Last October a Taiwanese film called "Eternal Summer" was released. I really liked it and even invited the director to be interviewed on my radio show. That was my first time watching Joseph on the silver screen. Wow, what a stud. I was impressed and fell in love with him instantly. And I didn't realize until much later that he was only 22 years old at the time!
Two months later Joseph was involved in a stage production and its director is someone I truly admire. So I had the pleasure to interview director Edward Lam on my radio show and we talked about his latest theatre piece. Joseph was invited to appear on that particular show as well. But he was late...he was so late that I only asked him about five questions and the show was over.
Up close and personal Joseph is even more good-looking than what I remember from the movie. He's very young but seems to be more mature than those of his age. That left a strong impression on me though he didn't say much and smiled most of the time.
Months later I was thrilled to be part of a Taiwanese movie promotion for "Keeping Watch" and Joseph is the protagonist. After a few events, I got to talk to him like friends rather than host vs. actor. Surprisingly he's very well-spoken and can go on and on about music, surfing and other interesting things in life.
It's very different when you get to know a celebrity from a personal point of view. What I find out about Joseph is that he doesn't splurge as what most people would expect of a movie star. I've seen him at least 10 times now and I remember only two pairs of shoes he's got on. Every time we met up, I probably had on different shoes and clothes and I'm not a celebrity!
If you have seen Joseph's work in TV and movies, you probably notice how his smile is almost magical. If you are just finding out about him, his latest movie project "Keeping Watch" will be in theatre starting August 31st. In September he will be on stage again in Edward Lam's newest production "What is Fantasy?" along with the same cast from last December.
A rising star is born and I expect to see more of Joseph in the near future.
P.S. Joseph voiced for "Cody" in the Chinese-dubbed version of Surf's Up. As a skillful surfer, Joseph did an excellent job and the studio people can't stop raving about his performance!
