IAN CHEN [SHAZAM] — A BOOK OF MAGAZINE

Child actor Ian Chen has been playing the character of Evan Huang from Fresh Off The Boat since 2015. Now he plays Eugene Choi, a more advanced and hardcore gamer from the Vasqueez foster family in the upcoming DC film SHAZAM.

In this exclusive interview, read about Chen’s acting career, the characters that he plays, his ambition to become a pilot and his advice to aspiring, young actors out there.

What’s your most exciting audition story?
Auditioning for Fresh Off the Boat was really exhilarating. First, it started with a simple self-tape, then an audition with the casting... on and on. It's like a cycle- you go in for a "screening," you don't know the results. You finally get them and it's like a rush of adrenaline of, "Am I gonna get this role??"

Can you tell us about your character Eugene Choi from Shazam?

Eugene Choi is a gamer, and part of the Vasquez foster family. He doesn't play those roleplay "baby" games, oh no... he plays the most action-packed (and sometimes bloodiest) games of them all. To keep his energy up the whole time, he guzzles down soda and sometimes plays from the break of dawn to the set of the sun.

What are you most excited about the film?

We've done some really funny and exciting scenes that I can't wait to see on the big screen. We spent a lot of hours filming it and days planning it out. It's great to see it all come together on the big screen.

What is it that you love about acting the most?

Being able to work with other amazing actors on different projects, like Randall Park on Fresh Off the Boat, or Zachary Levi on Shazam, it's a true honor to be able to learn and work with them.

What’s your dream role?

I love aviation- my dream job is to become a pilot. So, every actor's dream job, needs a dream role, haha. Like Tom Hanks playing Captain Chesley Sullenberger in "Sully," I would like to play a pilot on the big screen. Seeing how they're able to create such believable and realistic scenes is just amazing.

What inspires you?

I feel like there is a need to diversify the content that we see on our devices. For example, Fresh Off the Boat was the first TV show to feature a full Asian-American cast in 20 years. FOTB was like a stepping stone or trailblazer for all the other amazing projects to develop on.

If you are a book, what book would you be and why? (book type, kind or title)

I'm really (kind of) into sci-fi books right now, like Ready Player One. I think it'll be interesting to have a book that peers into the future, and "predict" what will happen.

Do you have any message to any young, aspiring actors out there?

I don't want to be too cliché or anything, but just be confident in your auditions, make sure to familiarize with the script, and always have fun.

See Ian Chen in his latest role in the new DC movie, Shazam!