Quirky wunderkind stand-up and Knocked Up actress?Charlyne Yi is usually found around the LA stand-up circuit making all types of people chuckle.
Recently, she's been taking a break from the mic to write and star in Paper Heart; a hybrid rom/com documentary co-starring Michael Cera.
The film is now heading to DVD for Valentine?s Day and the lovely Charlyne took some time out to talk to us about the film and all things luuuuuvveee…
Hecklerspray: Hi, how are you?
Charlyne Yi: Good, just lying in bed.
HS: I hope we haven't woke you too early?
CY: It's not too early for me!
HS: Paper Heart is coming out here on DVD soon – tell us what it is all about.
CY: I'm so bad at this. I never have gotten any better! It's a half documentary and half fictional film about a character named Charlyne and her journey to make a documentary about love. On her journey she meets a character called Michael Cera who tries to contradict her belief on love – on how she sorta doesn't believe in it – and tests her against it.
HS: As everyone keeps saying, it's an unconventional love story. Do you think audiences are looking for more from their romantic comedies, with other notable examples like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and 500 Days Of Summer?
CY: I think, strangely, every story has been told. It does fit into the conventions of boy wants girl or girl wants guy, but I think it is definitely how you shoot it. I'm not sure if our movie is that crazy, I think it is just the medium we chose to tell the story. Hopefully it's not too strange. I'm not sure if folks are looking for something new but I don't think it is that out of the ordinary in the way the story is told.
HS: What were your influences for the film? Were you a big romantic film fan or was it born out of your own cynical opinion of love?
CY: I do like a lot of romantic films, a lot of cheesy ones. I wasn?t meant to be seen as cynical or jaded. As far as the character; she is just questioning the idea of love and deep down she says she doesn't believe in love, but that is a bit of an exaggeration on my personal feelings which was the inspiration for making the movie originally.
It was going to be a doc and it was just me questioning the idea of, like, how do you know when you're in love, how could you ever be sure? Feelings are so complicated, you can like somebody one day and the next be like – do I really like them? Or you can be with someone for 50 years and your questioning, like, if you're gonna to get a divorce and that is such a scary thing to question if you've been with someone for decades. And if it didn't work out after the 50 years and you were just divorced, does that mean that that was never love because it never worked out or does it mean that was love then and now it is over? So that was kinda the inspiration, to try to understand love, which, I don't think anyone can ever understand, and I knew that going into it.
I think the point of it was, at the time, I had a lot of strangers opening up to me, telling me these amazing stories.
HS: So did you find it difficult to get the people in the film to open up to you?
CY: Well, some of the people there were from postings in newspapers and the casting director went from town to town and just asked ?Hey, do you know any couples who have been together for 50 years or anyone with great love stories??. So some people were asked in that form and some people were really spontaneous like the bikers. Strangely, people were just so excited to share these stories, I think they were so proud of their love stories and, like, ?I'll tell you a thing about love ? I can teach you!? I think people were really open to it. We weren't like mocking them, we just wanted something genuine.
HS: The film mainly focuses on the relationship between yourself and Michael Cera ? who found it the most difficult to play themselves?
CY: Michael, it's funny, I actually think he liked playing a character of himself. I think he enjoyed the idea of messing with reality and how he is perceived, as I think I do with my live performances. But I don't think it was difficult to play a character of myself. I think it was difficult period to learn how to act. A lot of the time Nick (the director) mentioned that I have the characteristics of a cartoon, saying I had broad gestures in real life. Like extremely broad! So he had to tone me down to a human being so I could be perceived as realistic. It was kinda cool learning how to mute how I would originally react.
HS: Turn the volume down on your personality.
CY: (Laughs) Yeah.
HS: Did you worry at all about how you would be perceived by the audience? Some people will think this is you throughout it and, y?know, if you turned around and said ?I don't like Star Wars? people may turn around and say ?I don't like her, she doesn't like Star Wars?!
CY: (Laughs) That's a funny thing not to like someone about! I think we knew going in that some people will not read the credits. I don't think we've been that secretive about the reality parts and the fictional parts of the film but I don't think we have a problem with the way we are perceived. I think we kinda enjoyed that part of the element.
HS: Do you like Star Wars?
CY: Errrm, I haven't actually seen it!
HS: How can you not have seen it?
CY: I don't know, I've only seen like 15 movies in my entire life!
HS: And you starred in one of those!
CY: Yeah, I had to watch Paper Heart while we were editing. A lot!
HS: You are also a comedian and musician as well – have you been over to the UK at all?
CY: No I haven't. I've just started to perform out of the state, just recently, so I'm just kinda getting my foot in the door clubbing somewhere else that's not in LA. I'd love to at some point, when I get better.
HS: Well you're always described in reviews as quirky, would you prefer being known as anything else?
CY: It's funny, I almost feel like quirky is negative now. I'm not really sure what it means either. I think maybe it means different. I'm not sure, I'll take it, whatever!
HS: Well the film is coming to DVD, do you think it'll make for a nice romantic film for Valentine?s Day?
CY: I don't really want to be presumptuous and say yes in case they hate it. I think that everyone has their own taste and definitely some people love the movie and some people thought it was OK and some people hated it. That is the reality of all movies, so I don't wanna be arrogant that it's gonna make the best movie for everyone.
HS: It'll probably make a better Valentine movie than Schindler?s List, though?
CY: (Laughs) Definitely! That's a good point.
HS: You can put that on the DVD box.
CY: That?ll make a great marketing slogan. Maybe I'll make a fake commercial for it.
HS: Have you had any bad Valentine dates yourself?
CY: No, I think strangely? no I haven't. I guess that's not strange.
HS: Finally, to wrap things up ? what does love mean to you now you've made the film?
CY: I'm not sure, I think it is different with every experience and is very unique to the individual. I know this is very vague but it is hard to define how you feel and to distinguish whether you are in love or not. (Pause) I don't know. I often go; oh man I'd love to have an ice cream! I think we love a lot of things and it's just in a different way. ??
Look out for the quirky Charlyne in Paper Heart ? on DVD 8th February ? from Anchor Bay Films.
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