A Momentous Night for a Lifelong Hero

The stunt team sat around a lunch table and traded stories from past work experiences as I listened intently, absorbing every word. After all, this was Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and this group consisted of seasoned stunt professionals with loads of credits under their belts. This would be among my first credits, as Pirates was my first big movie experience ever. Inspiration engulfed me, there was lots to be learned.

Right then, a black SUV pulled into our lunch area on the Universal Studios backlot. The windows were darkly tinted so I couldn't make out who sat inside. Then, as some of the stuntmen slowly made their way over to the truck, I overheard the words:

"It's Jackie..."

I darted up from my chair and dashed quickly over to the vehicle, tossing my entire lunch tray into the garbage. I knew exactly who it was. As he stepped out from the darkness of the truck, I met him. He was literally at arm's reach away from me. Barely two feet in front of me stood one of the most influential people in my life.

I tried so hard to speak but years of admiration and respect rendered me speechless. If ever one was starstruck, I believe this was my moment. He said hi to me. I waved while trying to remember how to talk.

My mentor, who stood next to me, asked if I wanted a photo

Jackie and Geoffrey Rush

with him, but I was paralyzed. After shaking hands with superstar actors who came up to greet him, he waved at all of us and disappeared back into the vehicle. I stood there in wonder as the SUV pulled away, still awestruck by meeting one of my childhood role models.

Jackie. Chan.

Growing up, humor was always my escape. If ever I felt sadness or discomfort or fear, I knew a good laugh would provide a healthy getaway. Cosmetics companies probably make a killing off of me these days because of all the products I use to make these smile wrinkles less obvious. All that said, this made focusing in school difficult. My focus needed more focus.

My family enrolled me in the martial arts to keep me healthy (as I was a sickly child) and to discipline my mind. I remember how much I loved all the movement and exciting kicks but despised sparring. There wasn't an aggressive bone in my body. I wanted to figure out how to cleverly resolve conflicts rather than punching the resolution out of someone. The training conditioned my body, but it also unlocked a treasure chest of creativity in my mind. Soon I began choreographing fights with all kinds of styles and weapons, and the end of the fights always included some kind of comedy to leave the audience smiling. The flavor was reminiscent to one that had marinated in my mind from all the great movies I watched as a kid.

Jackie Chan combines action and humor, deterring away from violence when he can. Where Bruce Lee would punch his opponent and stand fierce with his fist shaking, Jackie would flap his punching hand in hilarious slapstick pain. Simply put, Bruce gave me inner strength, Jackie gave me soul inspiration.

His work motivates me to make great movies that entertain the world, but it's his story that convinces me that my humble beginnings can and will reap marvelous rewards. My dream is to work alongside Jackie Chan in one of his movies, maybe even be blessed enough to take a comedic jab from him so we can hear the world laugh. I make movies not just to make a living, but to make a difference.

Last night, my hero received a long overdue honor by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I was right up front, waving to him once again, to celebrate this great achievement in his presence.

Congratulations and thank you, Jackie...

"I don't know where the power comes from..." [pats his heart]  - Jackie Chan

Drumroll please...

Welcome to my interwebular symphony!

As the audience settles into their seats, the ensemble of musicians position their instruments. The conductor taps his baton...

Ahem.

The orchestra tunes their instruments...

IMDB :: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2153954/

The opening sonata warms up to adagio...

TWITTER :: https://twitter.com/Huynh_Alexandre

A captivating first movement...

BLOG :: http://immystuntdouble.blogspot.com/

Followed by a minuet...

YOUTUBE :: http://www.youtube.com/rawkout101

A rising crescendo...

LINKED IN :: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alex-huynh/6b/49b/553?trk=pub-pbmap

Into the pièce de résistance!

WEBSITE :: http://alex-huynh.com/

As the drums roar and the cymbals smash, I whip my coat tails around to face you all to say "thank you" for taking part in this social media celebration with me! So please Like, Follow, Tweet, Bookmark, and keep up to date with me...let's ride on this melodically awesome adventure of life together!

The Hangover 3

The Hangover 3 debuts in theaters across the country this weekend. The experience of working alongside my two mentors, James Lew and Simon Rhee, is always a blessing to me, but it's the time I shared with an unexpected star that really enriched my experience.

Without these two, I have no idea where I'd be in this movie business

**********

I sat in my jail cell with two of my prison mates, Fernando Chien and Sam Le. Every hour, on the hour, we would cycle between doing thirty pushups and thirty crunches. Prison Fit. It's how we stayed looking tough in the Thai Prison we were locked up in together. Well, at least that's how we stayed looking fresh for the camera!

We were shooting a scene for the newest installment of the Hangover franchise, The Hangover 3. In it, criminals (like myself, Fern, and Sam) climb out of our jail cells from makeshift-ropes to join a massive riot against the prison guards. Filling the frame were a hundred or so background performers, who yelled and threw toilet paper and caused a ruckus.

The top of the hour approached and it was time to get pumped for the scene. As I finished my last five pushups, I noticed somebody observing us. A small-framed elderly Asian man stood there at the doorway, hands clasped behind his back, smiling bright from his eyes. Rounding out the workout, I rose and smiled at the gentleman and offered him my seat inside the tiny cell. He grinned and took up my offer.

"I remember living in one of these," he said to me in Vietnamese.

He told stories of how he was captured during the war and imprisoned for over decades. He described experiments tested on him, metal implanted under his skin beneath his forearm and skull. He showed us his maimed hands, missing fingers, from the torture he endured. Watching us work out reminded him of times when he was commanded to perform pull ups over a pit. If he gave up, he would fall to his death.

Respect flooded my heart as his voice spoke so sincerely. Never once did he ever speak with malice or anger. In fact, he spoke very wholeheartedly, with incredible strength shining through his vulnerability. It was his past, his back story, and it brought him here to this day. In front of us sat a smiling, frail, older Vietnamese gentleman, and also one of the strongest men I had ever met. He's the real star.

I translated the story to my fellow stuntmen and us three tough guys marveled at his courage and peaceful demeanor. When I asked him how it felt to be in this jail cell, he remarked, "You guys are fun. This time is much more fun!"

I came to work that day ready to be strengthened by the toughness of my job as a stuntman. Scaling ropes. Dodging fires. Fighting off guards twice my size. Never would I have imagined that what would be most enriched was my mind and heart.

•••

"My past is my wisdom to use today. My future is my wisdom yet to experience. Be in the present because that is where life resides." - Gene Oliver

Make way for the Big Show 2013!

"Aren't we lucky that we found a line of work that doesn't require growing up?" 

- Dick Van Dyke

It's not every day that an actor gets to test out his chops on a wide range of characters. However, on the day of the Big Show, I transformed from the world's greatest comedian to a mutating nosey villain to a world famous soccer star to an accident-prone robber!

Afforded the opportunity by my long time friend Helen Porter and her team of charismatic mentors, myself and nine other fantastic actors brought to life original screenplays written by the creatively talented writers of La Ballona Elementary School in Culver City, CA. We dove deep into the oceans of make believe to take their words from the page to the stage, and the audience's response rose the energy of the auditorium through the roof!

Thanks again for the good times La Ballona Elementary and Young Storytellers Foundation!

Special thanks to this cast of wild characters!

Game of Life!

Esquire magazine featured this great article written by Kareem Abdul Jabbar today. Not only did he achieve accolades such as All-Star status and the NBA's Most Valuable Player, but this silent intellectual also studied under the legendary master Bruce Lee!

Bruce and Kareem on the set of "Game of Death"

***

Kareem: 20 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Was 30

When I was thirty, I was living my dream. I’d already accomplished most of what I’d set out to achieve professionally: leading scorer in the NBA, leading rebounder, leading blocker, Most Valuable Player, All-Star. But success can be as blinding as Bill Walton’s finger in the eye when battling for a rebound. I made mistakes. Plenty of them. In fact, sometimes I wish I could climb into a time machine and go back to shake some sense into that thirty-year-old me. If I could, here’s the advice I would give him:

1. Be more outgoing. My shyness and introversion from those days still haunt me. Fans felt offended, reporters insulted. That was never my intention. When you’re on the public stage every day of your life, people think that you crave attention. For me, it was the opposite. I loved to play basketball, and was tremendously gratified that so many fans appreciated my game. But when I was off the court, I felt uncomfortable with attention. I rarely partied or attended celebrity bashes. On the flights to games, I read history books. Basically, I was a secret nerd who just happened to also be good at basketball. Interacting with a lot of people was like taking someone deathly afraid of heights and dangling him over the balcony at the top of the Empire State Building. If I could, I’d tell that nerdy Kareem to suck it up, put down that book you’re using as a shield, and, in the immortal words of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (to prove my nerd cred), “Engage!”

2. Ask about family history. I wish I’d sat my parents down and asked them a lot more questions about our family history. I always thought there would be time and I kept putting it off because, at thirty, I was too involved in my own life to care that much about the past. I was so focused on making my parents proud of me that I didn’t ask them some of the basic questions, like how they met, what their first date was like, and so forth. I wish that I had.

3. Become financially literate. “Dude, where’s my money?” is the rallying cry of many ex-athletes who wonder what happened to all the big bucks they earned. Some suffer from unwise investments or crazy spending, and others from not paying close attention. I was part of the didn’t-pay-attention group. I chose my financial manager, who I later discovered had no financial training, because a number of other athletes I knew were using him. That’s typical athlete mentality in that we’re used to trusting each other as a team, so we extend that trust to those associated with teammates. Consequently, I neglected to investigate his background or what qualified him to be a financial manager. He placed us in some real estate investments that went belly up and I came close to losing some serious coin. Hey, Kareem at 30: learn about finances and stay on top of where your money is at all times. As the saying goes, “Trust, but verify.”

4. Play the piano. I took lessons as a kid but, like a lot of kids, didn’t stick with them. Maybe I felt too much pressure. After all, my father had gone to the Julliard School of Music and regularly jammed with some great jazz musicians. Looking back, I think playing piano would have given me a closer connection with my dad as well as given me another artistic outlet to better express myself. In 2002, I finally started to play and got pretty good at it. Not good enough that at parties people would chant for me to play “Piano Man,” but good enough that I could read music and feel closer to my dad.

5. Learn French. My grandparents were from Trinidad where, though it was an English-speaking country, the school system was started by the French. Whenever my grandparents wanted to say something they didn’t want me to know, they’d speak French. The language seemed so sophisticated and mysterious. Plus, you earn extra James Bond points when you can order in French in a French restaurant.

6. Get handy. I always wanted to be one of those guys who, whenever something doesn’t work, straps on a tool belt and says, “I’ll fix it.” I like the Walden-esque idea of complete self-reliance. Build my own house, clean out the carburetors, find out what carburetors are. Recently my washing machine broke and flooded my entire downstairs. I was forced to stand idly by waiting for a plumber to arrive while water rose around my ankles because I didn’t know how to shut off the water. That’s the kind of experience that makes you have your testosterone levels checked.

7. Be patient. Impatience is the official language of youth. When you’re young, you want to rush to the next thing before you even know where you are. I always think of the joke in Colors that the wiser and older cop (Robert Duvall) tells his impatient rookie partner (Sean Penn). I’m paraphrasing, but it goes something like: “There's two bulls standing on top of a mountain. The younger one says to the older one: ‘Hey pop, let's say we run down there and screw one of them cows.’ The older one says: ‘No son. Let’s walk down and screw 'em all.’” Now, to counter the profane with the profound, one of my favorite quotes is from the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer: “Talent hits the target no one else can hit; genius hits the target no one else can see.” I think the key to seeing the target no one else can see is in being patient, waiting for it to appear so you can do the right thing, not just the expedient thing. Learning to wait is one of my greatest accomplishments as I’ve gotten older.

8. Listen more than talk. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

9. Career is never as important as family. The better you are at your job, the more you’re rewarded, financially and spiritually, by doing it. You know how to solve problems for which you receive praise and money. Home life is more chaotic. Solving problems is less prescriptive and no one’s applauding or throwing money if you do it right. That’s why so many young professionals spend more time at work with the excuse, “I’m sacrificing for my family.” Bullshit. Learn to embrace the chaos of family life and enjoy the small victories. This hit me one night after we’d won an especially emotional game against the Celtics. I’d left the stadium listening to thousands of strangers chanting “Kareem! Kareem!” I felt flush with the sense of accomplishment, for me, for the Lakers, and for the fans. But when I stepped into my home and my son said, “Daddy!” the victory, the chanting, the league standings, all faded into a distant memory.

10. Being right is not always the right thing to be. Kareem, my man, learn to step away. You think being honest immunizes you from the consequences of what you say. Remember Paul Simon’s lyrics, “There’s no tenderness beneath your honesty.” So maybe it’s not that important to win an argument, even if you “know” you’re right. Sometimes it’s more important to try a little tenderness.

11. Cook more. After I got divorced I missed home cooked meals and the only person I had to rely on was the guy in the mirror. Plus, I found it impressed women if you could cook a good meal. Once, very shortly after I started cooking for myself, I had a first date with a woman I really wanted to make a good impression on. Of course, I could have done the usual celebrity thing: fancy restaurant, signing autographs, wait-staff fawning. But I wanted this to be special, so I decided to cook for her, everything from soup to dessert. Some women get a little freaked seeing a 7’2” black man with a carving knife and butcher’s apron, but she appreciated the effort. Which was good because the soup was a little salty, the steak a little overcooked, and the flan a little watery…

12. When choosing someone to date, compassion is better than passion. I’m not saying she shouldn’t be passionate. That’s a given. But look for signs that she shows genuine compassion toward others. That will keep you interested in her a lot longer.

13. Do one thing every day that helps someone else. This isn’t about charity, this is about helping one individual you know by name. Maybe it means calling your parents, helping a buddy move, or lending a favorite jazz album to Chocolate Fingers McGee.

14. Do more for the community. This is about charity, extended to people close by whose names you don’t know. You can always do more.

15. Do one thing every day that you look forward to doing. It’s easy to get caught up in the enormous responsibilities of daily life. The To Do List can swallow your day. So, I’d insist to my younger self to make sure he has one thing on that list that he looks forward to doing.

16. Don’t be so quick to judge. It’s human nature to instantly judge others. It goes back to our ancient life-or-death need to decide whether to fight or flee. But in their haste to size others up, people are often wrong—especially a thirty-year-old sports star with hordes of folks coming at him every day. We miss out on knowing some exceptional people by doing that, as I’m sure I did. I think the biggest irony of this advice is that it’s coming from someone who’s black, stratospherically tall, and an athlete: the trifecta of being pre-judged. And I have a lifetime of hurtful comments to prove it. Yet, that didn’t stop me from doing the same thing to others. You have to weigh the glee of satisfaction you get from arrogantly rejecting people with the inevitable sadness of regret you’ll eventually feel for having been such a dick. A friend of mine told me he routinely attends all of his high school reunions so he can apologize to every person he mistreated back then. He’s now on his fortieth reunion and still apologizing.

17. When breaking up with a woman, you can’t always remain friends. I have managed to stay friends with many of the women I have dated because I truly liked and respected them. But sometimes emotions run too deep and efforts to remain friends, while that might help you feel better, actually might make the other person feel worse. Take the hit and let it go.

18. Watch more TV. Yeah, you heard right, Little Kareem. It’s great that you always have your nose in history books. That’s made you more knowledgeable about your past and it has put the present in context. But pop culture is history in the making and watching some of the popular shows of each era reveals a lot about the average person, while history books often dwell on the powerful people.

19. Do more yoga. Yes, K, I know you do yoga already. That’s why you’ve been able to play so long without major injuries. But doing more isn’t just for the physical benefits, it’s for the mental benefits that will come in handy in the years ahead, when your house burns down, your jazz collection perishes, and you lose to the Pistons in a four-game sweep in your final season.

20. Everything doesn’t have to be fixed. Relax, K-Man. Some stuff can be fixed, some stuff can’t be. Deciding which is which is part of maturing.

Shining Supah-stars

Season two’s finale of  Supah Ninjas airs tonight on Nickelodeon and it overflows with action! As this season has been wrapping up, I’ve been reflecting on the amazing times I had working on this show, the memories shared between me and so many members of the cast and crew, as well as the indelible mark the experience has left on me.

Firstly, the privilege of working alongside old friends certainly enriches my life. When I started out in the entertainment business, Hiro Koda took a chance on a total noob and hired me to double an actor on a show he coordinated. Since then, we’ve worked together on several awesome projects, from Ninja Warrior commercials to The Hangover 3, and the hilarious stories we’ve accumulated have grown exponentially. This time around, instead of wearing his Stunt Coordinator hat, he’s sporting his finest Director pants, as Hiro took the reins and directed this episode ("The Floating Sword") of Supah Ninjas. To say I’m proud of him would be an understatement...make sure to check out tonight's episode!

Behind-the-scenes: Some downtime between takes on "The Floating Sword"

Me, Glenn, and Tim in "Finding Forster"

Secondly, I value the friendships that my run on Supah Ninjas established. Doubling Brandon Soohoo was a riot (scarily, he reminds me of a younger me), fighting on the docks with my preppy brothers Glenn McCuen, Tim Eulich, and Nicholas Verdi in the Finding Forster episode created unforgettable memories, and training/goofing around with my homie Ryan Potter continues to be a blast. The philosopher Albert Schweitzer said, “we should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” These friends, as well as many others I made working on this show, certainly fuel the flames that keep my fire burning strong and I’m eternally grateful.

Thirdly, Supah Ninjas showcases a culture regularly overlooked in the world of entertainment media. The lead of the series, Ryan Potter, is of Asian descent. His father in the show, Randall Park, is Asian. And his grandfather in the show? You guessed it: Asian. Not only is Gramps Asian, but he's George Takei, a pioneer for Asian Americans in film for almost 50 years now!

Alex and George and ninjas...Oh my!

So many prominent Asian-Americans permeate the entertainment world. Behind the camera, we have visionaries such as Justin Lin (Fast and Furious 5, Community, Better Luck Tomorrow) and Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Step Up 2, Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never). Quest Crew and Poreotics, all Asian dance crews, won America’s Best Dance Crew. People of all races jam out to the sounds of Far East Movement. On camera, backstage, on the dance floor, and in music, the Asian-American entertainment community is making a strong, positive impression.

These successes make me proud as I’m sure everyone I’ve just described never sought out to be the greatest Asian-American actor/producer/director/dancer/musician/entertainer, but rather just to become the best actor/producer/director/dancer/musician/entertainer that they can be! Let’s make some noise for these outstanding role models who not only deserve recognition for their achievements but who also inspire a new, younger generation coming from diverse cultures/backgrounds to passionately pursue their goals.

Strive for your dreams and goals...live in greatness because greatness lives within you!

Slapstickin' to the script

Buster Keaton spoke volumes without stretching a vocal chord. The Three Stooges thrived from slipping on oil slicks and bonking each others' noggins. Physical humor is an internationally recognized language that requires no translation!

A few weeks back, Deni Jordan of Denmark's The Stunt Group called me in to shoot a comedy sketch with him and his team. Under the shade of the real trees of Beverly Hills, we fought over the affections of the lovely Katie Soo. Without giving too much away (I'll definitely share the video with you all when it's released), let's just say the action gets so wild that I received an unexpected shiner!

Me and Adam, circa 2004

Deni found me through an old friend affiliated with Reelkick, Adam Brix. When we first all got together and trained at All Olympians Gymnastic Center, Adam would come out and stunt with the best of them! Years later, after achieving great success in the Danish entertainment world, he still remembers little old me! That serves to remind: good friendships always pass the test of time!

"Be true to your work, your word, and your friends." Henry David Thoreau

Ninjas and zombies and ReelKick...oh my!

These days, ninjas and zombies reign supreme in the entertainment industry. So naturally, this ninja had to get in on the action and zombify himself!

Under the supervision of my ReelKick brother Thayr Harris, me and a handful of zombies broke out of a warehouse in Downtown LA while my teammate Holland Diaz and his army of SWAT officers fought off an infestation. Police cars swerved, prop guns fired off, and zombies (such as myself) were tossed to and fro, only to bounce back up and rip away for a glorious turning bite of humans.

Fun as the project was on its own, nothing compares to working together with ReelKick. Over nine years ago, we were all newbies in Los Angeles, navigating the overwhelmingly exciting world of the movie business. By some grace, we all came together - strangers from all over the country (and world) - and trained under the same roof.

Me, Thayr, and Holland

Those some years ago, the ReelKick Stunt Team was firmly established between friends who shared a common passion for filmmaking. We would grab meals together, share wild ideas and wilder jokes, analyzed every aspect of movies at each others' apartments, produced imaginative screenplays, choreographed experimental action sequences, and then partied hearty on the weekends...and we still do to this day! Movies were and are the common interest, but friendship is the real tie that binds.

2013 :: The View From Now

Mounted atop a glorious horse, overlooking the Pacific Ocean from a mountain summit in Malibu, I made this mighty discovery: 

HOLY MOLEY, I HAVEN'T BLOGGED AT ALL IN 2013!

Where are my manners? I blame Instagram...it's the social medium that's found a hard line in my veins and kept me hooked! Sorry to keep you waiting, and if in fact you've been in any holding pattern at all to catch up with my life activities via this blog, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I appreciate any and all of you who share your precious time to read my ramblings, so allow me to start you off with a tantalizing appetizer :)

This year's palette has begun covered with all sorts of goodies, one being my soaring around the set of Paramore's latest music video. Their track "Now" reintroduces the music world to Hayley Williams and her band mates and also features the expertise of Stunt Coordinator Robert Alonzo.

Assembling a handful of some of Hollywood's most talented and wittiest stunt guys, Rob coordinated an action team that left no moment dull. It's always much easier to give your best performance when you're in a good place within, and this group brought out the very best. Consequently, it reflects in the end product, as his epic cinematic action sequences - paired with the artistic genius of director Daniel Cloud Campos - elevate the music video production game to a whole other level!

Cloud is actually the reason I gravitated toward this project. As you may remember from a couple entries back, he and I have known and worked with one another for some time now. From the days of catapulting off the spring floors of LA Valley college's open gyms to snake charming in the faux-Saharan deserts of a soundstage in Sylmar for Britney Spears, Cloud, his wife Tamara, and I have shared a friendship colored with creatively imaginative hilarity.

They're fellow dreamers who also began their careers expressing artistry through their physical talents. Cloud is among dancer royalty, Tamara's a dynamic Olympic rhythmic gymnastic legend. Combine that with my US Wushu team kungfu fighting and you've got yourself a dangerous gang of misfits! Truly though, it's a real blessing to witness the growth of our artistic careers together and watch grand ideas manifest into reality.

I think it's best captured in a quote that Tamara posted on Instagram:




"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."

Hot off the press!

This guy in the Vietnamese newspaper looks mighty familiar...

Nguoi Viet newspaper featured an article about me and my non-profit - h.o.p.e.fly - when I got back from the "warm souls project" in New York a few weeks ago. If you'd like to check it out, here's the link!

Vien Dong Daily also interviewed me for an article last week while I was on the set of Hangover 3! The article was published in their highly circulated newspaper (as pictured) and here's the link to the online version.

For those who aren't fluent in Vietnamese, here's the transcript to our interview:

*******************

- What’s up Alex! It has been quite some time. How’ve you been?

Life's nothing short of a blessing. I'm living amazing adventures, one moment at a time!

- Awesome, now this is the second round of questions since our first interview – just to refresh everybody’s minds - you are a 3 time gold medalist in Wu Shu and are now a Hollywood stuntman...

I've added actor, non-profit organizer, and President of Reflex Entertainment to my resume as well!

- Describe a typical week in your life these days?

On a week when I'm not on set or jetting off to interesting locations for my dream job, I'm usually taking meetings, going out on auditions, fine tuning my martial arts/stunting skills at JAM (Joining All Movement gym), vocal training and scene study classes with my acting coaches at the Aaron Speiser studio, creative brainstorming/writing sessions with my team ReelKick, and conference calling with my charity partners for h.o.p.e.fly. And somewhere in there I find time to eat!

- Please tell us about the recent project that you just finished for Hurricane Sandy? The goal, the plan, and the results? What was your drive for this project?

My non-profit project - h.o.p.e.fly - was established with the goal of empowering young people and to help them share their unique gifts and abilities. Far too often, we overlook the greatness that exists before our very eyes! That being said, after Hurricane Sandy, I thought about those being overlooked amidst the reconstruction of New York City: the homeless. The weather is getting much colder as winter is approaching, so I thought, "how could we help keep those in need warm?" Thus, the h.o.p.e.fly warm souls project was born!

The idea is simple: gather coats, jackets, and sweaters and send them to New York. However, I wanted those who contributed to see how their donation was being brought directly to the needy, so I hand-delivered them myself to the Rescue Mission. So many times when we donate to a cause we don't know where our contribution goes. I documented the entire journey from start to finish (you can watch the video on my blog) so that everyone could see how they themselves are helping make this world a better place.

At first, Los Angeles, CA was the only city I had planned to collect coats from, but then Orange County, CA, Richmond, VA, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia, PA joined the cause! I collected over 250lbs of warm clothes from California alone, and when Virgin America heard about my efforts, they offered to pay for all the shipping! By the time I traveled to the east coast and made my way up to New York City, I had 10 full boxes of coats, jackets, and sweaters!

The goal of delivering these warm clothes to the New York City Rescue Mission was achieved. And we did it right before Thanksgiving, so that after Thanksgiving dinner folks could leave the shelter with a warm meal in their stomachs and a warm coat on their backs.

- What are some projects that you’re currently working on (non career wise)?

Outside of my career, I really enjoy traveling and have been wanting to reconnect with my roots in Vietnam. Southeast Asian travel is certainly on the itinerary for the near future.

- How has life as a stuntman been coming along? What’s your favorite part of it?

It's funny that you should ask that, because as we're doing this interview I'm on the set of The Hangover 3 getting ready to jump into an action sequence that's sure to keep the audience's eyes glued to the movie screen! I've been very blessed as a stuntman, and now it's propelled my career into the acting world. Being an actor/stuntman has introduced me to fascinating people, intriguing cultures, and exciting experiences that enrich my life in so many ways. When you push yourself beyond limits and fears you truly feel that you're living life at its best.

- Least favorite?

Not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do!

- What’s the craziest, busiest part of your week? Least busy?

I try to reserve Sunday as a day to connect with my family and faith, so that's probably the most calm. As for the the craziest? Look at me: everything's wild and crazy about my life!

- Most exciting? Most boring?

Never a dull moment when you're living fully in the moment!

- Compared to 2 years ago when we first interviewed you, how has your mentality changed?

Two years ago I tried to control every aspect of my life. The heavens have a funny way of teaching us life lessons though, and I learned that you can only do the best with what you have in front of you. After that, just let go and trust that whatever will be will be, because whatever happens is what's supposed to happen. Every moment can be a special one if you embrace it with love in your heart and a smile on your face.

- Have your professional goals changed since then? If so, how?

The goals are similar, the methods have just been refined and are more advanced.

- Personal goals?

I want to represent the Asian-American community positively in Hollywood and serve as a role model to Vietnamese people all over the world. One should lead by example through their words and actions.

- Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 20 years?

Taking over the world. Hopefully with a beautiful wife and kids by twenty years! Haha but in all seriousness I'll be consistently working as a well-known actor in film and television and h.o.p.e.fly will have accomplished several successful charitable projects around the world.

- How would you define success?

Success is fulfillment of goals, and personally my goals have been the same since I was five years old: to bring people together, entertain audiences, and give back to this world.  When the wealth and recognition I gain through my work affords me the ability to illuminate the lives of people all over the world, I think I'll feel that much closer to "success."

- Do you have any mentors that have helped you along the way?

Countless family and friends have served as inspiration to me, two of whom are Hollywood legends James Lew and Simon Rhee. I've picked up motivation from working alongside actors I admire such as Johnny Depp, Robert Downey, Jr. and Will Smith. I also have a great team, ReelKick, who keep me motivated and laughing all the time!

- How has your Vietnamese background played a role in your life?

Brought up by my grandparents who only spoke Vietnamese and being raised in American culture, I learned early on how to translate my thoughts, feelings and intentions by way of communication beyond words. My Vietnamese background is personified by the amazing Vietnamese family who raised me. They exemplify loyalty in spirit and family, hard work in the face of adversity, and service above self...all values that I carry with me every day of my life.

- What is your life philosophy?

Two pieces of personal wisdom I share often are "Humility is a skeleton key" and "Take a leap of faith, you just might fly!" My main philosophy in life is "Live in love." Love is one the greatest feelings we can experience, and when we live in its greatness, its greatness will live within us.

Thanks for sharing your life with us Alex!