INT: Stephen Chow

Stephen Chow is a familiar name to many. He created the off-beat and humorous films KUNG FU HUSTLE and SHAOLIN SOCCER. He has a quirky way to tell his stories. With unique casting and a sense of the outlandish mixed with a sense of reality. His latest film, CJ7, is a family film that is as tragic as they come. But it is also very funny and that is helped by the its star Xu Jiao, the young lady who takes on the role of a little boy named Dicky Chow.

I sat down with the two of them recently at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. With a translator on hand, I asked them both about dealing with the tragic and comedic aspects of the script. And being that this was Stephen’s homage to ET, Mr. Chow talked about why he made the film now, so many years after first watching the Steven Spielberg classic. I found both of them to be incredibly nice. Xu Jiao is such a sweet little girl, it’s nice to see a child actor who still seems like a child. And if you are in the mood for something that is a little sad and a little funny and a little bizarre, check out CJ7 which opens in Los Angeles and New York on Friday, March 7.