Clowning in Cabramatta
Australian comedian Lawrence Leung admits he has a lot in common with Simon Chan, the wimpy lead character mistaken for a martial- arts warrior in the new ABC series Maximum Choppage.
"We're both seasoned cowards with no martial-arts abilities at all," the diminutive actor-comedian laughs.
"Fortunately, I didn't have to learn how to fight for the show but I did have to learn how to get hit in the face or fall on the ground convincingly. And let me tell you, I didn't need a stunt double for that. I'm a master of looking like I could get hurt really well. I always go down for the count!"
The irreverent, low-budget, six-part comedy series was filmed guerilla-style on the streets and in the beauty salons, DVD shops and Asian restaurants of Cabramatta, in Sydney, where Leung's meek artist has just returned from years of training at Marshall's Art School. The locals, however, think he's returned from a revered martial-arts school and see him as the warrior-hero to go fist-to-face with the local kung-fu gangsters terrorising the community.
Despite no chop-socky skills at all, Chan keeps up the charade, not wanting to disappoint his desperate best friend Egg (Dave Eastgate) and butt-kicking potential girlfriend Petal (Stephanie Son). After all, certain death is better than disappointing his adoring mother (Kathryn Yuen).
Much like his cowardly character, Leung admits he's better with paintbrushes and watercolours than nunchucks and flying stars, and can relate to not wanting to disappoint his parents.
"My parents are from Hong Kong, where there's no stand-up comedy," said the 37-year-old, who also wrote three of the six episodes.
"They had no idea what I was talking about when I said I wanted to go into comedy.
"They thought it was this weird clowning hobby while I was studying at university. But the hobby took over and here I am, making stories that may have a grain of truth in them.
"To me, it's a family drama but having the stakes so high in this universe makes it a comedy."
The wacky, exaggerated series was inspired by a set of kung-fu shorts by Cabramatta filmmaker and martial artist Timothy Ly, who took the idea of making Australia's first kung-fu series to the ABC. Leung came on board as star and co-writer.
"The idea was to take things from Cabramattra's dark and colourful history and turn it into a height- ened universe," Leung explains. "We were always asking 'What is life like in Cabramatta and how can we max chop it?'"
In this heightened version of Cabramatta, therefore, Asian gangsters unwind by singing bad karaoke, pirated DVDs are the new crack cocaine and parking spots are more valuable than gold. Asian traditions and superstitions sit side-by-side with corrupt mayors and colourful characters.
Many of Ly's original cast play fighters and extras in the series.
"There's a real sense of guerilla filmmaking, a wild anarchic spirit and no special effects.
"I don't think there's anything like this on Australian TV, or ever has been."
But has the actor-comedian - who also performs his new stand- up show The Escapist at the Perth Comedy Festival on May 1 - won over his traditional parents with his clowning around?
"It's taken a while," he admits. "But I asked them to play my parents in my TV series Choose Your Own Adventure, and I think they got more laughs than me. So they are slowly getting it."
'There's a real sense of guerilla filmmaking, a wild anarchic spirit and no special effects. I don't think there's anything like this on Australian TV, or ever has been.'
