Joan Chen 14/14 | Asian American Personalities

Asian American Profiles

HEAVENLY AND EARTHY JOAN CHEN

PAGE 14 OF 14

Q: Were you a bit inconsiderate before?
A: No, it didn't have to be that you were short of something. Certain things that you do based on your instinct, now it's very lucid, now its written down in words, so you know when something extremely important comes up and you need to break a date or you need to do something that you think you're going to feel sorry or something, you say it's okay. I really should do this and now apologize and you know how much you have deposited, it's okay. All these make your actions sure, and you know what you're doing, and I thought that was really really good. Oh, the most important thing I learned is the shift of paradigm. To be an Asian, to be a minority, not to see ourselves as always me the minority, the victim, you the dominant culture. It's a shift of paradigm. Once you see things differently, you gain power. All of a sudden there is enlightenment. This is a great book.

Q: You sound like you really learned it.
A: I read it carefully many many times. It's like on the back of my toilet. I really was very impressed.

Q: Are you religious?
A: In my own way, yeah.

Q: Christian, Taoist, Buddhist?
A: I don't know, really--a little bit of everything.

Q: You aren't into formal religion.
A: Not very formal. But I'm religious.

Q: What's your daily routine like?
A: I haven't got one. That's my problem.

Q: Do you work out?
A: When I get a chance. This evening my husband and I said, Okay, we're going to go work out together.

Q: What do you do?
A: Run the treadmill. In L.A. I swim. I stay in Shutters [on the Beach] Hotel, and I just swam in the hotel. I go to Santa Monica Holiday Spa when I'm not in that hotel. Here I go to swim sometimes but the swimming pool is far from here. My workouts, basically treadmill or stairmaster or some weights, just to sweat. Or just turn on the music and do it at home. I don't have a very structured life.

Q:Do you still have that house in Laurel Canyon?
A: Yes, but my brother lives in Santa Monica so when I'm in L.A., I'll stay on the westside.

Q: Who else do you spend time with regularly?
A: People I want to spend time with, I couldn't. On location, I'm with the crew, and when I'm off the movie, I need to come home to my husband. I wish I could spend a little more time with friends. That's one bad thing, because I'm not so reliable as a friend other than getting me on the phone.

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