Osric Chau – Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

By starrymag | November 12, 2016

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been working on?

A) “Dirk Gently” has been the main focus. I was up in Vancouver for the majority of this year shooting the first season of that and it’s been so much fun. It’s more than I could have asked for. It’s a crazy character who gets to do all these fun things. As the show goes on, the characters get more and more development and more and more fun to play. The whole mystery of the show comes together. It just gets better as it goes along, which is exciting. Also, it shoots in Vancouver, which is where home is and where my family lives. So, I got to hang out with some friends.

Q) How was your character Vogle originally described to you?

A) Originally, the first time when I auditioned for it I tried out for a different character. When I auditioned, they offered me Vogle so I had absolutely no idea who or what this was. Even after getting the script (the day before our first day of shooting) we set up a meeting with the director and the Executive Producer Max Landis. We had no idea how our scene was supposed to or say sour lines. All of us. So, we came in there and just played around and thought, “How bad of actors are we if we can’t even crack this scene?” Then, they spent the next two and a half hours describing our backstories and our voices. It just made sense after that. I knew nothing going in and Max’s imagination is just intense. So, he basically painted it in for us and it finally made sense.

Q) What was it about the role or show that made you want to be a part of it?

A) It was a straight offer. I auditioned for another character, as I mentioned. I probably shouldn’t ay just yet who it was. Not even in the realm of Vogle. They just offered me Vogel. I hadn’t even read a character description for him. I heard that the casting really liked my tape and they just picked it up and showed it to Max. I heard he said, “that’s Vogle,” and that’s how I got it. Knowing what I know now, I am kind of Vogle. It’s fun. We get to be super destructive and Vogle is the one who gets to enjoy it.

Q) How did you prepare for the stunt work for the series?

A) It kind of is stunts, but kind of isn’t. We just show up and smash things. So, yes it is, but day one for that first episode they said, “This is your van. You’re going to run into that car. You are going to take your weapon and start smashing everything on that side of the street. Go at it.” Then, day two was the apartment and we just smashed that a couple of times. We do figure out the choreography so we aren’t hitting each other, but for the most part it is just breaking things. [laughs] Which is really fun and therapeutic!

Q) How familiar were you with your costars before working with them?

A) I knew Elijah [Wood] from Lord of the Rings. For me, almost everyone is new. “The Rowdy Three” – all of us are Canadian and I’m from Canada. For some reason, I just never knew that many actors. So, all three of the other guys are close friends already because they have been working together for years. I was kind of the outsider coming in. I don’t know if we dig into the backstory, but once you do that it actually works really well for the character. I didn’t really know anyone. I knew Ty Olsson who played Dorian in the first episode. Other than that, it was kind of a blank slate for me and everyone else.

Q) Who would have you not worked with that you would like to have scenes with in the future?

A) I haven’t had any scenes with Fiona [Dourif] and Mpho [Koaho]. I love that dynamic between them. If we get a season two, I’d love to do some scenes with them.

Q) What have been most memorable of your most memorable moments from filming “Dirk Gently?”

A) That is a good question. I feel like every day was so much fun because you are just smashing things. Smashing the apartment was fun. Smashing the pile of mannequins was fun. We don’t kill anyone, but we scare them and break things around them. Running into things with the car as fun. I have never been in so many fake accidents. It was great. I think it is just being given permission to be destructive. There is something pretty nice about that.

Q) What is it about “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” that you think makes it a buzzworthy program?

A) Douglas Adams has his own following. The books, from what I’ve heard (I haven’t read them yet), are amazing. I think it is just the quirkiness of it. It’s so weird. What really is exciting about this is that it is my kind of show. It’s something that I would watch if I weren’t in it. There are so many things going for it. There are kittens, dogs and all these random things. Just seeing how they all come together and are all connected was so much fun. Even reading the scripts was so much fun.

Q) Kevin Tran, your character from “Supernatural,” is such a prolific character because he was a high school genius that turned into a prophet. What do you think Sam and Dean learned from their time with Kevin?

A) That’s a good question. I hadn’t even thought about it from their perspective. I don’t know. I’m going to turn the tables and ask what you think it is they have learned.

Q) I think his loss sort of opened their hearts a little more, which led to them having familial feelings for Charlie (Felicia Day). I think they learned a little bit about opening their hearts more.

A) They learned that if you do that you get hurt so much more so they shut themselves off again. It’s hard to tell with those brothers.

Q) How do you think Kevin changed the scope of the show?

A) For me, it was just exciting to be a person of color for such a long time on the show – one that hadn’t much of a track record for that. So, I think that for that I really appreciated it. Also, I don’t know if this happens often, but I was one of the few local Canadian hires on the show with such a big role. So, I know from the Canadian side it was also a big step because usually they would cast the large characters out of LA. So, from the casting side, Canada was saying, “Hey, our talent pool is decent so you should give us a shake.” That was something nice for the fans. I think they have people of color and now they are making a big push for women, which is great on a show that has been by large men. That’s pretty cool.

Q) What did you take away from time working on “Supernatural?”

A) For the first time ever it kind of felt like I had a 9 to 5 job – in the best possible way. I’d go in, do an episode and go back to LA. Then, I’d get to come back. Every time it felt like going back home – smiling faces, same character and same people. There is something nice about that because as a working actor for the most part you are on a different set for every project and there is just no consistency at all. So, for the first time in a couple of years I had a group of people that I always went back to and there was something really nice about that.

Q) What else can you tease is to come for Vogle this season on “Dirk Gently?”

A) I think The Rowdy Three – ours is a slow burn introduction. As the season progresses, you learn more and more our characters. But even after reading the script, watching it twice and shooting it – every time I watch it see it there is something that I missed. Literally, everting in the show is connected and it is full of Easter eggs. So, if you really pay attention things will come back around. Even in that first episode – it’s kind of weird. Just notice all the details because nothing is arbitrary. Everything has its place and is there for a reason.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to your work?

A) Yeah, in some sense it is kind of like stage but without the noise in that you get to hear what people think right away. Certainly, some times it can be overwhelming and I don’t always check, but there I something nice about being able to connect – especially now when it comes to numbers and I’m trying to push forward for Asian males specially. As actors, having quantifiable numbers to kind of back you up is a nice thing to be able to do because otherwise everyone just thinks the formula is broken and they’ll never take a chance. So, on that end I really think it is helpful to us.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you so much for watching. I know they are all not all great projects, but thanks for sticking around. It will only get better!