Mike Moh is certainly not an "ordinary" young man. Yes, here's the modern-day 21st century Bruce Lee. At a relatively tender young age, Mike has proved that- with enough effort- anyone can achieve what they want in life. Such commitment inevitably pays off. Think back to the time when the first teaser for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," a film by Quentin, Tarantino was dropped. Many people noticed that the film featured the legendary character Bruce Lee. Inevitably, the next question was, "so who plays Bruce Lee?" And that's the moment Mike Moh stepped in. It was a poignant moment, pregnant with expectation.
Jacket by Frame: Mike Moh kicked off his career as a martial artist. At the time, the lad was just 14 years old. So, in 2006 Mike received a phone informing him that Jackie Chan was trying to find an American martial artist who could help out on the movie he was working on. 14 days later, Mike was on the plane heading to Hong Kong. He was going to join Jackie Chan's stunt crew for the film "Rob-B-hood." But the short experience was all Moh needed to catapult his career to the next level. Soon, Moh got himself an agent, went on to do some commercials, and also took acting classes.
Moh's star started rising as soon as he landed a plum role as Ryu in the series "Street Fighter: Ressurection." The film was based on a video going by the same name. Moh's TV profile increased by leaps and bounds when he took up the role of Triton in Marvel's "Inhumans" and played Steve Cho in the hit drama "Empire." But the big turning point for Moh came that year in the spring. When Moh's manager got off the phone with Tarantino's casting director, Moh bought a ticket and flew away to California.
Asked by one fan what he felt about landing the role of Brue Lee in the film "Once Upon a Time (the fan knew Moh as a fanatical Bruce Lee man)" the actor replied: "Thank you! Yes, Bruce has been my hero since I was a little kid. For me, to get the opportunity to play Bruce Lee is a dream come true. And the fact that the movie is directed by Quentin Tarantino is way beyond what I could ever dream of." Another fan asked Moh about the casting process for the role. He wanted to know whether Moh knew from the start he'd land the big role. Moh replied: "Yes, from the beginning of the auditions process, I knew the entire thing was a big hunt for Bruce Lee. Of course, I had to fight tooth and nail to secure the role. Keep in mind that the casting process actually took two months- you can imagine it- this was perhaps the longest 60 days of my life!"
So, are there any special preparations required before the filming starts? According to Moh, absolutely! Any time an actor takes on a well-known true-life character, there's that added pressure; the audience already has some idea about how the character should be portrayed. And the fact that the character is legendary ( like Bruce Lee) multiplies the pressure several times. I had two spend countless hours studying Bruce Lee's mannerisms, movements, voice, and the nature of his mentality both as an artist and a person living in the 1960s well before he came to achieve the superstar status. I had to consume not just Bruce Lee's filmography; I had to access the few recorded interviews with Bruce Lee, the man.
And, just how is it like working in a star-studded film in the mold of "Once Upon a Time?" Moh says it's a humbling experience. He feels highly honoured to be a part of all this, a part of the cast. Well, as he says, he still "gets a kick out of merely seeing my name cast alongside that of veterans like Al Pacino! As was evident in the first track of the movie, Moh was fortunate enough to have a chance to work with the legendary Brad Pritt. The actor describes him as such a great joy to work with' a true professional.
Who does Moh most admire among the big movie's characters? The actor quickly replies: "Brad Pritt." Simply because he says, he was put in a pivotal position to see how much time and effort Brad put into perfecting his character. Brad spent hours mastering the character's fighting style; he's pretty savvy on the matter of character development, "Bruce Lee" says. Brad attributes such admirable qualities as a massive contributor to Brad's runaway success as an accomplished actor. And Moh found that the legendary character is down-to-earth, a team player, and a selfless performer.