January 7, 2009 08:00 PM | by 
Yesterday, January 6th, the DVD release of the movie Ping Pong Playa was released and made available at Amazon.com, Netflix, and at Barnes n Nobles. You can check for its availability at your local video stores too, because I called my Blockbuster video store and they will have it available for rent on January 6th. I had the pleasure of watching this hilarious movie at this past year’s San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival during March. I was too shy to come down the theater aisle after the movie was over to meet Jimmy Tsai back then. However, our paths crossed once again in the following interview that I had with him.
Maimounah:Where were you raised?
Jimmy: I was born in New Jersey, but we moved to Houston, Texas when I was less than two years old. We stayed there until I went off to college in California.
Maimounah:What did you study while in school and why did you choose it?
Jimmy: In college, I initially majored in Film Studies at Cal (the University of California at Berkeley), but I actually switched majors my junior year to Business Administration. I already knew I wanted to be a filmmaker coming into college, and I actually did my own independent productions all through school, but the reason I switched majors was because Berkeley’s Film Studies program leans heavily towards criticism and theory. While I think that’s definitely important, I think it’s even more important to have a balance between both theory as well as actual practice/production. I actually got a bit fed up with one or two of the classes there, where every single vertical object became a phallic symbol, so that’s why I ended up majoring in business. It was something that I was remotely interested in and a major that Berkeley is pretty well known for (at the Haas School of Business). At the end of the day, though, it was mostly about just getting done with school so I could start working in the real world. Oh, the ignorance of youth…
Maimounah:Who was your mentor(s) while growing up?
Jimmy: It’s kind of sad to say, but I really didn’t have any mentors growing up, at least as far as film making is concerned. I learned a lot of stuff through plain old trial and error where production was concerned, supplemented by a lot of reading. With mentoring in the game of life, though, there were definitely a few. First and foremost were my parents, who are a large influence on how I turned out, how I behave, etc. (even to this day). My dad, especially, is always great about giving advice (both solicited and not; hahaha–I kid, I kid). My athletic ability and artistry come from my mom. Then after that, probably several of my teachers, especially teachers in the art areas that I was involved with growing up (vocal music and visual arts). Two teachers in middle school were pretty important and definitely both understood me. They helped me out a lot during that time. One was my music teacher, Ms. Taylor, who had actually taught me through both boy choir and middle school choir. The other was actually both my art teacher and track coach; we just called him Coach Blanks. He was also the coach of the football team. I always looked up to him not only because he was a great teacher, but also because he was both a great artist as well as a great coach (and you didn’t mess with Coach Blanks either ’cause he could straight up whoop your @$$!). Now that I think back on it, that may be something that really impressed me and affected me–not only versatility in and of itself, but also being able to do several things extremely well. A true renaissance man. Who knows if it’s subconscious or not, but it’s a path that I’ve followed as far as striving to master several different things. The only problem these days is finding the time.
Maimounah:What are some of your most memorable times while growing up?
Jimmy: Looking back, one of the things that I remember most growing up was watching a lot of movies with my older brother, Wayne. And I’m not talking about watching a lot of different movies per se, but watching the same movies over and over again. There would be certain parts in certain movies that we would rewind–even just parts that lasted five seconds–and watch over and over again. Those parts would get funnier and funnier. Like the part in CHILD’S PLAY 2 when the little kid Andy is strapped to the bed and Chucky is putting the curse on him and then the babysitter walks in, unties him, and–WHAM! The kid clocks Chucky with a vicious hook right in the face! Hilarious! I encourage your readers to try it sometime. I swear it gets funnier upon repeat viewings. Other movies that were subjected to this kind of (mis)behavior included KARATE KID, KARATE KID II, KINDERGARTEN COP, TWINS, REVENGE OF THE NERDS, MAJOR LEAGUE, BLOODSPORT, BEST OF THE BEST, and GHOST (mostly just the parts with Whoopi’s dialogue). There were probably a few more in there, but those are the ones off the top of my head.
I also look back fondly on a lot of film/video projects we did starting in middle school and all through high school. My friends and I would always find any kind of excuse to turn class projects or presentations into films or videos. It was anything and everything from yearbook ads to book reports to commercials for the swim team. I was really into Tarantino movies in high school (still am), so a lot of them had random moments of violence and humor mixed together.
Maimounah:What kind of independent films did you do while going to school?
Jimmy:We did yearbook commercials while in high school. They were all like Reservoir Dog rip-offs. I also did a commercial for the swim team. In college I did a short film that was a modern interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s A Tell-Tale Heart. We also did a video for a Wushu club at the annual martial arts banquet. After I graduated from college I did a bunch of independent productions too, for example production management, production accounting, etc..
Maimounah:The movie Ping Pong Playa that you starred in will be released on DVD January 6 of this year. What is the movie Ping Pong Playa about?
Jimmy: PING PONG PLAYA is the story of a young man in his twenties, still living at home with his parents, a bit direction less (except when it comes to comic books and video games), and still with pipe dreams of becoming the first Chinese-American player in the NBA (even though he’s only good at schooling kids half his size on the court). His family is all about ping pong, though, and when his mother and older brother get injured in a car accident, he’s forced to teach his mom’s class of misfit children as well as defend the family honor at the local ping pong tournament.
Maimounah:What inspired you to write the movie Ping Pong Playa?
Jimmy: Well, the character of C-dub (the main character in PING PONG PLAYA) actually previously existed in this series of commercials for a website clothing company venomsportswear.com that some friends and I started up. The idea of C-dub was kind of inspired by my theory that the first Chinese-American player in the NBA did, in fact, exist at one point (for the record, there has still yet to be a Chinese-American player in the NBA up to this point in time), someone who had the natural physiology as well as the talent and skill to actually make it to the League. But instead of nurturing and encouraging his natural talents, his parents forced him into more traditional Asian-American endeavors, things like studying for the SATs, playing the violin, etc. even though he wasn’t as naturally gifted in those areas. If this kid did exist but only realized into his adulthood that he was robbed of his chance to play professional basketball, he might turn out a bit bitter like C-dub (but obviously, with a lot more talent than C-dub has basketball-wise). In terms of the ping pong aspect of it, that actually came from one of our producers, Joan Huang. Joan had mentioned the idea of doing a comedy centered around ping pong (this is, of course, long before the recent spat of ping pong movies that have come out in the last year or so). At the production company, Cherry Sky Films, we had worked with director Jessica Yu before on another one of her documentaries and had such an amazing time working with her that we were determined to find another project to team up on again. And when Joan mentioned the ping pong idea to Jessica, she’s the one who put two and two together and said basically, “Wouldn’t it be funny if C-dub were the protagonist in this movie?” And that’s where the movie pretty much started from.
Maimounah:Do you think the Asian male in America is beginning to overcome the challenges that he faces when it comes to how he is presented in the media whether it is in movies, television, or on stage?
Jimmy: That’s a good question. And one that would probably take a whole dissertation to answer in all its various facets. But I’ll try to break it down in just a paragraph or two. I think there is certainly some progress being made, especially within the Asian American community itself as far as us understanding the types of things we have to do and not do in order to get ourselves represented better. Things like speaking up, being vocal when we see an injustice; being aware of the types of roles that are out there and the need to diversify in terms of roles as well as stories and genres; going out there and actively supporting Asian-American projects and artists in order to try and push them beyond just our community and out into the mainstream. In terms of how much progress we’re making in the entertainment industry as a whole, I can’t say in good conscience that I think progress is where we would like for it to be. I think just a week or two ago, the NAACP issued a report about minorities represented in the film and television industries and, it’s pretty sad, but the state of things have barely improved–if even–in the last five years or so. A lot of the response from the studios is just lip service; nothing much has really changed. And it’s sad because I think there are certainly talented Asian-Am males who have proven that we are more than capable of carrying our own weight but have just not been given the opportunities. I don’t like to be the type to be complaining all the time, but I’ve been around long enough to be able to call it like I see it. And that’s the way I see it. That’s just a capsule answer, but this is definitely an ongoing discussion/debate/discourse that could take up at least a book or two.
Maimounah:What is your favorite movie of all time and why?
Jimmy:I would probably have to say, A Bullet In the Head which is a Hong Kong movie directed by John Woo. I like it because it has that amazing action and character development in the movie. It portrayed things I’m interested in like brotherhood, honor, loyalty, and friendship. It struck me at a visual and emotional level and I love movies that do that.
Maimounah:What kind of projects do you have planned coming up next?
Jimmy: Well, I’m doing quite a bit of writing right now, trying to finish up on a few scripts–one is a comedy that I’m writing with Jessica; the others that I’m doing myself are more action-oriented. Even though the VENOM SPORTSWEAR stuff and PING PONG PLAYA are comedies, I’m actually a bit of an action junkie. One of the things I want to try and bring back is the John Woo and other directors pioneered back in the heyday of Hong Kong action cinema–stories that had amazing action and balletic bloodshed but with characters and themes centered around honor, loyalty, and brotherhood. That’s definitely an interest of mine.
I’m also producing or supervising a few more projects over at Cherry Sky Films with my friends Jeff and Joan (the founders of Cherry Sky). We have a crime thriller set along the Mexican-American border that we’re trying to put together as well as a horror movie that I truly believe has the potential to be the next THE FLY (the Cronenberg version). We’re also putting the finishing touches on this web series with these young, talented filmmakers that is basically about washed-up Power Rangers it’s totally profane, politically incorrect, and funny as hell!
PING PONG PLAYA AFTER MOVIE COMMENTARY WITH JESSICA YU