Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Weng.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
After winning a Chinese speech competition that a Chinese professor asked students to enter when I was a student at U.C. Berkeley, many complimented me and asked if I had an acting background. Those remarks made me curious to take an acting class. A fellow acting student cast me in Genny Lim’s “Paper Angels.” with Wind and Water, an Asian American Theatre Company he just started on campus. After I graduated with a degree in English, I decided to get an agent and continue acting. After six auditions and call backs, I was cast in a role in the film, “Joy Luck Club,” adapted from Amy Tan’s famous novel. Although I was not used in the film, I was able get my union card.
I continued to get work in industrials, commercials, print ads, and indie films. There wasn’t much work in San Francisco, so I followed many of my friends and moved to LA. I reached out to 175 agencies for representation and got rejected by all. It was a humbilng experience, so I started to work in restaurants and to do background work. I resubmitted half a year later and got two agents and a manager, My manager sent me in for an interview to be Jackie Chan’s dialogue coach for “Rush Hour,” During my interview, I was quite surprised that Jackie was there himself. I was quite worried since my Mandarin and Cantonese was not the best. Surprisingly, I got hired for four months to work on the film.
I thought my job would be easy, but it was challenging in every possible way. Jackie hated learning English so getting him to practice was not easy. He would run lines with me a few times and then run off. I became his shadow and kept my eyes on him every second. Sometimes he would see me coming and start running off. When he got tired of practicing, he would point a finger in my face and say, “Jackie Chan English!” When he said that, I knew it was time to take a short break. Every day, I wondered if someone might fire me or if I should quit. I realized I needed to get to know this man better. I bought all the books I could find to understand who was this person before me. After I understood his background more, I was more patient and empathetic. I was working with a living legend and needed to handle him with care. When we wrapped, I was proud of myself for having survived a tough project.
Two months later, he hired me to dub his voice for two old film he had made in Hong Kong. I thought to myself, I guess he must not hate me too much. Before I knew it, I was traveling around the world with him and working on films back to back. My latest project is about to be released, “Karate Kid: Legends.” I sometimes got roles in his films and when he didn’t need me, I went right back to acting.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an actor is not easy, because you rely on others to hire you. You have to audition all the time and most of the time, you will not get the role, I have been fortunate to have been cast in many projects: theatre (F.O.B,. Kokoro, Day Standing on It’s Head, Nagasaki Dust), sketch comedy shows with Actors Anonymous and The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, television shows (Dharma and Greg, Becker, Lizzie McGuire), and films (Joy Luck Club, Sweet November, The Medallion, The Tuxedo, Pushing Dead).
Being a dialogue coach was quite challenging since Jackie did not enjoy learning English. As you can imagine, there was much stress on the set. He practiced his line as little as possible, which meant we were rarely prepared. I tried to .be patient and not take anything personally…but it was not easy Everytime he said, “I hate English,” I felt like he really meant, “I hate you.” Whenever he struggled with his lines during filming, I got yelled at by many. I tried really hard to remain calm. I stopped putting him on a pedastal and just treated him like a normal human being. I had a job to do and had to make sure it was done. Patience and perseverance is key in surviving the entertainment world.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am most known for my work with Jackie Chan as his dialogue coach. I have worked with him for about 28 years. I am proud to have helped him on films starting with “Rush Hour” and most recently on “Karate KId: Legends.” When our films lead to sequels (Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, Kung Fu Panda, The Karate KId), I feel proud that the hard work we put in was worth the effort. I am honored to be a part of Jackie’s legacy. As one friend put it recently, through my work, I have helped him reach out to millions. I am different from others because I try to find creative solutions to all obstacles. I am rather empathetic and often have many cry on my shoulders, on or off the set. I am an optimist and will try to find something positive in every negative situation. I am honored to be a mother of three children. Two of them are Eagle Scouts and one is on her way.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in my family’s restaurant, Happy Boy, in the Castro District in San Francisco. I didn’t have much of a childhood and had to work all the time. I always tell my three children that they played with play-doh when they were kids, while I had to “play” with raw meat-making hundreds of hamburger patties a day. My parents had a tumultuous marriage which eventually ended in divorce. Despite a tough life, I was a happy child. I had two sisters and many friends. I enjoyed talking to all our customers, who were mostly gay men, about their lives. I love to draw, but didn’t have time or supplies. I often doodled on cardboard boxes at the restaurant. I have always loved helping people in different ways. In high school, I helped get many friends dates for various dances. Once I became an actor, I helped bring people together to work in my productions. After I became a dialogue coach, I connect cast and crew internationally. I often use Facebook to help people find work on or off a film set.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Diana.weng.35
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Diana.weng35?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-weng-84b48a4?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
Image Credits
Diana C. Weng
