Episode 64.5

Bao Tran, Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, and Mykel Shannon Jenkins ·  The Paper Tigers

Bio:
As teenagers, kung fu disciples Danny (Alain Uy), Hing (Ron Yuan) and Jim (Mykel Shannon Jenkins) were inseparable. Fast forward 25 years, and each has grown into a washed-up middle-aged man seemingly one kick away from pulling a hamstring—and not at all preoccupied with thoughts of martial arts or childhood best friends. But when their old master is murdered, the trio reunites, soon learning that avenging their sifu will require conquering old grudges (and a dangerous hitman still armed with ample knee cartilage) if they are to honorably defend his legacy.

Tran Quoc Bao | Writer/Director/Editor
Mentored early on by master action director Corey Yuen, Bao was instilled with an approach to action that doesn’t rely solely on spectacle, but also draws on story and character. Screen Anarchy praised his written-and-directed short Bookie for its “flawlessly realized world populated by entirely fleshed out and believable characters, driven by a compelling narrative and brought to sumptuous life.” He has since traveled back to his homeland of Vietnam to work as a feature film editor. His editing credits include Cho Lon, one of Southeast Asia’s highest-budgeted action blockbusters, and Jackpot, a heartfelt comedy selected as Vietnam’s official entry to the 2016 Oscars for Best Foreign Film. Ain’t It Cool News enthusiastically declared Bao as “a director I expect to see big things from.

ALAIN UY | “Danny”

From bringing diverse and dynamic characters to life on screen, to flexing his entrepreneurial spirit through his production company Them Too, multi-hyphenate actor, director, producer, and writer Alain Uy has become “one to watch” in the entertainment industry, and he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

This year, Alain can be seen starring in Hulu/Marvel’s thriller-drama series “Helstrom” opposite Sydney Lemmon and Tom Austen. The show follows Daimon (Austen) and Ana Helstrom (Lemmon), the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity. Alain is a scene stealer as Chris Yen, Ana Helstrom’s confidant, business partner, and right hand man. “Helstrom” is the first series in Marvel Television’s Adventure into Fear franchise, and premiered on October 16, 2020.

On the film front, Alain can next be seen starring in the indie action/comedy feature “The Paper Tigers.” Written, directed, and produced by filmmaker on the rise Bao Tran, “The Paper Tigers” tells the story of three Kung Fu prodigies: Danny (Uy), Hing (Ron Yuan), and Jim (Mykel Shannon Jenkins) who have grown up into washed up, middle aged men who are just one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. When their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties, and old grudges to avenge his death. “The Paper Tigers” is currently on the national and international festival circuit.

Born in Dagupan City, Philippines, and of Chinese-Filipino decent, Alain moved to Los Angeles at six years old with his parents and four siblings. Growing up, he had an innate love for the arts. Alain trained to be a professional dancer in high school until his dance career was halted when he fractured his hips in a car accident and could not walk for over six months. While in recovery, he began to explore other facets of the entertainment business, which led him to the study abroad program at Oxford University in the UK. There, Alain immersed himself in theatre, and when he returned to the States he began his professional career as an actor. Additional television credits for Alain include: HBO’s “True Detective,” FOX’s “The Passage,” “Grimm,” “Pure Genius,” “The Last Ship,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” and Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” to name a few.

Aside from his acting career, Alain is the founder and creative force behind Los Angeles-based production company Them Too. Birthed during the financial crisis of 2008, Alain harnessed his desire to expand his entrepreneurial side while producing and directing, through the company. Since its inception, Them Too has produced content for A list musical acts including: The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Avicii, DeadMau5, and Calvin Harris. Alain has directed new media profiles, live events, and short docs for Pharell Williams, Questlove, Jay Z, Kanye, Drake, Travis Scott, Rev Run and comedian Jo Koy for Comedy Central. Them Too has also created short form commercial narratives for established brands such as Perrier Jouet, Adidas, Levi’s, Stussy, MGM, and Aria. In 2017 Them Too launched into fictional narrative content with the award winning comedy short “Companion,” which won Best Director (Matt Ferrucci) and Best Comedy TV Series at ITVFest. Alain and Them Too currently have a handful of projects in development, in the scripted film/television space.

When he isn’t on set, you can find Alain spending time with his family, learning to skateboard (with his son) or watching his favorite basketball team: The Los Angeles Lakers. He also enjoys spending time playing music (trumpet, piano, and guitar) and dancing, and he continues to take jazz and contemporary classes for fun. He is also a self-proclaimed gamer, his favorite games are NBA2K, Starcraft, World of Warcraft, and League of Legends (which he is determined to be amazing at). Alain is also multilingual, speaking: English, Tagalog, Pangasinan, and Mandarin.

RON YUAN | “Hing”

Ron Yuan just wrapped as one of the ensemble leads in Disney’s live adaptation Mulan (2020), directed by Niki Caro. Yuan plays battle-hardened Master Sgt. Qiang, 2nd in command of the Imperial Regiment.

Yuan signed on as series regular Prince Nayan on Netflix’s Marco Polo (2014), created by John Fusco. Yuan filmed Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) playing Yeong, the main weapons engineer. Before that, he was in The Accountant (2016), directed by Gavin O’Connor, playing a reluctant Silat Master. He appeared on Jon Bokenkamp’s The Blacklist (2013) as Quon Zhang. He was seen in the final season of Sons of Anarchy (2008) as the intense and unpredictable Ryu Tom. Yuan played hard-nosed Lt. Peter Kang in the short-lived CBS series Golden Boy (2013) and had small roles in episodes of Justified (2010) and Castle (2009). Yuan joined Francesca Eastwood and Annie Q. in MDMA (2017).

In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), he voiced Scorpion. He made his directorial debut with Step Up China (2019). In the ABC/Freeform series Siren (2018), Yuan played Aldon Decker, a military marine biologist who unwittingly falls in love with a predator mermaid. His obsession spirals out of control as he tries to bring her back to his research facility. Yuan designed the fight sequences as well as going behind camera as Action Director for Wild Card (2015), scripted by William Goldman and directed by Simon West. Yuan completed designing and directing the action on the popular action franchise Black & White: The Dawn of Justice (2014). He played characters in story arcs on FOX’s Touch (2012) (opposite Kiefer Sutherland) and NBC’s Awake (2012) (opposite Jason Isaacs).

He was the voice behind major gaming campaigns (Call of Duty-Black Ops 2, Halo, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Resident Evil, World of Warcraft, Medal of Honor, Army of Two, Guild Wars 2, Deus Ex, Drake’s Uncharted, and many more). Yuan’s MiniFlix Films with Sony Television (SPE) co-produced three films (Three Bullets, Tea and Remembrance, Lollipops) in which Yuan wrote, produced and directed. Yuan’s award-winning work in short film and features has premiered in more than 30 film festivals worldwide, including Toronto, Sundance (Park City, Utah), Tribeca (Manhattan), Athens, Cairo, Seattle, Kansas City (Missouri), Austin (Texas), and Beijing & Macau (China), and Los Angeles, Newport Beach & Comic-Con (all California).

MYKEL SHANNON JENKINS | “Jim”

Mykel Shannon Jenkins, born in Biloxi, Mississippi, to an officer in the United States Air Force, traveled with his family across the United States. With his parents and two siblings, Mykel finally settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he graduated from Bonnabel High School and, thereafter, earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University. While in high school, Mykel was a nationalist in drama and speech & debate. It was at this time that his fire for the dramatic was ignited. After college, while holding down a part-time job as a waiter, Mykel became a household name as the host of New Orleans’ WB38 Kids’ Club, where for more than four years he served as an on-air personality introducing kids and parents to a world of knowledge. While in New Orleans, Mykel landed many roles, including one that earned him screen time with Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd in Double Jeopardy.

In 2003, led by his faith in Christ, armored with a winning attitude, and empowered by his family, Mykel made his move to Hollywood and immediately began studying his craft at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Since moving to Hollywood, Mykel has landed leads in many highly regarded television shows, such as : TV ONE’S: Miss Me This Christmas, A Royal Christmas Ball, Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland, The Wrong Mother, StartUp, The Rich and The Ruthless, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Born Again Virgin, Hit The Floor, and the CW’s new hit drama, Containment. Mykel’s film credits include The Last Heist, Teleios, The Masked Saint, Same Kind of Different as Me, and Undisputed III: Redemption, where he brought to life the charismatic and unforgettable American fighter, Turbo.

In 2015, instead of waiting for an opportunity, Mykel created his own by writing, producing, directing and starring in his own films. To date, Mykel has released five features, his fifth being “Two Wolves.” His other works include “The Gods” and “The Chosen Ones.” Mykel is currently writing a script which he will produce, direct and co-star, spotlighting his son in a coming-of-age dramedy about a young boy finding his way through the craziness of life, friendships, and family.

Although Mykel is busy filling many roles as an actor, writer, director and producer, he still dedicates time to playing his favorite roles as father and husband.

 

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