2 Moons 2 is one of the most anticipated Thai TV series of this year. They have finished filming at the end of March and the series will air with a brand new cast and storyline soon. We had the opportunity to briefly interview Joong Chen who will be portraying one of the beloved characters, Ming, in this series adapted from Chiffon Cake’s BL novel of the same name. We touched on the filming process, his connection with Turkey, and his relationships with his co-stars.
Dizi-Mania: Many people are curious about your connection with Turkey and how come you can speak Turkish fluently. Could please expand on that?
Joong Chen: After my mom married a Turkish man when I was 8, we moved to Turkey. I stayed in Turkey until I was 17, so for nine years. But I decided to go back to Thailand this year because I would be able to graduate from high school sooner there.
DM: 2 Moons 2 wrapped up shooting a short while ago. How did the filming process go? Did you have fun at the set or was there anything challenging?
Yeah, we finished shooting. We had some workshops before that, though. We received acting training. There were opportunities to get closer like going to the movies, for lunch or dinner or to shopping. This series is a love story, so these kinds of things are necessary in order to have two strangers act on scenes where we see them bonding. To be honest we had a tough time during our first scenes, in our first days, because everyone was a novice. As you know, the cast was selected from inexperienced people through auditions. They were willing, too, of course. But we all got used to the tempo as the filming process continued and got a good grasp on what needs to happen before or during a scene, such as the camera angles, where the light lands or the order of our lines. The actors, as you would expect, have to wait their turn between others’ scenes and we just joke around when we’re waiting. So the filming period wasn’t as tense as we expected. Everyone was so nice to us, we were all like brothers.
DM: 2 Moons 2 will be your first acting experience, as far as I know. How did you decide to audition for the character Ming? Was being an actor a childhood dream for you?
Yes, it’s my first experience. I didn’t audition for Ming, initially. I did it for Forth, but ended up being selected for Ming. And yeah, it was my childhood dream to become an actor. I remember dreaming about seeing myself on the TV when I was little.
DM: Are there any similarities between Ming’s personality and yours? Or are you two completely different?
Not just me, but everyone seems to be carved out from the book. Everyone is living their lives like their own character in real life. We are practically playing ourselves in the show, not a character.
DM: What’s your relationship like with Nine Konchit who’s playing your partner Kit in the show? Did you meet during the filming process? Do you get along?
Nine (Konchit) is a great person. He’s just like his character KitKat. He’s super cute even when he gets angry. He got great feedback from the director during the filming, too, he’s really good at acting.
DM: How different is Turkey from Thailand? What do you miss the most from Turkey?
The cultures and the civilizations of these two countries are worlds apart, it’s impossible to list them all. But I miss my friends, my family, the food, and places that I used to hang out at like Kadıköy, Üsküdar, and Ümraniye.
DM: When will 2 Moons 2 air? Are you excited for it? And do you know what’s next? Fan meetings, maybe?
The series will begin airing on June 22nd. But the activities after is not yet certain. But I think there will be fan meetings.
DM: Were you aware of the fact that Thailand BL series had a following in Turkey?
I didn’t, because I thought that Turkey wasn’t open to such TV series. And what I mean by that is the genre “boys’ love”. But I want to add that this isn’t solely a BL series but a love story and that love is not defined by any gender. What’s important is that people get to be together with who they feel happy and content.
DM: You already have many fans in Turkey. Is there anything you would like to say to them, anything you would like to share?
If I have any fans there, I would like to give them a shout out. You will be able to watch the show soon.
