Katharine Hamer
Contributing Writer

“WHENEVER people
ask me what I do, I
always tell them ['m a
waiter,” says
Vanicouver actor Terry
Chen. “There are such
negative connotations
to saying you’re an
actor — I keep expect-
ing people to ask me,
‘So when did you drop
out of high schcol?’”

Despite his misgivings
about the pablic perception
of his chosen field, Chen has
managed to take the indus-
try by storm, with principal
roles in the North Shore-

“shot feature film Ronice
Must’ Die, the miniseries
Aftershock, and a forthcom-

. jing role ia Alan Rudolph's
- film Trixie. If i immigration
officials give him che
ahead, Chen will also
playing a lead character i in
Cameron Crowe's as yet
untitied feature.”

Crowe, director of youth
angst pics Say Anything,
Singles, and more recently,
Jerry McGuire, is planning
biopic of Rolling Stone mag-

_ azine, with Chen set to take

~ on the character of the mag-
azine’s'co-fousder, Ben
Torres.
_ Alter: an itinerant ‘child-

Vancouver — the actor spent
two years at the University
of Calgary pursuing “French
Canadian studies, sycholo-
: gy, archacology... I was all
‘over the board. It was hard
to settle ‘on one ching.
Chen eventually ecided
‘to follow in the footsteps of.
‘a friend who had recently
returned from the Cayman
Islands with “a swack-load
of cash. I thought, ‘Why not
eve it a shot?””.
-.. Se Chen beaded south
ent two years “doing
: om Cruise thing” as a
“ bartender: “It was great,” he
‘says. “I was on the. beach, °
serving Margaritas and ©
daiquiris to beautiful

women.” He didn’t, though, ;

possess Cruise's Cocktail
; Fal: “1 broke bottles, gis

ave Chen a a
when he
reat tired of of island life he
‘returned to Calgary with a
- determination to make it 23
. aactor, tor, He was quickly
sna y 2 local agent, .
. and pee to Vencouver a
few years ago to hone his
skills, training at the Studio
‘on the Drive and Gastown

Acting Studio, amongst oth- .

ers.
aS tran ely enough, one
“of my acteng teachers,
Andrew Mcllroy, plays my
boss in Trixie,” he says. As
~ Eddie, a waiter at lead actor:
Nick Nolte’s favourite high-
class restaurant, Chea’s char-
acter is privy to all manner
of juicy conversations.
“Chen says he can’t wait
_to meet Nolte: “I've heard
; he’s an extremely eccentric
vos ” Director
2 Alan oak, whose earlier
. “eredits include Choose Me
-and The Moderns, is also

“extremely personable,” says

Chen. “When I first met -

him, he had his mouth -

stuffed with a sandwich. He

asked me if 1 wanted a dite!”
If Chen’s immigration.

of an advertising and mer-

Actor’s star rising over Hollyweod but his feet are siill grounded keting agency called AKA,

papers are cleared for his He was offered the part
role in Cameron Crowe's when his audition tape was
film, he'll soon be off to San selected from a pile of $ 990
Francisco to hang out with others. “You've got it,” his
Ben Torres for the purposes —_ agent told him. “You're the
of character study — a kid they want.”

prospect he’s looking for- The actor has no plans
ward to greatly. to move to Hollywood,

Great deals fe

however.

“Why would I waut to
mave to L.A.? £.A.’s coming
to me,” he says. “And I’m
happy in Vancouver. I love
this city. It’s given me what
I have.”

Chen is wise enough to

realize that the acting pro- “Every {acting) job could
fession is 2 precarious one, be my last,” he says. “I may
and says he’s grounded by be living in a rent in Stanley
forces from outside the Park next week.”

world of showbiz: his girl- Possible, but not likely.
friend — “ a very talented Chen’s star looks like it
writer,” and his business won’t be falling anytime
partner (Chen is co-owner

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