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I grew up in Honolulu. It's not the ballet cultural mecca by any stretch of the imagination. People are much more familiar with hula than they are with ballet.

Joan Chen

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Joan Chen
Age: 63
Born: 1961
Born: April 26
Actor
Actress
Film Actor
Film Director
Film Producer
Screenwriter
Television Actor
Shanghai
China
Stretch
Ballet
Cultural
Familiar
Grew
Imagination
Hula
Much
Honolulu
People
Mecca

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I don't find intimate scenes more difficult than other scenes.
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Historically and culturally the Mongol women were very strong, they contributed as much as the men to their society, their community. Other than upper body strength, I think they were equal to the men. To compensate for the lesser upper body strength they had to be smarter, they had to think more, they had to consider things more carefully.
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Acting for me is not a bad habit like smoking that I must make an effort to quit. I love acting I love directing.
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I would say it's like a meditative process, to have everything done for you every morning.
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My fairy-tale life ended the moment I wanted to apply for a passport.
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All teenagers have this desire to somehow run away.
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There are many ways you can make money. Certain ways will make you happy, certain other ways will make other people happy. But if you go in because there's money in there, you're bound to fail, bound to fail!
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Physical hunger and physical poverty is something I could only imagine. I've been poor when I was in China... As kids we never had to starve, but just didn't have enough meat, enough rice.
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How do you explain certain physical qualities that somehow sell on screen? You're born with it... Certain people are just more watchable, and I was more watchable, but I don't think I understood acting or drama very well when I was a kid.
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Acting is actually private.
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If the costumes are wrong, you feel awful in them and it lessens your acting.
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I take class. I'm always ballet ready. I'm ready to go - got my tights and my shoes.
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The lowest budget U.S. films are ten times times better (than shooting in Tibet).
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America and China need to understand each other.
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I'm more interested in...I'm more of a descendent. I'm more critical. It comes from a different place and nowadays the young people know how to make just light entertainment.
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As an actress I find the most enjoyable part of acting is really just to please the director. I just want to please my director.
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Not very many companies go through Hawaii on their way to anywhere. San Francisco Ballet was the only company I remember, and Bolshoi, coming through Hawaii when I was younger.
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When you feel so strongly about something and other people feel equally strongly, you have to feel stronger about it in order to succeed.
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In order to dance professionally, you have to start at a young age. No matter what, your muscle structure and your bones have to be groomed from a very young age. Nobody wakes up at 17 and decides to become a ballet dancer. I'm saying that and someone's going to be born tomorrow who decides to do that and I'm going to have my foot in my mouth.
Joan Chen