Interview with Julia Ling

She owns Morgan’s heart, she prefers Linux and Star Wars, and she just might be Chuck’s future ally in the secret agent wars - Julia Ling talks to ChuckTV.net about playing Anna Hu and holding her own on Chuck.

ChuckTV.net: Ms. Ling, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We here at ChuckTV.net are really enjoying watching Anna become an integral part of Team Bartowski.

Julia Ling: Thank YOU !

CTV: What is it that drew you to the role of Anna? How much of you is in the character?

JL: I wish I could be as techy as Anna!(laughs)

I struggled in engineering. Sometimes through frustrating hours just to find a tiny stupid programming mistake. Anna totally makes computer-fixing a piece of cake. What’s really cool about her, though, is not her computer-building expertise, but the strongly grounded confidence she’s got in herself. Although she may feel socially incapable of expressing her deep emotions, she will never succumb to societal norms. Anna isn’t the type of person who will try to dress a certain way or pretend to say certain things just to “fit in”. She’s got a take-me-or-leave-me attitude, a part of her which was inspired from Ayn Rand’s “Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged”, novels I particularly bonded with in high school and college.

Anna may seem intimidating or indifferent with her nonchalance and heavy makeup, but she’s really just another computer geek who loves RPG and feels right at home with the boys. She works at the Buy More not because she needs the money, but because she loves her friends. Come to think of it, them Chucksters at the Buy More are family to me too.

And the moment of truth… I’m SUCH a geek. Reasons why Anna and I could be good friends: Anime, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Counsterstrike, Munchkins, Dungeons and Dragons, Call of Duty, etc.

One thing Anna and I have in common is that we’d both say “Linux Ownz!” I’m more into chemistry than Anna is though. Last year for Christmas, I thoroughly enjoyed buying someone a coffee mug with a caffeine molecule on it. Thought I was particularly clever until the mug’s handle broke. I was also attracted to the useless but adorable R2D2 and mini Yoda robots, and Mara Jade’s pink light saber.



CTV: Is there anything you don’t like about Anna, or just don’t identify with?

JL: I had a hard time figuring out why Anna was so jealous of Ellie. How silly. I cannot think of a time that I ever felt jealous like her. I guess I’m lucky that always been able to trust my guy completely, even if he was alone with someone else or halfway around the world.

Now here’s a thought I actually rather enjoy: Supposing there really is something fishy going on between Morgan and Ellie. Anna might just find a way to hook up with Ellie instead, then run off with her while leaving Morgan to wonder what had just happened. Okay, I’m really not THAT evil, but I gotta admit, that would have been cooler than jealous-Anna!




CTV: That would be an awesome twist! I’ll bet the guys would love it.

JL: Anna is crazy! (laughs) She believes in maintaining the balances between forces of good and evil. She may go out of her way to practice this conviction. Crazy girl.

CTV: What would you like to see happen with Anna in the future? Based on your own impressive set of accomplishments (languages, martial arts, leadership), I think Anna should become a secret agent herself!

JL: Sometimes, I wonder whether Anna truly is so oblivious to all that’s going on. She strikes me as the type of person who will pick up on clues around the Buy More. Anna is smooth and dangerous when her job calls for it, but yet so sweet and almost naive in her relationship with Morgan.

She can definitely be a great ally of Chuck’s when it comes to hacking into systems. She’s also keen and quick to respond. And she’ll stay calm and keep her composure in emergencies, which allows me to believe that she’s got what it takes to be a secret agent herself, and would be a very good one too.

CTV: What is Anna’s specialty in the Nerd Herd? How do you feel about playing the only female Nerd Herder?


JL: Anna is proficient in all OS, but is an absolute Linux snob. She’s efficient in many languages of computer programming, algorithms, debugging, hacking, etc. She understands in detail the anatomy of each hardware piece that goes into a computer tower.

As for playing the only female Nerd Herder, I don’t really think about it. I feel comfortable with all the boys, both as Anna and as Julia. The thought just never crossed my mind.

CTV: It’s been fun to watch the Anna/Morgan relationship develop. Do you think Morgan realizes Anna is actually in control?

JL: Anna, in control? I like the way you put it. Yeah baby! (laughs) They’re a really cute couple to watch. Morgan doesn’t seem to believe Anna is in control. She’s generally very cool with Morgan, for the most part, letting him do whatever he wants.

CTV: Rumor has it someone on the show is getting engaged soon. Will we be seeing Morgan in a tuxedo featuring shorts anytime soon?

JL: With shiny, polished tennis shoes and a decorated bike reading “Just Married”?

CTV: That is not an answer! Okay, moving on… You guys seem to have a lot of fun on camera – what is the chemistry like off screen? The Nerd Herders seem like the group that would play practical jokes on everyone else.

JL: Oh the chemistry is absolutely GREAT. The Nerd Herders probably would play AWESOME practical jokes! But we haven’t done anything yet. Still trying to be good. I get the feeling some shall soon cave in to their mischievous impulses.

CTV: We’ll have to check back with you later on, then. Between Lost, Heroes, Cashmere Mafia and other new shows, Asian actors seem to be getting noticed far more than before, and are finally being given chances to take center stage. Have you seen this make a difference in the roles you are playing?

JL: Absolutely. One of the biggest difficulties in this business was trying to convince the world that we’ve got something to sell other than our stereotypical values. And I suspect it’s the same for other “ethnic” groups as well. But all of that’s rapidly changed. Over the last couple years, the variety of roles for Asian Americans has really expanded. Asian women are no longer just the smart nerd or the kung fu dominatrix. The Asian American filmmakers in the generation before me have really showed a flexible range with their innovative ways in story-telling. They’ve created all kinds of interesting, fun, powerful and unforgettable characters.



CTV: You had a recurring role on last season’s Studio 60, which ended too soon, in my opinion. As a viewer, the show looked a little chaotic as a behind-the-scenes account of putting on a sketch show; was it chaotic in real life as well?


JL: There was definitely a lot going on, hundreds of extras, tons of things. But my overall experience of the show was that it was a lot more exciting and fun than chaotic. You saw the greatest in leadership. You saw the best in filmmaking. Producers and directors made great on-the-spot decisions. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing. They were well-organized, hardworking, punctual, responsible, funny… Always positive. The scripts were brilliantly written and easy to follow. Directors and actors came prepared but with an open-mind. Crew guys were strong – I couldn’t help it… I’m a woman – and they were very quick and efficient. We were in great hands.

CTV: Your role on Studio 60 required you to speak Mandarin and play the viola; how much of that did you have to learn for the part vs. what you already knew?

JL: Mandarin is one of the languages I speak, so it wasn’t difficult to learn Kim Tao’s lines for Studio 60. I did script out everything in Chinese for continuity purposes. And for accuracy, I reviewed my written translations with a few Chinese experts. There were scenes where Kim was to read from a newspaper column to her father. The jargon for a newspaper column is definitely different from the everyday conversation I was used to, so I purchased a Chinese magazine and compared the syntax, and got further help from language experts.

As for playing the viola, I was lucky I wasn’t asked to do it on the show. I talked to a viola player and asked her to show me how it was done. I did some research on being a musician and learned how to hold an instrument, how to hold the case once the instrument is inside, how to walk, talk, etc.

CTV: Well, we think you’re just amazing! Thanks so much for talking with us; we look forward to seeing more of you soon!

Like this interview? Learn more about Julia at her website. And check out our exclusive chat with Sarah Lancaster, too!

Original page : ChuckTV.net

Interview with Sarah Lancaster

ChuckTV.net recently had the opportunity to talk with Sarah Lancaster, aka Ellie Bartowski, about being the big sister, dating Captain Awesome, and helping Agent Walker find her inner girly-girl. Read on for the dish from the delightful Sarah Lancaster, exclusively here on ChuckTV.net.

CTV: I’m so excited that we get to talk to you. You’re our first interview.

SL: I’m very excited to do it. I was actually looking at the website a few days ago, I hadn’t seen it before. It’s really cool.

CTV: Thank you. Congratulations on the full season pick up!

SL: Oh gosh, we’re so excited! We’re thrilled! We were on set this week and they came down and made the announcement. It’s kind of bittersweet in a way, because we still have to shut down production with everything that’s going on with the Writer’s Guild, but we’re really, really thrilled to hopefully go back to work as soon as they resolve stuff.

CTV: So how do you get from Kansas to network television?

SL: Click your heels. (laughs)

CTV: Oh no! You did not just do that!


SL: I know, I fell into the trap! (laughs) No, my father’s job transferred him to Orange County when I was in grade school.

CTV: So you grew up around the business?

SL: Well, kind of. In Kansas it seemed so far away, but once we got to Orange County all of a sudden it becomes a possibility, you know? So I asked my parents if I could get headshots and find an agent and all that jazz and my mom started driving me up to L.A. for auditions and now here I am.

CTV: Did you know from an early age that you wanted to act?

SL: Well, I was a shy kid, I never did theater or anything like that, I was just painfully shy. But I loved watching movies and I loved watching TV. My brother wasn’t born until I was 9, so my early childhood was spent alone. I was a pretty solitary kid, so TV and movies were a big part of passing the time for me. I hadn’t really thought about [acting] until I got to California, then it just seemed like that might be a possibility. My parents were shocked because I was so painfully shy, they just couldn’t imagine how I would be able to walk into a room and audition for someone.

CTV: It’s different, though, when you’re up there saying someone else’s words.

SL: Yeah, definitely. Commercials didn’t take at all. I’m probably, like, the worst commercial auditioner ever! (laughs) I never booked a commercial. But give me a script with someone else’s words, and it’s fine, because it’s not me. No one’s judging what I have to say.

CTV: One of the things I like most about the show is the relationship between Chuck and Ellie. It’s rare to see siblings on TV who genuinely care about each other. You and Zac have a really great rapport in your scenes.

SL: It’s so great working with Zac. When I read for the role, Zac was in the room to read with me and we connected right away. He made me laugh and relax and we just got along really well. It’s weird but it actually feels like we’re brother & sister. I don’t get to see my baby brother very often, so it’s cool to have a fake brother on set. (laughs) But, yeah, Ellie and Chuck have had to kind of rely on each other for a long time, with their parents both gone. They are each other’s support.

CTV: It was interesting to hear, back in the “Mother’s Day” episode, more about the whereabouts of their parents. There is some speculation online that Momma Bartowski didn’t “leave”, she had to go “on a mission.”

SL: That would be really cool! I don’t know what that whole backstory is yet, I hope we get to explore it more this season. It would be awesome if spying turned out to be kind of the family business.

CTV: Do you think Chuck will ever move out?

SL: I hope not! I like having him there, and I think it’s important as far as the tension Chuck has between his two lives. If he moves out, it would be so much easier to keep everything a secret and remove a lot of that turmoil Chuck has about trying to balance the two.

CTV: The Ellie/Captain Awesome relationship…well, no, I should call him Devon. Ellie never calls him Captain Awesome, does she? She calls him Devon.

SL: Yeah, she does! (laughs) It’s “Devon”. Ellie and Devon, yes, the relationship is just moving right along and he’s just as perfect as he can be.

CTV: How hard is it to act opposite Ryan McPartlin when they keep putting him in, like, nothing? No clothes?

SL: I know! (laughs) You know, I’m almost immune to it now, which is kind of shocking because Ryan is really good-looking. Well, you’ve seen the show. But now it’s kind of like, oh yeah, that’s Ryan’s wardrobe. He’s always in shorts or naked or with leaves covering his bits. It’s kind of just another day at the office, you know. He’s a good sport about it, he really is.

CTV: It’s kind of odd they’re putting the guy in those outfits.


SL: Yeah, I know, for a while I was kind of smug, you know, lounging around in my scrubs all the time and not worrying about what I had to wear. I made some comment about that and one of the writers said, “Oh, I guess you haven’t read the Halloween episode yet.” Then I was like, “ACK!” So, that was my payback for being comfortable.

CTV: Speaking of scrubs, we got to see Dr. Ellie in action a couple of episodes ago, in “Chuck vs. the Truth”, which was awesome. Will we see more of that?

SL: I hope so, I thought that was fun, letting her show what she’s made of like that.

CTV: I have to ask you about working with Adam Baldwin.

SL: Oh gosh, he’s so great! He brings so much to his character. I just love watching him work. He can make what’s on the page so different than what you’d expect, it’s just awesome.

CTV: So do you guys do a lot of improv?

SL: Yes, we do. In fact, McG really encourages it. I was intimidated at first, going in there with Zac and Joshua and Adam who are so funny and quick, but eventually you start to get the hang of it. It’s fun to watch the episodes when they air and see what they left in.

CTV: Yeah, I guess it’s a surprise to you guys when you watch the final project, even though you were there when it was made.

SL: Yeah, and it’s been a lot of fun sort of working on that skill. You know, I’d been doing all these dramas, I’d just finished [‘What About Brian’], so it’s been awesome to work on a lighter show, something that is totally different.

CTV: How was the transition from ‘Brian’ and its drama to ‘Chuck’ and its “dramedy”?

SL: Oh, it was great. I’d been looking for something different and this script just had everything I was looking for. It wasn’t like anything I’d read before and I was so excited about working on the show. It’s an awesome job.

CTV: Awesome?

SL: (laughs) I know! We’re all hyper-aware of that word now. Everything on set is “awesome”.



CTV: Let’s talk about the Ellie/Morgan relationship. What in the world is going on there?

SL: With Morgan? Oh, I think he has a little crush on Ellie.

CTV: More than a crush, I’d say! I was watching the Thanksgiving episode and how Anna reacted to Ellie. What was Ellie thinking about Anna? How did you “act” those scenes?

SL: Um, confused! I mean, for one thing Ellie was confused about Anna. You know, Morgan has a girlfriend? What? And then for her to act like that towards Ellie, I think Ellie was just confused by the whole thing. She has Awesome, why would Anna think she’d dump him and go after Morgan? I love working with Joshua, though. He’s so funny.

CTV: We haven’t really seen much interaction between Ellie and Sarah (the character).

SL: Yeah, that’s a shame, huh? I think Ellie should sort of take Sarah under her wing, take her out for a girls’ night or a spa day or something. I think Sarah is so involved with the CIA, you know, work is her whole life, that she never really learned how to be a girl. She doesn’t really have girlfriends that she can hang out with. I think Ellie could help her with that.

CTV: Good point. To be a girly-girl myself for a minute, you can kind of see that in their wardrobes: Ellie’s is kind of bohemian and free-flowing, while Sarah’s is all structured and no-frills.

SL: You’re right. And you know, we’re all a little bit like our characters, and Yvonne is like Sarah in that way. We were on set early on and she kept looking at my feet, then finally she started asking me about where I went to get a pedicure, and how long does a pedicure last, and what all was involved. It turned out, she’d never had a pedicure! You know, she comes from Australia and she’s this adventuress, she’s just not into the girly stuff. I hooked her up, though. She knows all about that stuff now. (laughs)

CTV: So what’s next for Ellie? If you were writing for her, what would you have her do?

SL: Oh, good question. I’d like to learn more about their parents and what happened there, but, you know, the writers are so good at coming up with stuff that we could never think of, I think I’ll leave it to them.

CTV: I guess those are all the questions I have for now. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. It’s been just delightful to visit with you.

SL: Oh, my pleasure. I look forward to visiting the site again and seeing what’s going on over there.

Original page : ChuckTV.net

Interview with Zachary Levi

Special Thanks to Cheri Levesque @ Young Hollywood LLC for this video

Spoiler - CHUCK

Select text in red table below to read.

We'll be flashing back to Casey's spy-boy past and his war-zone love affair with a gorgeous photojournalist named Isla. He thought she was dead, she's alive, she's not what she seemed to be, hijinks ensue.

Source: e-online