Film Courage: Let’s go back to the writing process with you and Melissa.
So what was going on in your life when you started coming up with ideas for ALL I WANT?
I know it was her idea for the story initially, right?
West Liang: Yeah.
I was in the middle of finishing a full-length play and I was in the middle of workshopping
that play because it was a story of what I wanted to work out and was doing that.
And so when she first approached me my mind was really in another story in terms of my
writing.
And as an actor, I was taking myself out of things a little bit because of whatever reason.
I’d just gotten disenchanted with the process of an actor’s life.
So I started writing something to produce and direct and when she approached me there
was something about the story.
Both Melissa and I are big fans of ensemble movies and so that was our initial kind of
connection, where we are fans of ensemble films.
And I also think that the theme of what we’re trying to talk about in this movie is a really
important theme for me and for her this idea of people in the modern American city right
now (I feel like, at least certainly in Los Angeles) there is kind of this undercurrent
of stress and anxiety and depression that people don’t talk about.
Film Courage: You see it, though.
You feel it.
West Liang: You feel it.
You bump up against it.
And I’m not talking about clinical disorders of anxiety or depression or things like that.
I’m talking about the garden variety kind of weight of anxiety, of stress, of depression.
And that is for me feels like a very un-talked about area of modern life.
People who are trying to figure out - what kind of jobs they want to have?
Do they want to switch careers?
Do they want to get married and have kids?
Are they happy with their partner?
With their families?
And I think thematically that was something that we both wanted kind of pull apart and
examine.
That’s the wonderful thing about this film is that it’s got amazing performances across
the board.
There is amazing technical prowess in terms of cinematography and editing and composition.
I’m certainly proud of my work as a director, Melissa and I are very proud of it as producing
partners and someone who collaborated to make the script happen but thematically I think
it’s an interesting thing to talk about for the audience that we don’t already talk
about right now.
Film Courage: I know it’s taboo because nobody wants to get too heavy, but I sense
it living in LA as long as I have, I’ve seen the change and I don’t know if it’s
because it’s busier here.
And on a side note (and we can take this out if you don’t want to talk about it) but
where you live (and I won’t say where it is), but it’s removed…
West Liang: In the Hollywood Hills (smiling).
Film Courage: Well it’s removed from Hollywood and you have a lovely place here by the way.
And I can see why you would want to be here because it’s not part of the industry but
you are so creative and you do produce things, you don’t just talk about them (you have
a body of work).
Why choose some place that’s not in the heart of the industry?
West Liang: Well it wasn’t initially by choice, it was based on so many different
factors in terms of where you want to put yourself, where do you want to make your nest
per se oftentimes when you don’t have all the resources you want to have.
But I think as a result of all these different factors forcing me to make a decision I’m
able to kind of have a home that feels a little bit, kind of on the outskirts of the hub of
Hollywood.
And I think that gives me a certain sense of I don’t know whether it’s distance
or peace from it or whatever…having some quiet time to work on whatever you want to
work on.
Film Courage: So you don’t feel that pull to be in that sort of The Hub?
West Liang: No, no, no.
I mean not anymore.
I think when I first moved down to LA it was really important for me to be surrounded by
where everything is happening and that was exciting for many years and I think now it’s
kind of nice to sort of be around that, have access to that, but also have the ability
to tuck yourself away and not be surrounded by that.
Film Courage: Are you more creative in the daytime or nighttime?
West Liang: Definitely in the day time, yeah I think so.
I am more of a morning person.
And I don’t know if Melissa has ever complained about it?
I don’t think so but every time we would have meetings I would always be like “Let’s
do it at 8:00 in the morning.”
And she was like “Yeah, sure.”
I think that’s also kind of interesting, too.
Because as a side note I’m collaborating on another project with someone else who is
a night person.
In some interesting ways, that’s kind of caused some friction.
Because after 8:00 p.m. my mind just relaxes and starts to think about other things.
And I kind of want to eat and I kind of want to watch a movie, I want to just go to the
gym and do nothing.
And during the day I’m really productive and for this other person, it’s the opposite.
Film Courage: Interesting.
West Liang: It would be interesting to take a tally to see where are, are they a morning
or a night person and also their collaborators are they the same or opposite?
What are you?
Are you a morning creative person or?
Film Courage: I would say I get much more done after a cup of coffee and in the morning
and then past a certain point I’m just done and I don’t…nothing is worse than being
behind a computer when it’s like 2:00 a.m. and I can’t see straight and that’s not
where my best self lies.
So I get that.
But I know there are some people that come alive at night.
I think we’re all just hardwired differently and there is no right way.
I mean you hear of these entrepreneurs that get up at like 4:45 a.m. and they take a cold
shower and they’re ready and they’re doing a wheatgrass smoothie.
And that’s great.
I don’t think I can do 4:45 a.m.
Everyone has their own process.
But then there are some people who fool themselves and that’s the trick I worry about.
West Liang: I definitely think that the footnote to that question is really like when do your
inspirations come and for me they come all over the place and at any time but oddly it
comes at night often as well.
I just think that you let it sit.
Inspiration comes to you, ideas come to you and you let it sit around in your head and
you can’t really actively do anything about it, I just sort of let it sit and then I will
try to actually execute on the idea during the day.
Film Courage: Did you grow up in a big city?
West Liang: I grew up in the suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area.
I mean I worked and played in The City but suburbia.
LA is unique in some ways in a sense that there are so many ambitious people coming
here to do what seems to me like kind of an impossible kind of task of making your living
as an artist.
And so I think maybe with that, maybe where the country is or expectations or all these
kind of different things cause anxiety in the city.
Cause anxiety in people who are expected to get married or expected to make a certain
amount of money in their jobs or expected to do certain things and how that bumps up
against what you are able to do.
Film Courage: I think the money part is a huge factor in this city.
West Liang: Yeah…being able to afford where to live.
It’s tough which is why for me I wanted to really explore that in this movie.
This movie is very much about friendship, it’s about family, love, modern love and
life and all those kind of things.
There’s a lot of humor in this story, there’s a lot of fun moments in the story that I think
the audience can really enjoy.
They can see themselves and their friends and their family in their characters in this
movie but I think at the same time it also starts conversation about that, about anxiety.