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THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR CIVIL WAR.

For the past two decades, Nelson Lee (Class of 2000) has brought a myriad of roles to life across film and television. The Taiwan-born, Canada-raised actor captivates as reporter Tony Zhao in Civil War, the cautionary tale from writer-director Alex Garland. Lee recounts memories of working on big-budget projects from Disney and the CW to the intimate, human dramas the actor longs to tell.

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

听

It鈥檚 good to see you. I鈥檝e been wanting to chat with you for a long time, and this is kind of the perfect moment with the release of Civil War. Which is awesome, by the way, and you鈥檙e awesome in it. I left the theatre with such a visceral reaction of delight and shock.

It鈥檚 difficult to make a film that everyone agrees on. There will be people who love it and people who say something else. For the most part, everyone walks out just wanting to talk about it. Everyone is unified with this sense of shock and wants to discuss the film鈥檚 meaning.

听

There鈥檚 so much to say about Civil War, which we will get to, but first, I want to talk about you. A few years ago, in an interview, you shared the moment you knew you wanted to be an actor. I wonder if you鈥檇 share that again here?

At the time, I was living in Europe, in Prague, I studied business at university, which was awful, and I quickly changed to philosophy. I was just kicking around Europe for a while, doing plays and acting when I could, but could never get the courage to say that I was an actor. I lived this very beautiful Bohemian life and was at a crossroads. My friends and I wanted to open a bar; we put our names down on a place, but I just kept going back in my head, thinking about what brought me joy. It was always performing.

My roommate at the time was applying to The 糖心视频logo. I鈥檇 heard of it before but didn鈥檛 know what it was, so I applied, too. She didn鈥檛 get in鈥�but I got in. I was in Prague, this beautiful place, but realized there was still work to be done.

听

I had a similar time when I was living abroad. Something in me needed to come back to the industry. I鈥檓 in good company. Tell me about Mulan, Stargirl, and Ahsoka鈥攖hese big tent-pole productions. Do you feel the stakes and the scale of working on those?

Mulan was, and still is, the largest thing I worked on鈥�with something like a $300 million budget. You feel that. They built everything; that鈥檚 where that money is. You鈥檙e in these sets that are real and practical鈥�this big throne room, all these palaces you walk through. I remember this massive crane shot that came up, and the director was talking on a god mic because it was so far away from everyone. This big voice called out, 鈥淎ction!鈥� I remember being so giddy, like a kid, thinking, 鈥淭his is my job.鈥� [Laughs.] I鈥檓 getting to do this, and it鈥檚 epic and beautiful.

听

Do you like working with physical props and sets?

It鈥檚 like with Shakespeare: 鈥淎ll the work is done for you.鈥� When you have those words, those costumes, you just have to believe in the situation. I鈥檝e done video games and they鈥檙e different. Still super fun, just imagining. It鈥檚 like being in acting school again: here鈥檚 a block, and it鈥檚 my horse! [Laughs.] They鈥檙e two different things. It鈥檚 nice to have that immense realism to help you.

听

Elephant in the room鈥�let鈥檚 get back to it. Civil War. It鈥檚 still so fresh in my mind. How鈥檇 you get the part?

Alex Garland is a hero of mine. I鈥檝e admired him for a long time, even back when he was just a writer. Ex Machina was my favorite film of his. It鈥檚 been supplanted by Civil War.

The audition for it was very secretive. We didn鈥檛 know a lot about it; we knew it was from Alex Garland. I sent in a tape and heard back: 鈥淎lex wants to have coffee with you.鈥� He鈥檚 so hands-on that he wants to meet you鈥�that鈥檚 how he is. I sat down with him, nervous, and we had a coffee. Time went by, and they called me again, saying he wanted to have another coffee. We talked about everything so in-depth. It was so old-school Hollywood: 鈥淭he part鈥檚 yours if you want it!鈥�

听

WARNING: THE BELOW TRANSCRIPTION CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CIVIL WAR.

The car scene is great. Hilarious. Energetic. I鈥檇 love to hear about filming it.

That scene was fun because it marked a turning point. We go from a rockstar journalist to someone who鈥檚 terrified for his life in the very next scene. The part of me reaching out and being in the car was me; the part where I鈥檓 dangling between the cars was my stunt double. It鈥檚 fun鈥�you just have to believe that situation.

听

Your character meets an unfortunate death. The film deals with a lot of relevant themes without being heavy-handed or explicit. That scene, in particular, felt, in a way, the most real: it deals with identity and the idea of being a 鈥淭rue American.鈥� That鈥檚 why your character is murdered: because of where he鈥檚 not from.

I grew up in Canada, in New Brunswick, and was the only Asian in my neighborhood. I was asked, 鈥淲hat kind of Canadian are you?鈥� How we see ourselves is so important. The film asks this question. That鈥檚 one of the moments in the film where that question is crystallized. We know we鈥檙e going to die, but it鈥檚 going to be in order of skin tone. There was no escaping that.

听

You mentioned working with Alex and his style of getting up close. Can you tell us about rehearsals and your time on set?

He鈥檚 an amazing director in how he sets up the world and then just leaves you alone. It鈥檚 funny, in the beginning, I was worried he didn鈥檛 like me. [Laughs.] He didn鈥檛 pay me much attention, but that was good; he only said things if something went wrong. At the end of filming鈥搘e shot that death scene for 10 or 12 hours鈥揾e stopped me and said the kindest thing: 鈥淚 hope you know how good you are.鈥� I sighed in relief; I was worried I was about to get fired!

It was the greatest acting exercise of my life. I tried to be open to capture the reality of these people鈥檚 lives. The dialogue is so sparse.

听

Is there a challenge in that?

Sure. Sometimes, it clicks very easily, and sometimes it doesn鈥檛. His trust in the skill of the people working and in the world that was created鈥搇ike in that opening scene with the suicide bomber, he was personally going around with a bucket of blood, pouring it on individual extras just to get everything right. You see that frame for like two seconds, but that鈥檚 the kind of detail he has as a director. That鈥檚 how hands-on he is.

We filmed most scenes with something like eight cameras rolling at once. It was like theatre in that way.

听

A full-body performance.

There was no 鈥淥h, it鈥檚 not my coverage right now.鈥� I鈥檓 not trying to cheat out to a camera; I鈥檓 just being in the moment and reacting to what鈥檚 happening in the scene. I鈥檓 just playing the scene. And you know, having someone like Jesse Plemons to play off of is a fun and easy thing to do. I鈥檒l take that any day.

听

And he鈥檚 married to Kirsten Dunst. They鈥檙e in so many things together now. I love that. Did you observe the two of them on set together?听

You know, Jesse took it very, very seriously. He didn鈥檛 speak much to her. [Laughs.] He hid away on his own. At the end of filming that day, where he murdered me probably like 100 times, he just started crying. He came up to me, 鈥淚鈥檓 so sorry, I鈥檓 so sorry,鈥� and hugged me. It was this beautiful moment. And you can watch her [Kirsten Dunst] just stare for hours. It鈥檚 a masterclass.

听

She nails the world-weary-journalist-who鈥檚-seen-too-much.

We鈥檇 just watch her. Just get to watch her all day.

听

I鈥檓 so happy you had that experience. Let鈥檚 talk a bit more about representation. You鈥檝e had a career for a while now. What鈥檚 changed, and what still needs to?

I came out of school in 2000. The things that were available for me at the time鈥揑 shouldn鈥檛 complain too much because it did employ me, it was my bread and butter, and I worked a lot because of it鈥搘ere 鈥淎sian Gangster.鈥� People would say I wasn鈥檛 鈥淎sian enough鈥� to play the nerdy scientist roles; in their mind, they needed the stereotypical 鈥淎sian鈥� for those roles. That still exists today, to an extent, but it鈥檚 gotten much better.

It鈥檚 crazy that it took something like Crazy Rich Asians for everyone to go, 鈥淥h, Asians watch things!鈥� [Laughs.] It took that movie to sort of blow the doors off. There are Asian characters in shows as leads and supporting roles鈥�it鈥檚 wonderful, but we shouldn鈥檛 start to 鈥渃elebrate.鈥� I think that鈥檚 dangerous. I would like to see characters that don鈥檛 need the explanation, 鈥淭his Tim, I met him when I was in Japan.鈥� We can just be human.

听

What about the stories that interest you? I see a lot of Lightsabers and Transformers behind you. You鈥檙e no stranger to those big franchises.听

I love that stuff. But you know, at the end of the day, beautiful dramas are something that I鈥檝e always been drawn towards. Just these real human stories. Those are some of my favorite things to come out, those small things. I love being a part of those big series鈥� too, and I鈥檓 a fan of them, but questions about why we鈥檙e here, why we behave the way we do鈥�the relationships on Earth, and those human qualities being explored never get tiring. It鈥檚 a thrilling and amazing thing. And it is always different because the people are always different. That鈥檚 what makes it special.

听

Civil War听is听in theaters now. This isn鈥檛 a promo or anything, but it鈥檚 worth the watch鈥揺ven just to see you at work, at play. What else is coming up?

That鈥檚 it right now. It鈥檚 back to the grind of finding work.

听

Which you will. I appreciate your time here today and am glad we could make this work. Congratulations on Civil War.

Thank you. I love The 糖心视频logo. It taught me that this, acting, takes time. It鈥檚 not a sprint. The 糖心视频logo was instrumental in making me who I am as an actor and person. If I鈥檓 available, I鈥檒l do anything I can for The 糖心视频logo. Definitely always ask.

听

We certainly will.

You can stay up-to-date on Nelson Lee through . Catch him on the silver screen in Civil War, playing in theatres worldwide.