“When YouTube started, I felt like it was something I really wanted to do, and to get into entertainment because I always thought I was a pretty funny guy in high school,” says 24 year old John Luc on the phone from his Melbourne home. “That’s where it all started, making comedy videos for school projects. I kind of went for it. It was busy, it was year 12, and my parents were totally against it, they wanted me to concentrate on my studies as any parent would. Instead, I started to do YouTube, and just like in the film I failed my maths exam and went on a different adventure.”
The film John Luc is referring to isSucker, adapted from the Lawrence Leung play, a coming of age comedic drama about a young Chinese-Australian who fails maths and falls in with a couple of con artists played by British veteran Timothy Spall (Mr Turner) and Aussie newcomer Lily Sullivan (Mental).
On the hunt for a young Chinese-Australian actor, casting John Luc was suggested by the film’s producer Robyn Kershaw, whose daughter was a fan of his YouTube character Mychonny, a highly exaggerated spoof of Asian stereotypes. “Most of my comedy is really stereotyped, dressing up like Nutty Professor but an Asian version,” admits Luc.
Even though he’d been mucking around in front of his webcam for years, Luc is the first to admit that “I had no acting experience before. I jumped on set, and Ben [Chessell], the director told me to be who I am and do what I do. When it came to the dramatic acting, of course the director helped, but also I got a lot of help from Timothy Spall. It was basically free school, and he coached me all the way through the film, and he’s the reason why I think I did a lot better than I initially thought.”
And was he aware of Timothy Spall’s high standing in the acting community? “He was from Harry Potter for me… I didn’t know he was such a veteran, so I went and checked out some of his Mike Leigh films where he was so amazing. On the day, he’s such a hilarious guy, but once the camera was rolling he’s just so focused and on point, which made it so easy for everyone.
“During the start of the filming I was stressing out,” Luc explains. “I didn’t know how to do some of the lines and how to approach it. Tim was always there for me, always telling me to ‘calm down, take it easy,’ and asking ‘how would you say it in real life, and how would you act it out?’”
The whole experience has encouraged John Luc to continue with performing, though he admits that a more comedic role would be his preference. “That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life,” he says. “Starting off from YouTube I was always a shy kind of guy, and that’s why I felt so safe doing online content, because I always filmed at home in my bedroom and then uploaded. After that, I felt like I built up who I am, I did stand-up for a year, then I did the web series and then the movie. Of course, I just want to keep going outside my comfort zone and trying new things, and I feel like acting is a start for me and I’d like to keep going with that.
“I’ve always been inspired by Asian actors and comedians,” he continues. “People like Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow from Kung Fu Hustle. All exaggerated comedy, and that’s where I took my online stuff from. With the movie, I took my own path, which is half of me and half of Lawrence [Leung] and just went for it.”
Next up, John Luc is at work on a new web series called The China Boy Show. “It doesn’t get any more Asian stereotypical than that,” he laughs.
Sucker releases in select cinemas nationally with a series of Q&A events with Lawrence Leung and John Luc from December 1. See www.suckerthemovie.net for further information on screenings.
