Eddie
Shin
Terry Phoo
A new-wave
cop fresh from Hong Kong's quasi-mystical, mutant-busting task force,
Terry Phoo is the kung-fu crime-fighting answer to London's mutant-infested
streets.
Terry may
be a Buddhist martial arts sweetheart but when it comes to crime-fighting
he doesn't always pack a punch.
American
actor Eddie Shin relished the role of the hapless kung-fu cop: "He
strikes me as part Bruce Lee, part Jackie Chan, part Inspector Clouseau
and part Edward Scissorhands.
"His
best intentions often end up in botched results but Terry constantly
strives to do good and his intentions are pure. His heart is always
in the right place and his capacity to care, I think, makes him endearing."
And as
Eddie - who has appeared in international shows such as That 70s
Show, ER and NYPD Blue - explains, the fight
to rid the nation of criminal mutants sees Terry form a dynamic duo
with teenage rebel Whitey Action.
"They
may not seem like a likely crime-fighting duo but, it turns out, they
complement and need each other in more ways than one might think - a
true yin to the other's yang."
But while
Phoo Action proves to be spiritually enlightening for Terry,
the drama was, at times, physically testing for Eddie with intensive
kung-fu training and stunts to master.
"I
had no idea what to expect with the kung-fu and fighting," admits
Eddie. "I had visions of being asked to do back flips off a roof
and me blinking through tears, shaking uncontrollably all the while.
Thankfully, in the end, it all worked out fine!"
A crack
team of kung-fu experts gave Eddie guidance including iconic Jeet Kune
Do (JKD) specialist Tommy Carruthers and fight co-ordinator Dave Forman,
famed for creating fight scenes in films such as Batman Begins
and The Last Samurai.
"For
a guy who could probably destroy me in three seconds, Tommy was incredibly
gentle and kind," Eddie recalls. "He helped me work out in
general, introduced me to basic JKD concepts and helped me find a rhythm
and style to my movement."
For the
more complex kung-fu moves, Eddie turned to stunt double Liang Yang
but, as Eddie explains, seeing his doppelganger on set sometimes proved
to be an odd experience for the young actor.
"It
was bizarre having Liang double me. Every once in a while, I'd see Liang
on set, done up like me, and I'd do a double take thinking, whoa, that
was...me!," he says.
"Whenever
we hung out on set together, people would constantly go up to one of
us, mistaking one for the other. It got ridiculous after a while. Liang
can do jaw-dropping things with his body and weapons, yet he's as humble
and Zen as they come."
Leaving
behind the sunny climes of his home in Los Angeles to shoot Phoo
Action in Glasgow was a welcome journey for Eddie, not least because
it gave him the opportunity to sample some Scottish delicacies.
"I
did my first haggis which was delicious and had an ambitious sampling
of the local single malts, also delicious. I can't say enough about
Scotland. I even adored the grey skies for which all the locals seemed
to apologise!" laughs Eddie.
While Eddie's
alter ego Terry Phoo is somewhat lacking in the superhero department,
the actor admits he'd have high hopes if he was to live the superhero
life himself.
"I've
always thought it'd be funny if I had a superpower that was essentially
useless, like having flight but only being able to fly six inches above
the ground and really, painfully, slow," he jokes.
Surreal
superhero powers aside, Eddie is certain audiences will be wowed by
the wonder of Phoo Action.
"I
think they'll be thrilled. It's unique – he [Hewlett] gave us
a world that allowed us to be very visually, musically, thematically
and stylistically rich and different from most anything else on the
TV. And hopefully audiences will join us in the Phoo Action
world for a surreal ride."
Phoo
Action
What is Phoo Action?
Creator Jamie Hewlett
and writer Mat Wakeham
Jaime Winstone
interview - Whitey Action
Carl Weathers interview
- Chief Benjamin Benson
Being Human
Being Human features
