I could ever appear that way in real life. Here are the images, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Maybe I’ll stop scoffing now when people ask me if I model. 😉 Oh, and if you’re in need of some head shots, or a wedding photographer, or whatever your needs are, she is incredibly talented and I highly recommend her.
Alright, those are my big updates for now! My Macbook is about to die so until next time.
A happy belated 2014 to all of you, my dear readers! I hope you have all been having an exciting year so far, although I know much of the US is suffering through one of the most terrible winters in decades, and definitely in my lifetime. I am thankful every day that I moved to LA before this winter, as I really hate being cold.
ACTING STUFF
Anyway, I’m still on the hunt for a theatrical agent or manager in Los Angeles, which is proving difficult. I’d prefer not sending out thousands of postcards, and am reaching out to people I know who may be able to put me in touch with their connections. I know I can do the work, but it’s a matter of finding people who believe in me.
Recently I did a great agent showcase with Actor’s Advantage, run and organized by Shane Russeck. It was an interesting experience. All the actors checked in and got their time slots, and then the five agents were in the room, and when it was your turn, you went in, performed, and walked out and you were done. I haven’t heard anything but I know that sometimes these lead to work for some actors. Here’s the website if you want to check out an event. If you go, tell them I sent you! Actor’s Advantage Showcase
In other acting news, there’s a great new trailer out for Those Who Kill, in which I played Nancy Yuan for the premiere episode. You can click through to the really scary trailer here. My friends Kate Boyer and Jordan Trovillion, both actresses I’ve written about before, can be seen in the creepy trailer. Kate is the one running away from the serial killer and tied up in a chair, and Jordan is dead in a dumpster in a quick flash. The show will premiere on A&E on March 3!
My shoulder was featured (body doubling) for a split second on the premiere episode of Rake, starring Greg Kinnear. When I went in for doubling, they had me working some lines with the actors and Sam Raimi, who directed that episode, very kindly upgraded me to cast for my work. I wish I could have auditioned for the actual role, but my turn will come. Anyway, I am incredibly thankful to Mr. Raimi for his kindness. That is the second time I’ve worked in a “background” role and been upgraded, which is very lucky indeed! When I worked on Red Dawn, I agreed to go in as background with a very high likelihood of being upgraded, and it went through so I became that police station screamer. (BTW, you can view Red Dawn on Netflix!) 🙂
I’m still very much enjoying my classes at the Ruskin School of Acting in Santa Monica, and we are moving from emotional prep to scenes with emotional prep, which we will be performing as our one year graduation showcase.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
I was recently googling myself as I am wont to do now and then, (purely for career reasons!!!) and saw a photo of mine that was posted on the Bar Method blog by none other than Burr Leonard, the creator of The Bar Method! That was pretty neat and also made me feel more inspired to go to my Bar classes to get even more results.
Burr Leonard demonstrating moves at the bar
Since the holidays have come and gone, I had also gotten really into rock climbing to the detriment of my Bar routine, but it was still exercise!
Cleaning up leads and anchor, then rappelling in Red Rock Canyon outside Las Vegas, NV
But then, I used the holidays as an excuse to eat a lot more than I normally do, and after the new year, I wanted to rededicate myself to my health and fitness, and so not only did I restart my habit of going to Bar a few times a week at minimum, along with walking and cycling, and other activities like paddle ball or hiking, but I also signed up for a 30 Day Challenge through DailyHiit! They have a lot of great routines you can do at home with just a few simple exercise tools, and the workouts are High Intensity Interval Training (hence the HIIT) so are more efficient than spending an hour at the gym doing random exercises, meaning the workout videos they’ve been sending have been just 12 minutes! Here’s a photo of my halfway point progress:
Day 15 progress photo of 30 Day Challenge from Daily Hiit
As you can see, the differences are very subtle. What I notice the most is a more defined linea alba which is that center line down the stomach, a tendinous stretch on the abdomen splitting the two sides of muscles. I hope there will be even more change come Day 30!
I know I posted about my hair care awhile back, too, and the Shiseido Tsubaki shampoo/conditioner is still working wonders and my hair is so much softer than before, which is helped also by the Aquasana carbon shower head filter I installed. Since I often do need to style my hair for auditions, I’ve got some great recommendations on styling tools, too. I received an amazing blow dryer for Christmas and it dries my hair so quickly, and keeps it very smooth, and I can adjust it to no-heat, as well. It’s the Elchim Ionic and is a pro level tool.
Elchim Ionic
I also am extremely satisfied with the Hot Tools curling iron I bought last year. The 1″ size is perfect for creating beachy and classic waves, although, the 1″1/2 might be nice for softer waves. I got the 1″. I usually spray some of the Bumble and Bumble Does It All styling spray in for heat protection.
BB does it all styling spray
Hot Tools Ceramic Marcel Curling Iron
Styled using the Hot Tools 1″ Ceramic Marcel Curling Iron
I had a lot of fun last night self-taping myself for some roles, and did a quick change in between, and I’ll leave you with this funny image of me. Signing off until next time! And please make sure to watch Those Who Kill when it comes out March 3!!!!
My commercial agent Stephany at Avalon Artists Group wanted me to get some new headshots, and I figured it was about time what with all the hard work I’d been putting in at my local Bar Method studio. 😀 I’m super happy with the photos, and they were from this amazing multi-talented dude named Jeff E! He’s not only a talented and very easy to work with photographer, but also an actor himself! If you’re looking for some new photos, too, I’d recommend giving him a call.
(This one’s one of my favorites, I feel like a model!)
While having the weekend off, the actors got together and watched some work from a couple of us, including Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, nominated multiple times for Best Original Song in the Oscars (listen to the soundtrack), and Showing Up, an interview style documentary about auditions that can be a very meaningful watch for more than just actors, really, but anyone who has dreams he/she wants to pursue and is afraid to try. It was all very inspiring for me to be amongst these working actors and film professionals who are doing what they love, and making a living at it. A few conversations with them about the perks of moving to LA got my internal clock ticking again. It’s something I’ve been talking about for as long as I remember but I keep holding off, citing money as a reason. Another reason is to get myself a little bit more into the niche market here in the Midwest and East Coast as THE young Asian actress to hire, but it’s still a matter of do I want to hit the big time, because if I do, I will need to make the move at some point. When we Skyped last night, my sister said if I didn’t do by June 2013 she’d be very disappointed in me. So, maybe LA this next year? So many things to think about as we enter the post-Mayan calendar. Looks like I’ve got to make some huge New Year’s resolutions…
For now, I will have to wait and see if Those Who Kill’s pilot gets approval once it’s edited, and then we’d all get to watch it on A&E. If not, it was a grand experience working with the team. Still waiting to hear back on an audition time for a big project I really want to land but all in good time.
Happy Holidays to you all! Remember to enjoy life and follow your dreams!
xoxo,
Cindy
PS: Our family doesn’t really celebrate Christmas, but my second brother Mike and I are home enjoying family time with the parents. Mike has been shooting on a Canon 5D for awhile, which is a full-sensor camera, while I’ve been shooting on a Nikon D7000 which is awesome, but a cropped sensor, and everyone in the film/commercial world I know uses Canons… I was checking out Canons yesterday and IF I COULD, I’d love to upgrade to the Canon 5d Mark II one day, with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Lens one day…Maybe next Christmas, a gift for myself if I can kick ass at the whole acting career this year! It’s okay to get yourself Christmas presents, right? 😛 (All my siblings and I invested in a new 40 inch flat screen for our parents this year. A huge upgrade from their little 20 inch old-school big box TV…which my mama wants to keep for some reason…)
Cindy Chu Enjoying a mug of coffee at Zenith Antiques in Shadyside, Pittsburgh
The First Presbytarian Church near my hotel, the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh
The first coconut I ever cracked
Our honey wagon for Those Who Kill
One of the dining rooms at Zenith Antiques, Shadyside, Pittsburgh
Those Who Kill basecamp Pittsburgh
My little dressing room on Those Who Kill!
Little theater in Pittsburgh, the Harris, where I watched Holy Motors
Viva Red Dawn!!! It’s been a long journey, but Red Dawn is finally being released as a holiday blockbuster this Thanksgiving! I’m so excited to see it finally premiering, and I’ll definitely be taking my family to see it on Thanksgiving Day! I already had confirmation from friends that my name was in the credits and that they saw my scenes! WHooooooowheeee!!!!!
For now, enjoy this wonderful trailer:
Look how tall I am! In my Red Dawn costume with some of the other ladies.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and goes to see Red Dawn! Let me know what you think! And sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated. I’ve got a few more things to post about soon so look for more in the coming weeks.
Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Lunar New Year, and Happy February to you all! You know my birthday’s coming up. I won’t say how old I’ll be, because I’m just so young at heart. ^_^
FILM UPDATES
So I just got back from Sundance recently, and I had the greatest time. I met some incredible people and got to see the films I needed to see. The sad part was that after all the marvelous luck we had getting in to Salvation Boulevard, I never got to see my scene, because it was a victim of the cutting room. Fortunately, I ran into George Ratliff after the Q&A, and he was so extremely kind about it, and said that it would be on the DVD extras. Yay, something to look forward to! He’s a great director, and the film itself was very hilarious. After having seen his last Sundance baby, Joshua, I had no idea what to expect.
I also saw Cedar Rapids, directed by Miguel Arteta, and starring Ed Helms, and boy oh boy was it a riot. I really liked the relationships they showed in the film, they were very real, and the cast chemistry was great. It was nice seeing Ed Helms in a new role, too, as a small-town Iowan who has never been to the big city.
The most controversial film at Sundance (no, not Red State) was The Woman. I had the extremely fortunate experience of getting to see it twice. I had to support my friend, Lauren Petre, of course. She played Miss Hindle, a smaller role in the film, but she was great! And she looked great on film. The Woman was definitely great horror. I had nightmares after the first viewing and spent the entire night tossing and turning, thinking evil little boy actors would sneak into the house where I was staying and knife me! Lucky McKee knows how to elicit some raw emotional responses, and on the night of their first screening, a girl fainted, and he being the great and wonderful man that he is, tried to get the theater to halt the screening, but they didn’t. Then, an irate viewer got up and started spewing all sorts of horrible things ignorant thoughts about the film. He obviously didn’t see the bigger picture, the ENTIRE POINT OF THE FILM…Some people. Anyway, if you get the chance to see it, I highly recommend it. Lucky said, “It’s designed to be viewed multiple times.” So I’d say get it on dvd, and watch it a couple times, within the week. It’s one of those films that keeps you thinking and processing, and I hope you’re able to see beyond the gore and evil to see what Lucky is trying to show the audience. Sometimes evil hides in plain sight. Pollyanna McIntosh was stellar, actually the entire cast was. Angela Bettis, Sean Bridgers, and oh the children, (I’ve got to say that again) oh the CHILDREN! It should also be noted that the soundtrack is amazing, and I need it! Sound design was also superb, and really added to the feel of the film.
Q&A at The Woman screening at Sundance
Cindy Chu in front of The Egyptian for Sundance 11, in her Snow Leopard Spirithood
Lauren Petre and Cindy Chu at Salvation Boulevard screening, Sundance 11
The Woman, what I told Lucky...
PRESS
While I was at Sundance, Robert del Valle of Real Detroit Weekly contacted me about their biweekly local stars’Michigan Motion Picture column. My friend (she’s so pretty!!!) Treasure Groh, also staff at RDW, had asked awhile ago if I’d like to be interviewed for it. Of course, I said yes. I’ve also got tons of people that I think they should interview in the future, too! The link to the article is here.
OTHER STUFF
When I returned from Sundance, I was on this inspirational kick! I had a drive to make some videos pure awesome Youtubeness!
So for your viewing pleasure:
A sneak peek of my Sundance adventures. This wonderful woman who hosted us took us to this delicious sushi place called Yamato’s a few times. Her “roundeyes” son works there as a sushi chef, and I gotta tell ya, he’s good! So the fish in the aquarium clip was from there. Those fish weren’t for eating, LOL.
And then we got hit by Snowpocalypse 2011 in the Midwest (although it really wasn’t that bad in Ann Arbor) so I had to make a cutesie little video for that, and used a song from Scott Pilgrim by Anamanaguchi “Another Winter” for the backing track
Aaaaaand I was in the mood to play my ukulele after being away from it for a week, and uploaded TWO songs in one night! Then a third the next night! Talk about feeling inspired. So the first one I’d been working on learning the strum pattern for awhile, and I was sick when I made these so I didn’t sing them as well as I would have liked. The second one was the song that was in the trailers for Blue Valentine, the one Ryan Gosling’s character plays for Michelle Williams’ character while she tap dances. The third one is a cover of a song by Soko (from Paris!) called “I Will Never Love You More” and it’s very funny.
Last Friday night, Fitz and the Tantrums played at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, and it was a sold out show (it was free, but filled up immediately upon doors opening). Luckily, I had met the female vocalist, the very beautiful and talented Noelle Scaggs, back in LA a few years ago, so my friends and I were able to sneak in the back with her. I shot a decent live video of their final encore song, their hit single, “Moneygrabber”. (<—Did I get that punctuation right???)
And one last one, because I miss warm weather and am feeling nostalgic for warm sunny days. I switched the audio on my skydiving video, and now it looks and sounds cool.
Alright, my lovely readers, that was my huge February update. Remember to smile, spring is just around the corner. Appreciate the little things in life. Don’t forget to laugh, especially at yourself. And always tell your family you love them. They might not always be there.
So it’s almost upon us! I’m talking about the Sundance Film Festival, of course! And I’m going. 😀 You may recall in an earlier post, that I played the part of Alisa in the film Salvation Boulevard. Well, George Ratliff is premiering it at Sundance, so I felt it would be the perfect opportunity to attend for the first time. My only qualms are that I decided so late in the game, and the ticketing procedures were unfamiliar to me, so I will have to see if I can get tickets once I’m there.
Here are some images from the film (they all link back to what site they’re from if you click on them):
Pierce Brosnan as Dan Day in Salvation Boulevard
Salvation Boulevard--Dan Day
Greg Kinnear as Carl VanderVeer in Salvation Boulevard
I’ll have a partner in crime for my SLC/PC trip: my actor friend Lauren Petre! She’s also represented by my talent agency, Charlie’s Talent Agency, or CTA. She also has a film in which she acted premiering at Sundance. It’s a horror film directed by well-known director Lucky McKee, called The Woman. We’ll be attending the Wednesday night showing together! Here are a couple creepy images from the film:
Still from Lucky McKee's The Woman--from ShockTillYouDrop.com
Behind the scenes shot of Lucky McKee's The Woman--from soundonsight.org
In preparation for the festivities, I picked up a couple more sweaters and some good solid snow boots, so I’ll be ready to wait outside in the cold!
The North Face Nuptse Fur IV Boots
It had been awhile since my last haircut, too. I had my stylist, Josh Thiele of Orbit Hair Salon in Ann Arbor, Michigan, give my mop a good cleaning up today.
Cindy Chu with her fresh coif
Looks like 2011 is off to an exciting start for me. I can only hope that this year will be even more successful for me in my pursuit of acting. As with all actors, learning new skills or just having other skills can be important sometimes. Take Christina Hendricks, who has been learning how to play the accordion. Well, while the writers of Mad Men were brainstorming ideas, they decided they wanted an episode in which she played a song at a dinner party. They found out she played accordion, and so they wrote the scene for her.
This brings me to my point. I have been earnestly practicing on my ukulele, and recorded another song the other night. Right now, I’m working on learning yet another, and as soon as I feel I’m performing it at my best (difficult strum pattern!) I will post it, as well. This one was “Sentimental Heart” by She & Him, and I definitely should have practiced it longer than 15 minutes before uploading any performance, but c’est la vie! (Pretty sure I can perform it a bit better than in the video now… 🙂 *shrugs*)
And in other skill areas, I finally got out my Nikon D70 to shoot my friends’ event. The Ann Arbor hip hop duo made up of J Thrill, and D Train, aka Thrill$Train, had a show at Sava’s last weekend, and I was there with my camera to capture the magic. They were pretty happy with the photos! They’ve got a show in Detroit next month at The Old Miami. Check out their website for more details or to download their album free! These were a couple of my favorite images from the night:
D Train says J Thrill looks like "The Most Interesting Man in the World's Son" here
Thrill$Train in all their hot hot glory
D Train thrilling the crowd
Thrill$Train playing to a packed house at Sava's in Ann Arbor
As with other posts, I like to promote friends, and I went to a show recently at the Crofoot and discovered this AMAZING new band from Monroe, Michigan. They are called Jack & The Bear and they play instruments like the banjo, violin, trumpet, accordion, etc. Absolutely brilliant. One of their friends uploaded some live video footage from the show which you can check out on their Facebook fanpage. From what I heard, they are in the midst of recording their first album. I wish them the best of luck, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see them blow up big time in the next couple of years.
Alright, I guess I’ll hopefully have a few more updates for you when I get to Salt Lake City/Park City, UTAH! It’ll be my first visit to the state. Huzzah!
Wonderful news today! My scene co-star, Dwight Sora, from Red Dawn sent me a message today with a link to an article about the release of Red Dawn in 2011. It seemed late last year that this film could be in limbo forever, but apparently MGM has gained a $500 million dollar credit line to go towards making the next James Bond film and also continue with The Hobbit project. This also means that they now have the money to market and release Red Dawn! This was my first acting role in a major feature film, and its release in 2011 means that I will have at least 2 major theatrical releases this year, Red Dawn AND Salvation Boulevard. Let’s up the ante for 2011, eh? I’d like it to grow harmonically this year. 😀 Click the photo to link to the article! (I had a very small role in the film and was not part of the central cast, just FYI.)
Red Dawn remake cast photo
I also had my first audition of the new year today. My fingers are crossed for some more good news this month!
I always like to share any useful acting tidbits, and here’s a useful one if you’re a paid-up-to-date SAG member in SE Michigan. You can go view any SAG-nominated films that are currently screening at the Phoenix or Emagine Theaters for FREE if you show your current SAG card. It’s the gold one.
Here’s the list from my SAG email:
Thanks to the generosity of two of our local theatres, Phoenix Theatres and Emagine Entertainment, Screen Actors Guild members in Michigan can attend showings of SAGAward nominated films free of charge. A great member perk, this is a valuable opportunity for you, the member, to view the nominees before you cast your vote!
Here are the rules:
You must present your SAG card (paid-thru April 30, 2011) and photo ID.
The free ticket is for SAG members only, not accompanying friends or family.
This offer is valid between December 27–January 25, 2011 for Phoenix Theatres and January 3–25, 2011 for Emagine Theatres.
This offer is valid Monday thru Thursdays only; not valid on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
This offer is valid for the following films with nominations:
“127 Hours”
“Black Swan”
“Conviction”
“The Fighter”
“Get Low”
”Green Zone”
“Inception”
“The Kids are All Right”
“The King’s Speech”
“Rabbit Hole”
“Robin Hood”
“The Social Network”
“The Town”
“True Grit”
“Winter’s Bone”
Here are the participating locations:
Phoenix Theatre: The Mall of Monroe in Monroe
Phoenix Theatre: Laurel Park Place in Livonia
Emagine Theatre: Novi
Emagine Theatre: Canton
Emagine Theatre: Woodhaven
Cinema Hollywood: Birch Run
We thank both Emagine Entertainment and Phoenix Theatres for their continued support of Screen Actors Guild members.
Have fun, vote and return your ballot to arrive by January 28!
Don’t forget to watch the 17th Annual SAG Awards live on TBS and TNT at 8 p.m., Sunday, January 30, 2011.
And one last little tidbit for any fellow outrageous hat lovers! I became the recent proud parent to a beautiful SpiritHood!
Image from the SpiritHoods.com site
Click on the image to get to their site and order your own, and join the tribe! They have different animals, and some of them are Product Blue, which means they donate a portion to a conservancy group that helps that particular animal species. I ordered the Snow Leopard, which is among the Product Blue offerings. =^_^=
Meow--Cindy Chu
Paws--Cindy Chu
That’s it for now. Hope to have more good news very soon!
While this site is mostly used for posting about my acting career, I figured I can also tie in some notes about my film friends’ achievements/updates.
If you’ve seen my film Qing Lou Nu, then you’d know the name Bryan D. Hopkins. Earlier this year he drove down to Louisiana to shoot a ton of coverage on the Gulf oil spill for a documentary he’s putting together. Here’s a peep at the trailer he just released for Dirty Energy:
A new buddy of mine that I met on the set of a GM commercial I was recently working on shared a short film he did with me, that I also feel needs to be passed on to more potential fans. It’s hilarious, and it’s about Death. Good work, Clark Birchmeier!
This short film is called “no harvest: the intern”. It is a dark-comedy about the Grim Reaper. It was produced by Rebel Cow Productions LLC, and was directed by Clark Birchmeier.
Another personal venture I haven’t mentioned yet is that I recently joined the band Origami Cat Plan, and we just played our first gig. Having had only 2 practices with the band, I didn’t perform my best, but I think it was still pretty impressive for the amount of time we had to prepare.
Cindy Chu as Princess Koneko of Origami Cat Plan
Origami Cat Plan at the Blind Pig 12/15/2010
Origami Cat Plan Groovin at their first show with Cindy Chu
In my thirst for learning, and owning musical instruments, I even obtained a baby jimbay or djembe yesterday, at the encouragement of my best friend Ris Tena, who is a master of the hip hop and fashion worlds. I’ll be able to add it to my tambourine/vocals skills for Origami Cat Plan!
Cindy Chu with her new jimbay or djembe (various spellings)
And in other news, had a few more auditions recently, but I don’t really like saying what any of them are because like I mentioned in my previous post, the majority of the time you don’t hear anything back afterwards. So I usually do the auditions, and then forget about them and if I DO hear anything, then of course I jump for joy like I won the lottery. I will say, though, that I am extremely excited about Fox picking up a live-action adaptation of Joe Hill’s Locke & Key! My current fantasies are to play a part in a live-action version of a graphic novel, and to do some more animated voiceovers!
Cover of Joe Hill's Locke & Key
A page from Joe Hill's Locke & Key
If you’re curious about what I’ve been watching recently, wonder no more. I just caught up on Dexter, amazing amazing show, and I have to give it to Julia Stiles for shocking me with her great portrayal of Lumen in Season 5. I’ve also been re-watching Firefly, and am about halfway through. I had seen bits and pieces of it before when I was younger, but never got to view the entire series. Guess I was too busy with Buffy, The X-Files, and Charmed? Joss Whedon is a genius, and I have a soft spot for Mal.
Production Still from Tron Legacy with Olivia Wilde, Joseph Kosinski and Jeff Bridges
And if you enjoy graphic novels, one of my all-time favorite and most beloved books is now available as a graphic novel: The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.
A page from the new graphic novel version of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Hopefully I’ll have some good news to share with you all when I post again! And thanks to my awesome agent, Curt Howe of Charlie’s Talent Agency, aka CTA, who believes in me and keeps getting me auditions! One of these days…(fingers crossed)
If I don’t update before Christmas, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with loved ones, and remember to appreciate all the goodness in your life.
Cindy Chu-Model/Jessica Y. Hernandez-MUA/Jimmy FivePhotography-Photog
Hello again!
Wow, it has been a minute. Sorry I’ve been busy, and have neglected my poor site.
The summer ended up flying by, as did fall. I started working on a couple films in late July. This Must Be the Place (TMBTP), starring Sean Penn and Frances McDormand and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, ended up taking me from July through part of October. I started as an Office PA on TMBTP, and was promoted to Production Secretary when they commenced principal photography in Michigan. I also had the opportunity to work on LOL: Laughing Out Loud as a Producer’s Assistant for a few days, assisting the awesome Stacey Sher. I got to tell Miley Cyrus about the Hannah Montana sour gummy vitamins my mom made me take that morning. Demi Moore and Thomas Jane play Miley’s parents in the film, and Douglas Booth her love interest. Ray Liotta stopped by our set one night to say hello to Demi. For a minute, it seemed like I was in Hollywood of old, seeing all these movie stars at my workplace. I always knew this was the industry for me, but it’s a bit surreal meeting some of these actors IRL. Especially in Detroit. Thank god for the film initiatives, which have allowed me to enjoy these jobs and opportunities I otherwise would not have had unless I had moved somewhere like Chicago, NYC, or LA. A move is still in the plans but for now, I’m happy for the work here.
Sean Penn as Cheyenne in This Must Be the Place
L-R: Paolo Sorrentino, Sean Penn, & Frances McDormand
L-R: Thomas Jane, Demi Moore, & Miley Cyrus, stars of LOL: Laughing Out Loud
Douglas Booth plays Miley's love interest in LOL
Ray Liotta
I’m now PAing on a gig with Radical Media and GM. After it wraps up, I’m helping a friend out in a music video, playing his ex in a relationship gone south. You may remember his name, Roborobb. He interviewed me for his artists blog awhile back.
I am so so so incredibly thankful for all the opportunities given to me this year, and I hope that 2011 will be even bigger and better, but for now, it seems like everything’s gonna be alright.
Even with how busy I’ve been, I’ve found some new interests/skills to pick up. I recently purchased a beautiful Oscar Schmidt OU7T, a gorgeous tenor ukulele of spalted mango wood.
Cindy Chu with her Oscar Schmidt OU7T Ukulele
So I’ve been finding time to play it when I’m not completely exhausted, and have made a few simple recordings of me playing a couple different songs. This is about a month in, but I thought it’d be good to force myself to record and have it documented so I can watch/hear myself and perhaps it’d help me improve more. Here are the videos for your pleasure. Not the best renditions, but I had fun doing them. I hope you like them.
I’ll Follow the Sun by John Lennon and Paul McCartney–As dedicated to my friend Anna Castelaz, who is on a grand trip abroad in Haifa, Israel.
And something a little more fitting for the holiday season… Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah
And just to throw in some extra meat into this posting since it’s been so long, here are some photos of me from a MUA photoshoot. Jessica Y. Hernandez was the MUA, and Jimmy FivePhotography the photographer.
Cindy Chu-Model/Jessica Y. Hernandez-MUA/Jimmy FivePhotography-Photog
Cindy Chu-Model/Jessica Y. Hernandez-MUA/Jimmy FivePhotography-Photog
Cindy Chu-Model/Jessica Y. Hernandez-MUA/Jimmy FivePhotography-Photog
Cindy Chu-Model/Jessica Y. Hernandez-MUA/Jimmy FivePhotography-Photog
Also, I can’t forget to plug my friends before ending this posting!
My buddy, Magestik Legend, has his new album The Great Escape out on iTunes today! I was featured in his track “On The Run” doing voiceover work as the part of the Reporter, heard in the opening of the track. Click here for the link where you can hear it free!
I had another small VO job in a wedding video for Jen & Dave, filmed and produced by Hyun Suh and Rob Frenette of Two Penny Productions. If you need a wedding videographer, these are the guys! You can check out more of their videos on their Vimeo account.
That’s all I’ve got for you now. I hope to have more good news to share with you asap, but until then, take care, and yall stay fabulous!
~cindy
PS: Got a SAG email today, and I believe I get to vote in the SAG awards this year, and also get screeners mailed to me for the voting process? Not 100% sure, but fingers crossed! That would be awesome!
Cindy Chu 
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