ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Wyatt Yang about starring in the new action movie Weekend in Taipei. Yang discussed working with Luc Besson to film some of the movie‘s most intense moments, doing karaoke with Luke Evans, and more.
“On a deep undercover assignment in Taipei, DEA agent John Lawlor (Luke Evans) was doing everything right… until he fell in love with his informant, beautiful Josephine ‘Joey’ Kwang (Gwei Lun-mei), one of the Asian underworld’s best transport drivers,” the synopsis for the movie reads. “Compromised and cover blown, John was forced to flee. Now, years later, John is back in Taipei for the weekend. But is he here to finish the job? Or to win back Joey’s love?
Weekend in Taipei releases in United States theaters on November 8, 2024, from Ketchup Entertainment.
Brandon Schreur: Can you tell me a little about how you got involved in this project? What was it that stood out to you about this character?
Wyatt Yang: So I know I read for the role about 15 times. I did a bunch of self-tapes. Eventually, I got a chemistry read with my mom in the movie, [played by Gwei Lun-mei]. The director was there and Luc Besson. And, yeah, I eventually got the role.
That’s awesome. What was that like? Do you remember what was going through your mind at that point? You’re a younger actor, you’re just getting started, and suddenly you get a call saying they want you to be in a movie with Luke Evans, Sung Kang, and Luc Besson is involved. Do you remember what you were thinking?
Yeah, I remember that I was in Taiwan at the time. Me and my family had this whole vacation planned for summer break. I knew I was going to go to the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain and I was going to go to a bunch of sleepaway camps, so that’d all have to be canceled to do this movie. But it was definitely, definitely worth it in the end.
Oh, I’m sure. It looks like you’re having a blast in the movie. It’s so cool, it’s so exciting. There’s one part I wanted to ask you about, it kind of happens earlier on in the movie, but there’s a really intense scene with Sung Kang where you realize he’s the actual villain. He has you tied to a chair and it’s like, ‘Oh man, this is real, this is bad.’ What was it like filming that moment, do you remember? Because it’s super intense to watch. Was it as intense to film that scene, too?
I would say that, while I was tied to the chair, it was definitely intense. I know Luc Besson came up to me and said, ‘He’s going to kill you. He’s going to kill you.’ He kept repeating it to me to get it in my head that he was going to kill me. Then I started crying and it definitely worked. Then I remember, when Sung kicks me down, I go, ‘Oh no, mom, no.’ As soon as he said cut, I started bursting out laughing. I totally remember that.
Oh, really? That’s awesome. One thing I love about this movie is there are a lot of really intense scenes like that, like we talked about. There’s a bunch of action scenes, too. But then you get to be the character who has some comedy to him. I love the moments where it’s you, Luke Evans, and the actress playing your mom. They’re reconnecting and you’re kind of in the middle of it going, ‘How do you guys know each other? What’s going on?’ That was really funny. Was that fun, to bring in some comedy to such an intense movie like this?
Yeah, definitely. I think the movie has a good mix of action and a lot of jokes, as well. So I think that’s what’s really special about this movie, yeah.
Sure. I think that totally pays off and it totally works. I wanted to ask what it was like to film your scenes with your on-screen mom, too. There’s a lot of moments with the two of you in there and you bounce off each other really well. What was it like working with her?
She’s an amazing person. I know that every time I came to set, she’d just give me gifts of mugs and different cakes. She’s really nice. And I think, on set, it came really natural for both of us.
I was going to ask you the same thing about Luke Evans, too. He’s kind of not the character you expect him to be, but he has some range and depth to him. What was it like working with him?
He’s an amazing guy. I know that me and my family — he’s a great singer, by the way. He has an angelic voice. So I know me and my family would go do karaoke with him. I think we went, like, five times, which was really fun.
No way. Do you have a go-to song?
I think it’s not karaoke without “Sweet Caroline,” I would say.
Thanks to Wyatt Yang for discussing Weekend in Taipei.
