Meet Christopher Fung of Koreatown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Fung

Hi Christopher, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It’s funny… I found performance art late in life, after having majored in a totally unrelated discipline and having pursued a career in a similarly totally unrelated field. I guess I hit a quarter-life existential crisis; when I realized I was unhappy with my job and my life, it occurred to me that I might actually be interested in filmmaking since I’ve always loved television and cinema.

I majored in Neuroscience. Minored in Anthropology. Pre-med. Did disaster/medical relief in Haiti, HIV research and education in Zambia. Realized I didn’t want to be a doctor, and went to work at a venture capital fund in Shanghai. Started as an intern, eventually Program Manager. 90 hours a week, couple years of my life. Realized I was unhappy in that career, quit, and went on hiatus. Traveled to different countries, ran marathons. Cleansed myself of the ick I was feeling, and then—still in an existential crisis—moved back to the US and beelined to Los Angeles on a whim. Thought it might be fun to work as an extra on large film sets, so I did that. Realized how complex and incredibly interesting film production is, and thought to myself that I might just want to seriously give acting a try. So I moved to New York for about a year, did loads of student films at NYU Tisch, did some screenwriting, and finally confirmed that I had found my life’s passion. Had a health crisis that nearly did me in, and moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area where my sister is a physician. Recovered from that, and then *boom* it sort of took off for me… Signed with an agent, did commercials and industrials for tech companies, landed larger and larger roles in independent short and feature films that did well in festivals.

Now I’m repped by Image Powerhouse (Theatrical) and Prestigious Models (Commercial and Print/Modeling), and I work all over the country. It’s a blast; I could not be more happy.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Of course it hasn’t been a smooth road… Recently, for example, over the course of many weeks I got to the *third round* of auditions for the lead in a new Netflix series. Each time I auditioned, I got more and more invested in the project and in the role. And then, finally, when I never heard from my agent a fourth time about it… I realized that I didn’t get it. I was devastated for a bit, really. But then you shake it off eventually, and get back to it.

On the same topic, something I keep rediscovering every step of the way is that, if you’re serious about acting or filmmaking in some capacity, it’s ridiculously hard work. No cap. 18-hour days, day after day on set for a couple weeks, and you will realize that if it isn’t actually your lifelong passion, you have undergone torture; and if it truly is your lifelong passion, well damn you may be worn to the bone by the end of the production, but it’s been bliss the whole time.

(Actor, Director, Cinematographer, Gaffer, Hair; Makeup, Costume, Art Department and Set Design, etc etc etc. What I said applies to all of those equally important roles.)

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Acting is inherently an ethnographic, anthropological endeavor. It is generative, it is explorative, and it is deeply emotionally fulfilling because to act is to reveal both to yourself and to others the infinity of human expression and identity. That’s why I love it. I’ve always felt a lot, felt very deeply, so to take a look at a person who may have a lot or very little to do with yourself; who may share many of your inclinations and proclivities, or seemingly none of them and appear to be antithetical to who you are—either way, that’s the good shit. It’s exhilarating.

By using your own body, gut, and mind to reveal the virtues and vices of a particular human being, and allowing that expression to be shared onscreen, you are bringing people closer together because there is some part of the identity you’ve portrayed that resonates with person A and person B, whoever they are. Suddenly those two people have something in common. It’s medicinal, and it’s something the world badly needs.

So, I’m proud to say that my education in both neuroscience and anthropology has given me a competitive edge. I use my training as a neuroscientist in my work every single day. A lot of actors who are auditioning for the same parts have been doing musical theatre since they were 8 years old, whereas I never studied anything to do with drama or film until just a few years ago. But I’m booking those gigs, which I think largely has to do with what I did study and how and why I studied it; a profound interest in human behavior has been the common thread through all of it.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Never take life for granted. Timing is everything, so always be prepared. Be respectful of others.

Pricing:

• In-person Acting Coaching with Me: $150/hour

Contact Info:

• Website: https://youtu.be/t6oCaU3rwn8?si=5ih-Nsjnsw8ICIHL
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its.me.fung
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/its.me.fung
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fanglingzhong
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/t6oCaU3rwn8?si=5ih-Nsjnsw8ICIHL

Image Credits
Mark Schwab for Image 3. Nick Westerlund for Image 4. Catalin Stef and Kun She for Image 6. Ignacio Mosqueira for Image 7 and Image 8.