Upclose with Chin Han
Singaporean veteran actor Chin Han is best known by international audiences for his roles in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, including “The Dark Knight,” “2012” and most recently, Steven Soderbergh’s SARS-inspired thriller, “Contagion.” He talks to Penny Zhou about his early career, Soderbergh and Gus van Sant.
HK Magazine: How did you get into showbiz?
Chin Han: I was born and raised in Singapore in a Chinese family. My parents were both teachers. They were very open and liberal, loved reading, and would take me to the cinema all the time. I had thought of being an actor since I was six years old, but as a kid I wanted to be everything. I watched “Jaws” and wanted to be an archeologist; watched “Top Gun” and wanted to be a pilot—and I almost became one! I started acting professionally in the 80s, which was an interesting time in Singapore—there weren’t many movies being made, but more stage productions. So I was a stage actor for the first few years, then I moved to TV for another few. After that I found producing more appealing and became a producer in the late 90s. So when Christopher Nolan approached me for a part in “The Dark Knight,” I was really surprised because I hadn’t acted for a while at that time.
HK: What drew your interest to “Contagion?”
CH: It must have been my own experience of SARS in Singapore and Steven Soderbergh, who I have wanted to work with ever since seeing “Sex, Lies, and Videotape.”
HK: What was Steven like on set?
CH: For “Contagion,” Steven is not only the director but also the producer and cinematographer, so you could feel his presence in every way on set. He’s very there and very in control, and yet he’s also very collaborative and open to suggestions. If he saw something original and unscripted that he liked, he’d try to integrate it into the film.
HK: So I guess he doesn’t shoot 50 takes for every scene, unlike David Fincher?
CH: Haha, no! It’s funny how they’re such good friends because their styles are so different. Steven shoots very fast.
HK: Apart from Hollywood blockbusters, you also did a Gus van Sant film recently. Are you interested in indie, arthouse cinema as well?
CH: Definitely. I think when people read my resume they’d have the wrong impression that I only do loud action movies, but I love arthouse cinema, from European ones to Wong Kar-wai’s films. I did Gus’s “Restless” in between “2012” and “Contagion,” and I was so happy to just leave Hollywood and go to Portland for a few months. It’s such a quiet and beautiful place, and making the film was a meditative experience.
HK: What do you do when you’re not working?
CH: I live in LA now so I get to do a lot of outdoor sports. Coming from a dense and small place like Singapore, I really appreciate living in a big city with such nice weather. When I’m not working, I spend a lot of time reading and writing. I’ve been thinking about writing this screenplay for a long time, and right now I’m finally getting it done.