In my life I do look up to actors, at my age I ask myself, who else is playing interesting parts at my age which is very difficult for a female actor. On top of it, being a minority, having come from China makes it harder.
Joan ChenIt's a very obsessive profession that you need to stay obsessed to get anywhere, and it's very easy for us to get obsessed and then nothing else matters. I was reading Somerset Maugham's novella, Moon and Sixpense, about this artist based on Gauguin's life. It was so beautifully written. You must be first rate because second rate you might not survive. If you're an accountant, you'll survive second rate. If you chance it big, you may not get anywhere.
Joan ChenI enjoy going back to work now because cinema is going through an exciting period because young people are now going back to the movie theaters. But things are different though.
Joan ChenI don't want to tell people what I make. It's a lot more than I ever dreamed of as a kid. I never think about it.
Joan Chen