The international cast is headlined by Sean Faris 桑輝魯斯 (“Never Back Down”), Will Yun Lee 李詳旭 (“The Wolverine”) and Hong Kong actors Grace Huang黃芝琪, Terence Yin 尹子維 and Joman Chiang 蔣祖曼. For Sean Faris 桑輝魯斯 and Will Yun Lee 李詳旭, this is their second film together after their collaboration in the martial arts actioner, “The King of Fighters.” The film also re-unites Terence Yin 尹子維 and Joman Chiang 蔣祖曼, who co-starred in the Hong Kong indie hit “Fog”.
Michael (Sean Faris) discusses the up-coming trip to China with Anna (Grace Huang)
“Sean was our first choice for Michael. I cannot imagine anyone else for this role. We met in Los Angeles after he read the script and it clicked. It’s amazing how well Sean understands and embodies the character.”
– Stanley J. Orzel 何兆賢 (Director)
Korean-American star Will Yun Lee 李詳旭 soon became attached to the project.
Will Yun Lee (Stanford) and Breanne Racano (Emma) during the wine scene
“The challenge for me as a director is – how do you turn a quintessential action star into a computer geek. But Will is such a talented actor. The way he gets into the character of Stanford, you’d never know he actually knows kung-fu! The audience will see a side of Will Yun Lee that’s so unexpected.”
– Stanley J. Orzel 何兆賢 (Director)
But it was the role of Anna, the ballerina from Mainland China, that presented the biggest casting challenge. Director Stanley J. Orzel 何兆賢 struggled with the idea of finding a “real” dancer versus an actor who might have to learn to dance. The search for Anna covered both Asia and the United States.
Anna (Grace Huang) on the Star Ferry
“Grace Huang is vivacious. She initially came in for the role of Mei Mei, a rebellious, young woman who is Anna’s best friend. But when I saw the sparkle in her eyes, I knew we had our Anna. Fortunately, Grace had some training in Jazz Dancing and martial arts… which is all about movement.”
– Stanley J. Orzel 何兆賢 (Director)
Huang embarked on a journey to transform herself into a modern ballet dancer. Under the tutelage of Choreographer Yong-Jing Li 李咏靜, she worked tirelessly over the course of two months to hone her skills.
Yong-Jing Li 李咏靜 was impressed with Huang’s results…
“Grace is focused, hardworking and dedicated. She adds so much emotion to the choreography.“
– Yong-Jing Li 李咏靜 (Choreographer)
“Lost for Words 愛。真。承” was shot entirely on location in numerous spectacular locales throughout Hong Kong.