In an exclusive interview, Flickering Myth sat down with actress Kunjue Li to talk about her role in ‘Ancient Assassins’ and ‘Razors: The Return of Jack the Ripper’.
FM: How have your family reacted to your career choice and your successes in the entertainment industry? Was it always your dream to be an actor?
It was my childhood dream to be an actor, but my parents never allowed me perusing it further when I was younger. I wanted to learn drama and dancing, and my parents forced me to learn math and literature. When I completed my degree in LSE, I was fortunate enough to get a marketing job. I worked for a year and half until I had enough money to pay for drama school. I quit my job and went to drama school. My parents were shocked at first, but we had a lengthy conversation about what makes me happy, and they were finally on board with me perusing a career as an actor. They are now very supportive of me. They sometimes even ask me how my auditions went.
FM: I understand you were born in mountainous areas near Tibet. What was it like growing up there?
It was fantastic. I feel my biggest gift from my parents was to grow up in the mountainous area in Tibet. There were a bunch of kids, all around the similar age. We rode horses, sang, set up a camp fire, played hide and seek in the mountains, caught small animals, birds, swam in the hot spring. I felt like I grew up as a boy, playing in the mud. For my 10th birthday, my dad made me a bow, just to let me know I was actually a girl.
FM: What and who inspired you to become an actress?
When I was 5, we had a colored TV. That was a big thing in the village. All the kids came to my house to watch TV every evening, I loved the attention TV got us, also the “tiny people” inside. I always wanted to be those “tiny people” that lived inside the TV box. I just felt it must be such a fascinating world inside the TV.
FM: I understand you have trained at the Drama Studio London and also with some notable acting instructors. How important is training for you as an actor?
I think training is very important to an actor. At the least, it gives you the confidence. You feel you are trained, and at times, given a box of tools you can rely on when intuition doesn’t work. I am a big fan of the craft of acting, I am a big believer in “you never stop learning and training”. Like a pianist, you will always play the piano, no matter how many concerts you perform.
FM: You are one of the lead actresses in the fantasy-horror movie ‘Razors: The Return of Jack the Ripper’ currently out on Amazon Video. Can you tell us about the film and the role you played? How did you prepare yourself as an actor?
It is a Gothic-horror film and I played a Gothic lesbian writer. It was such a fun role to play. I didn’t understand the Gothic culture before, so I began vigorous research for the role. I read so much about Gothic culture and the beauty behind it, and death. Now I really can appreciate the gothic culture. It is a very cool movie. It appeals to both horror and Gothic fans. I hope you are able to see it.
FM: You recently had a prominent role in Ancient Assassins on the Discovery Channel. Can you tell us a bit about your role and what it was like to work on such a big TV show?
Working on ‘Ancient Assassins’ was just awesome. I played a real woman called Tomoe Gozen. She was the only female samurai in Japanese culture, and the Emperor’s lover. It was such a fun experience being her. The more I researched her, the more I felt like I knew her somehow. We both practiced martial arts, I still do. We are both ambitious and both will do anything for love. It was a strange feeling. I definitely channeled Tomoe for this role. When we were filming, I felt like the character just took over me. I didn’t have to do any script analysis, like I normally do. I knew exactly what to do and how to say those lines as her, it was an amazing experience – I just became Tomoe Gozen. What was really cool too was, we filmed it in Japanese. That was new for me!
FM: Do you have a particular genre of film you prefer? If so can you explain.
Oh yes definitely, sci-fi and action films are my favorite. I am a huge geek. I play video games all the time, and read graphic novels. I know almost all the Marvel and DC Comics characters. I feel the film industry is an escape from real life, where people have super powers and do cool action things. I like action films because my father is a big Kung-Fu film fan, and we would watch them together as a kid. I have always loved the idea of being the female hero who has all the kickass martial arts skills and saves the world. That would be my perfect acting role.
FM: Are there any actors or directors you would love to work with in the future? Any actor you’d like to play alongside?
Oh hundreds! For sure though Woody Allen. I watched ‘Annie Hall’ with Diane Keaton, when I was a kid, and was blown away by the film. I am a real sucker for anything romantic. Woody Allen’s films are a genius mix of reality and romance. I love that. He would be my number one choice!
FM: Do you get to go to the cinema much? Any films you have enjoyed lately?
Actually yes. I make a habit of going to the movies almost every week. The most recent film that I really liked is ‘Suicide Squad’. I liked the characters and the “badassness” of the style. I am a huge super hero film fan like I said before – anything DC Comics or Marvel and I’m there.
FM: Finally, any advice you would give any actor who is trying to break into the entertainment industry?
It is tough to break into the entertainment industry, but if you are passionate and really want to have a career in entertainment, you must keep going. You must keep pushing forward, working on your craft and most of all, believe in yourself.
Our thanks to Kunjue for taking the time to do this interview, as well as Liz Rodriguez from EMR Media for helping us with the interview.
