INTERVIEW: QUENTIN LEE

QUENTIN LEE’S UNCONVENTIONAL DIRECTING TACTICS IN ‘THE PEOPLE I’VE SLEPT WITH’

When actress Karin Anna Cheung felt uncomfortable doing some of the sex scenes THE PEOPLE I’VE SLEPT WITH script demanded, director Quentin Lee had an unconventional solution.

“To make her feel more comfortable, I offered to do a scene with her where I was totally naked with a leash around my collar,” said Lee, who’s also a long-time friend of Cheung’s. “If I had asked any actor to do this, it would be considered exploitative. But if I did it, then no one could accuse me of being exploitative.”

His tactics must have worked, because Cheung seems complete at ease embodying the character of Angela Yang, a self-described “slut” whose promiscuous ways are rudely interrupted by an unexpected pregnancy. The quirky comedy screens Saturday, May 1 at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 7:00 PM at the Directors Guild of America. BUY TICKETS

The film is the brainchild of Cheung and Lee, who wanted to make an Asian American female-driven picture about dating. In the vein of Spike Lee’s SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, they hoped to use their leading lady’s sexuality to tell a story about empowerment and exploration, rather than exploitation.

“Karin and I also wanted to do something that’s gay, so we came up with the Gabriel character,” said Lee. “We wanted Gabriel’s character to be substantial and significant, not just a sidekick type of role, so we really developed Gabriel’s story alongside Angela’s.” They pulled in screenwriter Koji Steven Sakai (who happened to have a crush on Cheung from her cheerleader role in BETTER LUCK TOMORROW), and the script began to fall into place.

With the help of her gay best friend Gabriel, Angela tracks down her last five lovers to collect DNA samples for paternity tests. Since she keeps track of all of her conquests in a set of statistics-bearing photo cards, Angela easily narrows down her list to winners like “Nice-But-Boring-Guy”—played by the hilarious and scene-stealing Randall Park—and her secret favorite, “Mr. Mystery,” played by the hunky Archie Kao.

The film focuses on the dual journeys of Angela and Gabriel, with both individuals trying on wedding dresses, wading through past mistakes, and dreaming about the perfect relationship. For Gabriel, that means settling down and giving up his life as the “gay cliché,” and for Angela, it means confessing to Mr. Mystery that she doesn’t know whether or not he’s the father of her baby. THE PEOPLE I’VE SLEPT WITH is a refreshing, hilarious romp you won’t want to miss. BUY TICKETS

- Lori Kido Lopez