[originaltext]W: The film Undoing is set in Koreatown. Can you talk about using

W: The film Undoing is set in Koreatown. Can you talk about using Koreatown as backdrop for the story?
M: We set the environment in Koreatown for no specific reason. It’s more LA. , Los Feliz. It’s not a Korean American-specific story either. People were saying it was a very Korean American story, and I think the only reason people were saying that was because they saw the Asian faces. Americans do a film in Chinatown with white actors, and they don’t say it’s a Chinese American story. We don’t speak Korean, and we don’t go into the idea of being Korean American. It was an interesting backdrop. We asked ourselves where a character like Sam Kim would live, and he would probably live at 6th and Hobart, and he was probably born in Koreatown. He’s more urban American. For us it made sense in terms of budgeting, as an independent film. We have resources because we have friends here, and we could probably get some free locations.
W: Sung, you were a producer for this film. How did you get involved in the production side of things?
M: Four years ago, Chris had just got back from Singapore doing television, and he was really excited about the prospects of Asian American film. He thought it’d be nice to try and do a feature. And from that day on, he wrote the script. I came on as a producer because I just think we need to pull our resources, financing, and locations together and kind of develop the script together. I think becoming the producer was kind of by default. I don’t particularly enjoy producing: if it were up to me, I would just act.
W: Do you think you’re going to continue going back and forth between Hollywood films and independent films?
M: In a perfect world that would be great. Do Hollywood films where you’re paid a certain rate, you can send your kids to school, and work with some really established actors. At the independent level, that’s where an Asian American actor is really going to get the chance to play a three-dimensional character and take a risk. We can look at all these Hollywood films in production, and how many of the first to fourth principal roles will go to Asian Americans. I’d say 99% of them will not, so on the independent level, there might be more opportunity. But independent films are designed to fail, so if these films don’t get distributed and tickets don’t sell, I think the likelihood of independent films is pretty sparse too. On the other hand, I’ve realized that with the younger generation, there is this demand for someone to identify with.
W: Are you saying that there will be an Asian American audience that will be identifiable within the next generation or so?
M: Yes. I think it’s happening now. I was in New York and I realized there are these 13 to 16 year old girls and boys. They want something that’s quick—a popcorn movie, a summer action flick. But they see a character that speaks English, and they can identify with him, because he’s American. It just happens that the first principle character is this Korean American guy in Tokyo. They like that. They want to see their faces without the kung fu, without the accent, and you realize with these girls, they want their idol. And you know they’re going to go to college, they’re going to be educated, and they’re going to be the ones who are buying the tickets. Because it’s not about being Korean American or Chinese or Vietnamese or Japanese. It’s just Americans that happen to be Asian. I think it’s changing. I felt that.
Question No. 11 Where is the setting of the film Undoing?
Question No. 12 What role does the man play in making the film Undoing?
Question No. 13 Which of the following is NOT true about making an independent film?
Question No. 14 Who might be the first principal character in the film Undoing?
Question No. 15 According to the man, what is happening to the movie audience in America?