Actor Johnny Wu on 'Joy Ride', creating Jinderella88 + playing an unconventional hero
In an interview with Bunni Pop, Wu shares why there's so much beauty to be found in fandom
(Photo credit: Johnny Wu/Instagram)
Fandom has the power to bring people together. Whether it’s through sports, movies or music, finding someone who loves the exact same thing as you is not just a great icebreaker, but an avenue to building long-lasting relationships.
Being a fan of K-pop has certainly been my way of building new friendships. And, it’s something the recent film Joy Ride gets so right. On this very newsletter, I’ve praised Joy Ride and even wrote about the beauty of my very own fandom friendships. At one point, Sabrina Wu’s character Deadeye explains why they love K-pop so much.
“K-pop loves me back,” they say. I couldn’t agree more.
That’s why I was delightfully surprised to discover that the hero of Joy Ride’s big climax is an actor from Vancouver!
While his scene is short, Johnny Wu makes an unforgettable and impactful appearance in Joy Ride. He plays the role of Xing Xing. Though throughout the film, he is referred to his online stan account, Jinderella88.
Without spoiling too much, Deadeye and their friends pretend to pose as a K-pop idol group named Brownie Tuesday to try and catch a flight to Seoul. Deadeye enlists the help of their online friend Jinderella88 to help orchestrate an incredibly elaborate and farfetched plan.
When Deadeye begins to doubt their friend will actually show up in person, Jinderella88 makes a grand entrance to help save the day. The moment is chaotic, but also moving. It shows your online besties have your back!
I recently chatted with Wu about his role in Joy Ride, the power of fandom and how K-pop has played an important part in his life.
(Photo credit: Johnny Wu/Instagram)
Tell me how this opportunity to be part of Joy Ride came up for you.
I auditioned for the film six times in total. I originally was asked to come in to read for Jiaying (played by Victor Lau), which is the other BTS fan that has a scene with Deadeye. They dance at the hotel.
And then while I was auditioning, they asked us to all read for the TV villain character, which is the one who plays the villain in the show that Stephanie Hsu’s character was in. And, I got a callback for that.
While I was going for a callback, I remember that I had this Chinese traditional costume that I kept around since Halloween. I decided to bring that costume in for my audition for that TV villain role. I was in a flowy gown and did this double turn. The director Adele Lim was just so amused, and they asked me to read for this character Xing Xing, or Jinderella88, on the same day.
For some reason, my body just sort of like kicked into high gear with adrenaline, and I memorized all my lines. We went in, we did the audition. I think within a week I was cast. The rest is history.
What was it like to actually develop Jinderella88 even further for the screen?
It was complicated in a beautiful way because I realized that I had to deal with a lot of internalized fear that I accumulated throughout the years that I didn't really know existed.
These very flamboyant, sassy, energetic characters…are predominantly the types of people that get a lot of backlash and get a lot of hate. I'm someone who shares some of those qualities. So while I was preparing for this, there was also a part of my mind that was really cognizant of the type of conversation that was going to be brought up once the film was released.
But as I was developing this character, what I found so fascinating is despite these qualities that society has really taught us to frown upon, Jinderella was this hero. The beautiful thing about this character and this whole scene is, this is a person who comes through and helps his friend that he's really never met because they share such a strong passion. And for me, that was enough.
It was so beautiful to play a character like that. This person is sassy and flamboyant, but he is also a hero. It was such a beautiful turnaround to recognize that heroes can look different ways.
(Photo credit: Johnny Wu/Instagram)
What do you love about the character?
He comes through, he is smart, he is witty, he has leadership and he gets the job done.
We love BTS, we're in this ARMY together. That was a strong enough bond for him to say I'm gonna pull all the stops to make sure you get through in terms of his relationship with Deadeye. Like, when Deadeye was talking about [loving] K-pop because K-pop loves them back, it was this bond that was created through the magic of this genre of music.
A lot of people related to Deadeye when they said “K-pop loves me back.” Did it resonate with you?
I think what is so fascinating about K-pop that I don't think we actually talk about a lot is the subtle ways in which it really challenges the status quo and social norms. My first introduction to K-pop was HyunA, and the song ‘Change.’ It was the moment where everybody was learning the dance with the hip thrusts. I just remember my friends and I wanted to learn it, so we joined a bunch of strangers to learn that dance. Then we started hanging out with these people. Then, we learned ‘Gee’ by Girls Generation.
There was never a moment in those spaces where people were like, “Oh, this is a girl dance. You can’t learn this.” That was so liberating. That for me was the first step into my love for K-pop and how it did love you back because it was unconditional.
Did it feel like a full circle moment to live out that K-pop fandom on the screen?
It was so cool! When I first read the script and found out that we get to do this big dance number that really plays into the K-pop aesthetic and celebrate this culture, it felt emotional.
When I wrapped my time on set, I was actually crying. It just felt so good. When I was watching Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu and Stephanie Hsu do the dance with the fantastic dancers, it really brought me back to the time where my friends and I went around different spaces just to do K-pop cover dances. That joy and energy just came back right away.
What do you think about being in a movie where Asians get to be raunchy and funny?
Just so grateful and overwhelmed. I grew up watching a lot of raunchy movies. I remember watching the Scary Movie and American Pie franchises. There was just such a fascination with the liberty that comes from these very Americana movies that celebrate being raunchy, being a little bit silly and finding joy in that. These movies taught me about the power of just being able to laugh. To have our own version as Asian people is just so powerful.
(Photo credit: Johnny Wu/Instagram)
What do you say to people who are like Deadeye, who are trying to find their community?
I would say follow your passion. I think the most beautiful thing that they’re really taught is that their passion led them to people who are ready to love them.
What I love about the character of Deadeye is we get to see the way in which the outside world challenges them, or questioning whether they’re valid enough as a person. But throughout the film, they never changed. They held onto their authentic self. That brought them friends, love. That, I think is the most beautiful lesson.
[We] were saying how K-pop was seen as something sort of niche and silly when we were younger. But look where it is now! These hobbies — especially these Asian hobbies that we’ve been taught so long to be ashamed of — actually has so much joy, so much power.
I want people to take pride in that love and find people that share that same pride.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Follow Johnny Wu on Instagram!
Climate action group Kpop4Planet’s latest campaign takes aim at high fashion world
The climate action group Kpop4Planet has launched its campaign to ask the high fashion world to take a harder stance on climate change initiatives.
With brands like Chanel, Celine, Dior and Saint Laurent taking on K-pop idols as ambassadors, Kpop4Planet describes it as form of “K-washing.”
In a new campaign titled “Unboxed: High Fashion, High Carbon”, Kpop4Planet calls on these fashion labels to live up to their sustainability promises and transform one of the “world’s most polluting industries.”
“Blackpink is an A+ but luxury fashion is a total fail on climate,” said Kpop4Planet campaigner Dayeon Lee. “These brands are K-washing fans into buying products which are threatening our future. We’re calling on them to clean up their act.”
To learn more about the campaign, click here.
Andy Lau, Park Seo-joon, Lee Byung-hun among the Asian stars heading to Toronto International Film Festival
While Toronto and the rest of Canada is often left out during K-pop tours, movie stars have treated Canadian fans pretty well in recent years.
While ongoing writers and actors strikes leave many question marks for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the event is putting more of an emphasis on its international stars.
Hong Kong singer/actor Andy Lau will be coming to promote his new film The Movie Emperor. He’ll also be sitting down for an in-depth conversation about his life and career.
Meanwhile, Lee Byun-hun and Park Seo-joon will come to Toronto to promote the disaster thriller Concrete Utopia. They too will be taking part in a sit-down conversation about their work and speak to the success of the Korean entertainment industry.
To say I am incredibly excited is an understatement!
TIFF will also be opening the festival with Hayao Miyazaki’s final film The Boy and the Heron.
TIFF runs from September 7 to September 17, 2023.
GIVEAWAY ALERT: Win tickets to see Dreamcatcher in Toronto!
In honour of Dreamcatcher’s upcoming concert in Toronto, our friends at F7 Entertainment Group is giving away a pair of tickets to Bunni Pop readers.
Dreamcatcher will be playing at Meridian Hall on September 5th!
**CONTEST CLOSES THURSDAY AUGUST 31st**
The winner will be randomly chosen on 9/1/23, and will be contacted by this account only.
In order to enter the giveaway:
1. Follow @bunnipopletter & @f7entgroup on Instagram.
2. Name your favourite Dreamcatcher song
3. Tag up to two friends!
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