Effy Han seems to have been born at the perfect time for her artistic career. As the Chinese and US film industries become more intertwined and collaborative, Han is an actress who is seriously grounded in both. An actor is able to access the truth of their roles due to their experiences and talent; growing up in China and then maturing in America gave Effy the advantage of keen insight into both cultures in our current era.
It’s no surprise that Director JJ Jia has relied on casting Han in numerous projects, including the upcoming feature film All Aboard. Alongside Han, this film stars George Stumpf (of the Oscar nominated Coen Brothers film Hail Caesar), Cici Lau (of Golden Globe winning TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Golden Globe nominated TV series Better Things), and Todd Stroik (of the Golden Globe nominated series TV Masters of Sex).
This spectacular cast depicts the connectivity all people share, presented through five individuals and their experience on an airplane. Currently in post-production, specifics of the storyline are minimal but actress Effy Han confides enough about her character Weiwei and experiences on this production to satiate interest until the film’s release.
While Han won’t cite exact storylines, she concedes that Director JJ Jia approached her with some very specific details about the performance. In addition to the need for a bilingual actor with a deep knowledge of the Chinese cultural experience, Jia required someone capable of deep emotional work. Han won’t go further than to concede that Weiwei’s journey is an explosive and tragic one.
Weiwei also has a physical impediment that is directly tied to the story. Effy’s lauded role as Helen Keller in “The Miracle Worker” and as Dr. Lou in 5150 have earned loud accolades for the physicality she brings to many of her roles; a calling card which likely brought the actress to Jia’s attention.
While the cast of this film is quite varied, there’s no denying the expanding presence of Chinese culture and actors in U.S. films. Congruent with its economy, China’s film industry is experiencing a major boom period and the artists essential to both country’s film communities are cross-pollinating to the benefit of each. As a result, an awareness of the people and cultures are becoming more detailed. The character Weiwei is a Chinese woman, one which Effy has taken great delight in presenting for American audiences in All Aboard.
She describes, “Weiwei represents the young Chinese females of this generation’s lives and realities. Her struggle is this generation’s struggle and her dream is definitely common among us. It is something I recognize and which resonates with so many of us. To have the honor to play this character is a dream come true for me.
All Aboard allows me to serve as the voice and image for this generation’s confusion, frustration, ambition, and dreams.” If this international film partnership is to continue and succeed, it will be a result of exceptional artists like Effy Han and her peers who possess insight into both cultures and their social norms.
Han confirms, “The two cultures/countries are such polar-opposites at times that people sometimes forget the similarities between us regardless of however different we are. As a result, damaging misunderstandings can happen. I don’t believe you can fully understand a culture and its people through only news and reports. The world needs artists to help communicate; this is my mission and what I’ve devoted my career to achieving.
What people seem to forget from time to time is that we are all human and respond to sincere human behavior. You need to approach your work with compassion, just like you need to see people from other backgrounds with love and a willingness to understand. If actors hold onto the humanity of things, they’re doing their job well. This is something I live by and want to communicate in my roles.”