When Jamie Chung signed on to star in a guest role opposite comedy great Ken Jeong in the hit drama Accused, she quickly found out that the story they were about to tell together was no laughing matter.
Jeong made Chung laugh, anyway, but more on that later.
For the uninitiated, Accused is a Fox Television anthology series that examines how ordinary people suddenly find themselves in complex circumstances after a major crime has been committed.
The way each of the “accused” end up in the courtroom varies, however. Sometimes the crimes are deliberate while other times they are accidental. Also, some of the crimes happen by impulse while others are the result of bad luck.
In the Tuesday, December 3 episode titled Eugene’s Story, Jeong stars as Eugene, a jewelry store owner who is accused of murder after an ex-convict, Rex (Zane Holtz) from his wife Grace’s (Chung) past reenters her life, disrupting their seemingly perfect marriage.
In a recent Zoom conversation, Chung told me that saying yes to starring opposite Jeong in Eugene’s Story—and under the direction of actor-filmmaker Michael Chiklis, to boot—was a no-brainer since she’s worked with both of them in the past.
Better yet, Chung noted, she was thrilled that Grace—who is recovering from drug addiction—is such a well-rounded character who is keeping secrets from Eugene despite their close bond.
“Grace has all these layers—all these hidden layers of the past— trying to find her way out of the darkness and keeping up this façade and then her past catches up with her,” Chung said. “That’s fascinating to me as an actor. There was so much to work with since she had so many secrets. The high stakes are fascinating to me when Grace’s past catches up with her and Rex threatens to ruin her newfound family.”
Jamie Chung Says Michael Chiklis Is A Great Actor’s Director
While Michael Chiklis has appeared as an actor on Fox’s Accused, he remains completely behind the camera for Eugene’s Story.
The benefit for stars like Jamie Chung, though, is that Chiklis brings his deft acting sensibilities to everything he directs and is a constant source of inspiration. Chikis, of course, has starred in several TV series over the years, including The Commish, The Shield, American Horror Story, Gotham, Coyote and Winning Time.
“Michael has so many years and experience under his belt, not only from TV and film directing, but from plays on stage,” Chung said. “He’s the perfect example of a creative that understands how to stir [emotions] and how to tell a story from all mediums.”
Sometimes, Chung added, all Chiklis needed to do was utter a single word to help her open up her performance.
“Being an actor’s director, he just guides you when you feel totally lost in a scene or stuck,” said Chung, whose impressive list of credits includes the films Sucker Punch, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and Big Hero 6, as well as the TV series Gotham, Once Upon a Time and Dexter: New Blood. “He’ll just say one word and give you one word of direction and it’ll just click and you’re ready to go. It allows you to bring something completely different [to the role] and it feels so great. He’s such an empath.”
In one particular instance, Chung recalled, the key word he said to her was “cope.”
“There’s the kitchen scene with Ken and I where Grace is finally pushed to a point where she’s forced to tell the full truth of her past … but something just didn’t feel quite right,” Chung recalled. “Then Michael said [as if he’s speaking to Grace], “How did you cope for the last 14 years? How did you hide this secret from everyone in your life?’ He said, ‘cope’ and I was like, “Whoa!’ and something just magical and beautiful happened.”
As much as he helped her and Ken Jeong in their performances in Eugene’s Story, Chiklis always remained humble, Chung added.
“He just loves being on set and has such enthusiasm,” Chung enthused. “Ken and I would finish a scene and he would come up to us saying, ‘I think we got it’ and he’d be in tears. He’s such a lovely director and you don’t get to work with a lot of directors like that.
“[Some directors just] get the shot and move on or they don’t know how to talk to actors or they’re not quite familiar with the characters,” Chung added. “There are lots of fantastic directors that come prepared, but Michael’s special.”
Jamie Chung Says Ken Jeong Is Funny Even When He’s Serious
Of course, Ken Jeong’s performance as Eugene in his and Jamie Chung’s episode of Accused marks a huge departure for the actor, given his resume of comedic performances including the Hangover movie trilogy and the hit sitcom Community.
And while it was clear from the get-go that Eugene’s Story was anything but a comedy, Chung admitted that she had a hard time keeping a straight face sometimes on set.
“There’s a church scene where I was like, ‘Ken, please!’ He’s not trying to crack me up, it’s just that everything he does is so funny … there was a lot of levity [during filming] and he was always cracking jokes,” Chung said.
As much as Jeong made Chung laugh while filming their episode of Accused, she recalled how impressed she was with her co-star’s dramatic range as she looped dialogue to put the finishing touches on her performance.
“We were texting each other and I told Ken, ‘You’re so emotionally available. You’re so beautiful. Your performance is so raw. Bravo! I’m so proud of you,’” Chung said.
However, Chung added, Jeong did want to have the last laugh.
“He said, ‘There’s one take when I was doing ADR—I left Michael Chiklis a couple surprises,’” Chung recalled with a smile. “Ken’s constantly trying to make us laugh.”
Jamie Chung and Ken Jeong’s episode of Accused—Eugene’s Story, directed by Michael Chiklis—premieres Tuesday night on Fox Television and begins streaming on Hulu on Wednesday.
Note: Some quotes in this Jamie Chung interview feature were edited or condensed for clariety.
Read the full article here