Q&A: Ai Wan Gives the Inside Scoop on "This is Sanlitun"

Actress, producer, director, documentary film-maker, club owner and long-time Beijing scene queen Ai Wan's latest project is a starring role in Icelandic director Róbert Ingi Douglas's film This is Sanlitun, a new comedy about expat life in Beijing that will be screened as part of the Toronto Film Festival on September 10. We caught up with her to find out how the production went and what she expects from the film.

Whose idea was it to make this film?

It was director Róbert Ingi Douglas’s idea – he wrote the script along with Carlos Ottery and Christopher Loton, my two fabulous co stars. They have been drinking buddies for years.

What drew you to this project?

It's a comedy. About the story of Sanlitun and the people I know. We all live and breathe in this place, and we all have so much unforgettable and colorful memories from it, day in and day out. Sanlitun is not just a landmark; it’s a community of expats and locals exchanging cultures and sharing their lives together. Robert has a very quirky and super realistic way of showing what’s hidden behind the smiling faces and anger. He searches for extreme honesty as well.

You've been part of Beijing's international scene for a while now – in what unique ways do you think this film depicts expat life in Beijing?

The film is about a foreigner Gary chasing the Chinese dream, desperate to make it big with his North Korean hair growth formula and win back his ex-wife Lin and son. When Gary meets Frank, this pair of hopeless ex-pats discover that Beijing isn’t the hotbed of entrepreneurial opportunity they had anticipated in this hilarious and timely look at the West’s obsession with the East

In the film you play the main character's ex-wife”Lin.” What did you find interesting or challenging about this role?

I really enjoyed playing “Lin” in the film. Robert cast me after six months of auditioning bilingual actresses. Lin is Gary’s put upon ex-wife, she met Gary in a bar about 10 years ago when she was studying in London. They have a son name Johnny who is 8-years-old, though having the brains to see that Gary was not going places, she too is inclined to inhabit her own dream world. She gives Gary several chances to make things better, but becomes infuriated as he, beer in hand, moves from one useless scheme to the next.

The challenge for me was the exact opposite of Lin according to Robert. I don’t know if I'd be able put up with someone like that for ten years – to me that’s either true love or [being] blind, and I don’t have any children yet.

When I first met Robert and Carlos (who plays Gary-my ex), they thought I might be too trendy and glamorous, [because I was known as] the “Queen of Sanlitun nightlife” and "A Renaissance Woman” from the media. “The only thing I had in common with Lin is that we both are headstrong and know what we want” (also according to the director).

Robert and Carlos gave me a screen test, and after that, the rest is history. I got the part. And I became a producer later on, which means more hard work.

Overall, what do you think the film says about Beijing?

I like the tagline of this film: ”China is like a beer. If you don’t like the taste you can just keep drinking!”

Can you tell us a bit about the other actors in the film?

All of the actors were handpicked carefully by the director from Sanlitun, They are Carlos Ottery, Christopher Loton, Hu Gao Xiang, Cromwell Cheung, David Vaughan, Leonardo Lee, etc. They are all fantastic, and I had lots of fun working with them. I think Robert knows exactly what he wants from each and everyone for his film. They are all very real, funny and full of surprises.

Can you compare the film to any other productions or movies?

We are the first movie about Sanlitun ever made. We are also probably the lowest budget indie Chinese-English film to have been officially selected into an A-list international film festival in the last 30 years. And we are very proud of it.

How long did production take? Did anything unexpected happen while filming?

The prepping took a long time. The real shooting only took five weeks. The post production took another 10 months. We had to find a group of Vespa riders in the film, and we didn’t know anyone. One day, I went to Weibo and found Beijing Vespa and contacted the organizer ”Bao Zi." I told him we are doing a film, and we really need their help. More than half a dozen local Vespa riders showed up with their colorful vantage motorcycles, and they saved us all at no cost.

What's next on the horizon? Any other plans for films or projects set in Beijing?

Now as the founder of my new company – Aiwan Entertainment (爱玩大业), my team is specializing in Chinese movie co-productions and special events. My upcoming starring roles include two Chinese language features, Father & Son and Buramahan, a legendary love story shot in Xinjiang. After that, I am planning to take an offer to play the starring role in a cross culture stage play Magic of Love (爱娃), which I co-wrote.

Photos courtesy of Ai Wan