(Photo credit to Richie Lubaton)
Ronin Wong shares stories about his exciting new role in season 4 of “The Sinner” and time on set in “Man in the High Castle.”
The multi-talented actor, writer, director, and musician has a 25-year long career in the arts that include CW’s “Kung Fu” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”, Freeform’s “Siren” and Amazon’s “Man in the High Castle”. Recently he wrote and directed his first short film called “Eight Short Films About Cell Phones” that premiered at the Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon. He has instrumental music out: Inspirations by Ronin, and A Comet’s Tale. He even performed the ukulele at the 2010 Winter Olympics in BC, Canada. Get up close with Ronin!
Colleen Bement: Thank you very much for taking time out to chat with Nerd Alert News. Congratulations on your role in “The Sinner.” I know quite a few people who are really enjoying that show. It’s fresh and creative. What can you tell us about your character?
Ronin Wong: Thanks for the interview. It’s my pleasure. I’m glad to hear people are enjoying the show.
Mike Lam is a lobster fisherman in a small fishing town in Maine. He is hard-working and completely dedicated to his family. Even though the Lams have lived there for 20 years, they are still treated as outsiders by much of the town. The townsfolk are particularly put out that the Lams have succeeded in acquiring a boat and also have a thriving restaurant. Despite all the hardship and trauma he’s suffered, Mike maintains a calm sense of dignity and reason. But, things are about to turn violent and Mike will be forced to reckon with the horrible compromises he’s made to get to where he is.
CB: I’d love to ask you about one of the most impressive shows I’ve seen in years, “Man in the High Castle.” I remember you in that role and I’m curious what your experience was like on the set.
RW: It was quite the experience beginning with the audition. I learned how to sing “Home on the range” in Japanese (and I don’t speak Japanese). I came into the audition with my guitar and sang. Also, they had me perform Tumbling Tumbleweeds by Roy Rogers (this one in English). Fortunately for me, I’ve been playing and teaching the guitar for a long while, so I could play and sing in the cowboy style from the 1940s that they wanted for this part.
Before going on set, I went into a recording studio. I sang Tumbling Tumbleweeds in a Japanese translation specifically made for “Man in the High Castle.” I had a dialect coach there at the recording studio to make sure my pronunciation was authentic.
On set, I lip-synced to my pre-recorded track performing for guests at the Japanese Embassy. For my scenes, I got to wear a cowboy outfit including spurs and guns. They also put make-up on me like the singing cowboys of old. It’s surprisingly difficult to walk with long metal spurs on your heels, carrying two big pistols in holsters on either side of your gun belt. I learned why cowboys walk bowlegged – it makes sense – your spurs don’t run into each other and you keep your gun belt from falling.
CB: Your career is just so impressive with acting, writing, directing, and music. I have a couple of questions to ask on this. 1.) What is it about entertaining people that is so fullfilling and 2.) When did you realize that you wanted to be a full-time actor?
RW: 1.) You know, I don’t actually think of it as entertaining people. I know it is entertainment and that’s the goal but I’m focused more on crafting a song, a performance, or a book. If I do it well, it will be entertaining. I like being creative – I can’t stand routine, and I like having a goal. The arts I participate in give me that outlet.
RW: 2.) I knew I wanted to be full-time in the arts in my early 20s. I had tried the corporate world and while it was lucrative, it was a very poor fit for me. Given the amount of time I’d spend at a job, it made sense to start working at something I enjoy. Since then, I’ve been working on different disciplines depending on what I felt like at the time and also depending on what was working best. At times, acting has been the thing that has worked out the best. Currently, I’m riding a wave of acting successes. I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
CB: I love it that you’ve watched thousands of films stretching way back to the 1880s and that you write reviews of every film. My jaw dropped when I read that. You mentioned that you were thinking of starting a blog for fun. Yes, please! I would definitely read it. Could you squeeze in a little time in your busy schedule for that?
RW: Thanks so much for your interest!! Film history is my hobby. I would watch and review the films for fun even if it had nothing to do with my profession. I’m not ready to do a full blog yet. I think I might test the waters by sharing condensed reviews on sites like Rotten Tomatoes. I’ll get to see how I like it and how readers might respond to it. If all goes well, I’ll definitely get started on the blog!
CB: I read that you have 2 albums of instrumental music out called Inspirations by Ronin, and A Comet’s Tale. What inspires you to create music?
RW: Music was the first art form my parents allowed me to participate in. I had piano lessons from about age 8. The lessons were fine but I was more curious about how I could create my own songs. The music became a part of me. I create music because I have to-it’s something I need to do. More recently, I’ve started to use music as a kind of therapy and write about things I’m feeling or have felt in the past. Sometimes, it’s a way of trying to understand myself and others. I also feel that music can be a powerful source for unity and that’s something the world really needs these days.
CB: Is there a role in your long career that was particularly challenging?
RW: I once did a play called “Fragments of a Farewell Letter Read By Geologists” We staged it as if we were in a real hearing – we used a classroom in a university. I sat with the audience in the classroom chairs. For my part, I had to sit silent for about 90 minutes, and then deliver my testimony – most of which was a long philosophical monologue that lasted close to 25 minutes. My character was Cambodian and I learned some Cambodian phrases for the part. I also worked hard on the accent to get it as authentic as I could make it. That role challenged my brain like nothing else has ever done. During rehearsals for the play, I could actually feel electricity running through my head as I struggled to memorize the lines and keep the character together.
CB: What do you do to unwind from a stressful day?
RW: I love to look at and play the games in my collection. I am nuts about tabletop games: board games and role-playing games. RPGs especially are great. I still get to be creative but I don’t have the demands that always accompany work. Playing or being a gamemaster feels very liberating – the game can go in just about any direction on any given night.
Written by Colleen Bement
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