DATE : 10TH OF NOVEMBER 2020
We are glad to bring you more Interviews. This time around we have Kurt Yue who has recently starred in By Night’s End for which we were grateful enough to review before it came out.
Kurt Yue was born in Beijing, China and moved to the United States with his parents when he was four years old. He spent his formative years moving around the country from Iowa to Arizona to Ohio.
Unlike many actors, Kurt never dreamed of acting when he was growing up. And yet we are interviewing him.
Q. To start this interview we have to ask you about By Night’s End, do tell us about how you first got involved with it and your experience has been on the movie?
Kurt Yue: I first met our director, Walker Whited, on a commercial in 2018. A few months later, he called me and asked if I was interested in doing a feature film. When I read the script, I fell in love with it and was on board pretty much immediately. Working on By Night’s End has been one of the best on-set experiences in my career.
Q. Tell us a bit about who you play in By Night’s End and your approach to acting in general?
Kurt Yue: I play Mark in By Night’s End. Mark definitely has determination and a willingness to take action when he thinks he can get something done. I think his tragic flaw might be that he settles on his decisions too quickly without really thinking through the consequences. But you have to give him a little bit of a pass because he did just watch his wife kill a guy in the middle of their bedroom; I don’t know how many of us would be thinking clearly immediately after an incident like that. I think the desperation that I talked about earlier is both the cause of his vulnerability and what drives him to keep pushing forward.
Q. You have worked on Haunting of the Hill House, Cobra Kai and more recently I spotted you on Holidate as the DJ. How does it feel to be involved with such huge projects?
Kurt Yue: I’m surprised you saw me in Holidate! It was such a short scene . It’s definitely a blessing to be able to work on any project, big or small. As any actor who has been in this industry for a while knows, this is a tough career and bookings are never guaranteed. Higher profile projects are definitely cool to have on a resume, but I’m just as happy to work on indie films with my friends.
Q. Following up on our previous question, You have worked on these amazingly high budget projects and you star in By Night’s End which can be defined as an Indie Fare. How is the difference between the two production? What would you prefer?
Kurt Yue: I think all roles, big or small, present their own unique challenges. By Night’s End was my first time taking on a lead role in a feature length film and I definitely had to learn some things on the fly. One of the hardest things, and I’ve heard celebrity actors talk about this, is being able to match your performance in back to back scenes when they are shot out of order. So we might shoot a scene in the bedroom one day that ends with us walking out of the room but the following shot that picks us up in the hallway may not happen until a couple days or even a couple weeks later. The challenge for the actor is to be able to match the emotional state they were in days or weeks ago so that the two scenes look believable when cut together.
Q. Speaking of preference, would you wish to do a small project which has you more screen time or a big project with a limited screen time?
Kurt Yue: All roles are welcome! I just love being part of the filmmaking process.
Q. Going forward Is there a favorite Director you are yet to work with?
Kurt Yue: Steven Spielberg would be cool since he has directed so many of my favorite movies.
Q. Being an Asian American, how important you feel to represent your community on the big screen and do you think Hollywood is becoming more diverse in representation?
Kurt Yue: I do think Hollywood is slowly becoming more diverse. It really starts from the ground up, though. Actors, I think, are last on the totem pole. The industry needs more diverse producers, writers, and directors. As that happens, the stories will reflect a variety of backgrounds and experiences and will, naturally, require a more diverse cast. I hope my success in this industry inspires other Asian actors to pursue this career if it is their dream.
Q. Speaking of Cinema, in your days as an aspiring individual is there anyone who you looked up to as an idol? Was there a favorite movie which you saw and that made you fell in love with the artform?
Kurt Yue: I didn’t grow up wanting to be an actor. My college degree is in computer science and engineering. I worked full time as a software developer for nine years before becoming a full time actor. So I didn’t have big dreams of acting the way many other people did. The people that have inspired me the most are my acting teachers both in Cleveland and Atlanta. They’ve had a much greater impact on my career than any celebrity actor ever could.
Q. The Movie Culture is situated in India and we being fans of your work, we’d like to know whether you are aware of Bollywood? If yes, is there an actor you admire or a film?
Kurt Yue: I am aware that Bollywood exists but don’t know too much about it. The only Bollywood movie I’ve seen is Lagaan and it was great!
Q. Do you have any future projects lined up which you’d like to share with us and your fans?
Kurt Yue: Huge high profile project coming out next year that I filmed overseas. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to say what it is yet so you’ll have to wait and see!
Q. Being a successful person such as yourself, is there a key advice which you give to people trying to make it big? Given the vast competition in the media field, how does one cope with rejection, any words?
Kurt Yue: Focus on what you can control. Focus on the craft. Instead of trying to “make it big”, try to become a better actor every day. This is why ongoing training is so important. Actors should never stop training. It’s like basketball. Basketball players never stop practicing, never stop working with a coach. LeBron James is the best player in the world and still practices every day and works with coaches to get better. Actors should be the same way. There is always more to learn and ways to improve. I’ve been training for 12 years and don’t plan on stopping any time soon
The Movie Culture Synopsis
Hope you guys were eagle eyed enough to spot Kurt Yue in Cobra Kai, Holidate and Haunting of the Hill House. As he has teased big projects for the next year we couldn’t help but watch with curiosity what he does next.
Not to forget, we’d indeed like to Thank Mr. Yue for participating in this interview and wish him nothing but the best. You can watch him in any high profile show listed above or in By Night’s End through PVOD
