Arts & Culture

Richmondite Osric Chau’s martial arts training landed him an exciting opportunity in a superhero series.

Photo courtesy Osric Chau

Richmond-based actor Osric Chau (second from right) has appeared in shows like The Flash.

Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Richmondite taking advantage of star power

By Samuel Cheng

Published 12:04 PDT, Tue March 29, 2022

Last Updated: 3:32 PDT, Mon April 18, 2022

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Richmond’s Osric Chau is a multi-talented performer who has starred in shows like Supernatural and The Flash.

Chau is a martial artist, stuntman, and film producer. Born and raised in Vancouver, and today a resident of Richmond, Chau has been practicing and training in the martial art Wing Chun for many years. He also became a member of the Canadian National Wushu Team in 2007.

Chau’s grandfather sparked his interest in martial arts when he introduced him to professional wrestling at a young age. Celebrities like The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, and Bill Goldberg all made a sizable impact. Later, it was movie stars such as Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Jean-Claude Van Damme who kept Chau in the realm of martial arts.

“Anytime I would see a training montage, it would light a fire beneath me that made me want to train as well,” says Chau. “I started doing push-ups and sit-ups every day when I was seven years old.”

After high school, Chau built on his martial arts experience by pursuing a career in stunt works. It was the ability to do his own stunts that led Chau to become an actor. Chau’s first big breakout role was Nima in the apocalyptic disaster film 2012.

“My first big movie hired me to act on the basis that I could do my own stunts,” says Chau. “After that I was only seen as an actor, so it wasn’t ever really a choice as (the) circumstances pushed me in that direction.”

Chau outlines the experience of being on a film set: after arriving and changing into costume in a trailer, makeup artists and hair stylists are responsible for making performers look spotless. Then they are called upon to do blocking, a process during which the director goes on set to determine the positions of the actors, camera, and lighting, as well as how the scene will be played out.

Depending on the number of scenes an actor has on any given day, they may end up waiting for the entire day. The key is to always be ready to go at any given time.

“Imagine running a race and the official calls out: ‘On your mark, get set,’ and then you wait,” says Chau. “‘Go’ could come immediately, but it can also come in five hours and you have to be equally as ready to perform.”

Starring in multiple films brought new perspective to Chau’s view of the industry. Setting aside preconceived notions and misconceptions, he was able to understand the industry’s role and value and later became a producer as well.

Empty by Design, filmed in the Philippines, was the first independent film Chau produced. Making the film was a special experience as he got to work behind the scenes alongside some of his closest friends.

Chau says many film sets have departments within departments, and people are dedicated and assigned to more niche roles. But when working on independent films people tend to have multiple roles, which lowers the overall cost of production significantly.

Starting out, Chau did not have the luxury of connections to anyone from the film industry.

“Persevering through those times and pivoting as I needed to was not always the easiest, but it certainly taught me a lot and continues to challenge me,” says Chau.

Growing public support and encouragement of new actors helps make acting a more viable career choice, especially for the Asian population.

“For Asian actors and actresses, we have to continue studying and improving our craft so we can put out better performances, which will increase our visibility, support, and the willingness or ability for writers to write more characters for us to play,” says Chau.

Returning to his roots, Chau would love to be in a movie that depicts British Columbia. While numerous scenes are shot in the Vancouver area, it is rare to find stories set in B.C. locations.

“How cool would it be to have a show shot and set in Richmond? Characters going to the Richmond Public Market or walking down Alexandra Road,” says Chau. “That’s a show I want to see.”

The number of films and movies shot in the Lower Mainland opened up windows of opportunity that helped Chau gain experience and build his career.

When asked about his favourite actors and role models, Chau says Jason Bateman inspires him to continuously work hard and achieve his goals.

“I love how versatile he's been in his choice of roles and that he also produces and directs as well,” says Chau. “I certainly aspire to be like him.”

Currently, Chau is writing and producing several independent films as well as playing an alien named Oros in an episode of Star Trek: Discovery.

In the future, Chau hopes to direct his first feature film as well as produce a television series. He is also interested in producing and starring in a feature film alongside other local actors. And increasing Asian representation and appearances in the media will always be in the back of Chau’s mind.