Julia Ling is currently returning to NBC’s Chuck on May 10, 2010. She stars as Anna Wu, who left the show after Season 2. Julia is also featured in this year’s Sundance film “High School”. Movie Mikes had a chance talk to Julia and she tells us that “Chuck’s” Anna is back and has a few surprises to bring with her.
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Mike Gencarelli: You majored in chemical engineering, have you always wanted to act?
Julia Ling: I have always loved performing. I started when I was three playing the piano, dancing, singing and drawing. I just never knew I could make a living out of it. I started doing it on the side as a hobby. I kept on booking things. So that’s also when I was studying chemical engineering. I was very torn at the time. I started calling up a lot of engineers and asked them what it was like doing their job. After that I pursued acting instead [laughs].
Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about you role on NBC’s “Chuck”, do you enjoy playing Anna Wu?
Julia Ling: I love Anna. She kicks ass. She embodies what women like and is a display of female empowerment. She wears wild makeup, short skirts and lots of jewelry. It is so much fun. Although outside the show, I cannot wear that stuff out around town without consequences. It is great, I love playing her.
Mike Gencarelli: Are you excited about your return to “Chuck”, tell us about that?
Julia Ling: I am so excited. I am very eager to hear what the fans thinks as well when they watch it. Anna has been down in Hawaii, so she has a little sexy tan going when she returns. She has some score to settle with Morgan. His character has been changing a lot in season three. Anna is coming back and going to have a really big surprise.
MG: You started your own production company, Silver Rose Entertainment? Tell me about that?
JL: I started a little production company. I have some stories I want to tell. Hopefully I will be able to tell them appropriately someday. Part of being creative, is being able to tell stories. I eventually want to write, produce and direct.
MG: How do you find starring in TV different from movies?
JL: Movies are a lot more slowly paced. With “Chuck”, we get our script and film the entire scene over the next eight days. When we filmed my upcoming movie “High School”, we took like two pages and filmed over five days. With TV, you are filming eight pages in one day. I like doing both, but with movies I am able to travel more. I just finished the TV show, “The Deep End” and that is filming in Texas. It was much fun.
MG: What are your passions besides acting?
JL: Last year, I went on a USO tour. I absolutely love our military. It was really interesting. Plus I got to fire a shotgun. There is actually a video of me up on YouTube or my Facebook of me firing the shotgun. I love singing, dancing, painting, horseback riding and playing role playing games. I love even the outdoorsy stuff, like backpacking. I just did a 40-mile backpacking trip earlier this year. There is nothing like getting out there and appreciating nature. We saw fresh mountain lion paw prints and h
eard them purring in the night and it was amazing.
MG: We read something about you starring in a 3D zombie mermaid horror movie? What can you tell us about that?
JL: That is just in negotiations right now. It will be starring Bai Ling. There is nothing much to talk about yet. It looks really cool though, hopefully it will happen soon.
MG: Do you have anything else exciting planned for the future besides “Chuck”?
JL: I have another film called “Dynamite Swine”; it is a comedy about gambling. There is another one called “High School”, which starring Adrien Brody and Michael Chiklis. It was directed by John Stalberg, who co-wrote it with “The Grudge’s” Stephen Susco. “High School” was actually top 25 at Sundance this year. It is pretty hilarious. It is getting great review and it is a story of a school that gets HIGH. Everyone in the movie does a lot of getting high, including me. I have also been training hard in martial arts and in ballet. So just a lot of stuff going on.
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