Episode 17 - Ines Laimins - Actress/headshot Photographer Coach

Episode 17 - In this weeks episode, we meet Ines was raised in Chicago with immigrant parents.  Her mother is Russian, her father is Latvian, her first language growing up was Latvian.  A classically trained dancer, lead to modelling and then to theater while at Northwestern University.  She has always been in front of the camera or on stage, most comfortable there creating characters and telling stories.

Ines speaks Mandarin fluently and can read as well.  She spent two years in Taipei learning the language and then two years at Hong Kong University obtaining a certificate in Mandarin proficiency, reading, writing, and speaking.  She has worked with many mainland China actors including Li Yifeng, Wang Chuanjun, Li Tingting, George Hu, and Aarif Lee (Li Zhiting)


She has been very fortunate to have worked with some talented actors and directors in the industry including Joe Pytka, Xu Jing Lei, Miguel Ferrer, Tiger Chen, Keanu Reeves, and Sidse Babett Knudsen.  Mostly recently she has worked with director Lulu Wang and actors Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, and Diana Lin in "The Farewell" and for a second time with Emily Ting in her film "Go Back to China".

Ines's Socials.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4050933/
https://ineslaimins.com/
IG:   / ines.laimins 
FB:   / ineslaimins  and https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q...
Linked In:   / hongkongheadshotphotographer 

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Host Warren Adams - Warren Telling Tales
Website https://warrentellingtales.buzzsprout.com/ 
Warren Adams: IG   / warrenadams.  . and   / warrentelli.  .
Facebook:   / warren.adams.  .
Linkedin:   / warren-ad.  .
Twitter:   / actoradams​ 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

With women like you and I.

SPEAKER_06 0:12

Everyone, welcome. Today we have Innis Lehman's on the podcast. I'm very, very excited about having her on. Um, thank you so much for joining us today. How are you?

SPEAKER_04 0:21

Warren, thanks so much for reaching out. Um, I'm great. I'm great. Yeah. And the restrictions are being lifted on Thursday. So gyms and hairdressers open again. So that's great. Amazing. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 0:32

People can go and get a haircut and get back into shape. That's great.

SPEAKER_04 0:36

Yeah, I think it's mostly the gyms and all that. Yeah. So here you know how warm it is. People do their exercises outside.

SPEAKER_06 0:43

So for those that don't know, Enos is a supremely talented individual. She's an actress. Uh, she is a photographer. She takes headshot pictures for for actors and actresses. And you're also a coach as well, a Zoom coach.

SPEAKER_04 0:58

Yeah, I've been um actually creating more content and helping people create more content to post online.

SPEAKER_03 1:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:05

Um corporates, people in business.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:08

And you know, creating 30-second videos so that they can still stay active in on LinkedIn. You know, not everyone feels confident in front of the camera. So I'm coaching people uh how to speak and uh elocute better in front of the camera. So and that's all we're doing on Zoom these days.

SPEAKER_06 1:27

I know, right? Living online. It's a strange, a strange world at the moment.

SPEAKER_04 1:32

But uh yeah, I like I like to say my byline is uh for people not used to this kind of medium, everyone has to become a TV presenter in their own right. Right, right. You know, like like just being able to command a space that basically you've just got one tiny little camera on you. Uh, and anyone in television presentation knows exactly how to do that.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Welcome to my industry talks. What I hope to do in these is to share ideas or things that at least I've experienced in trying to realize the benefits of digital disruption and innovation. And hopefully spark ideas that come from you, spark sharing that come from my industry colleagues, whether they be in Asia or globally, so that collectively we can advance our industry and in so doing advance the cause of our customers.

SPEAKER_04 2:40

And then, of course, teleprompter reading is a whole nother thing, but uh I'm not not getting involved with that because uh, you know, it's mostly helping people be compelling online, you know, and being able to compute communicate just to a small camera.

SPEAKER_06 2:55

Yeah, I mean it's you literally have to at the moment, don't you? It's uh everything is, as you said, online and acting work is online, castings is online. But even if you're you know working in business, and you know, uh if you're a lawyer, you know, everything is taking place uh through Zoom calls and um it's uh it's a strange, strange world at the moment.

SPEAKER_04 3:16

But yeah, as a fellow actor, you know uh that taping ourselves for castings has been around for a couple of years already.

SPEAKER_03 3:25

Right.

SPEAKER_04 3:25

So it's the same type of thing where you have to present yourself basically to a lot of people, but put that on tape.

SPEAKER_06 3:32

Um, you've got to think about your lighting and where you're sitting and how you're looking into the camera, and yeah, it's a it's uh it's a yeah, it's bizarre. But anyway, um we So I'm sitting in my studio right now. Ah, yes, I can see you.

SPEAKER_04 3:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 3:50

Enos is a Enos is a phenomenal um photographer, and that is actually how we met. I came to see you to get some acting headshots done, and I can honestly say that it was the most enjoyable experience I've had uh getting pictures done. I've had a fair few headshots over the years. I mean, I've been acting since I was a teenager, and I've always tried to have fairly regular photos because it's nothing worse than a picture that's you know eight years old or whatever. Um you've got to try and keep keep you know current and relevant and and also have a realistic portrayal of how you actually look. Um and it was just such an enjoyable experience. You made me feel very comfortable, very relaxed. And I feel as a result of that, we we got some really, really nice pictures taken.

SPEAKER_04 4:36

And uh well, working with actors is much easier because you're used to being in front of the camera. And again, I also do corporates and people who, you know, they're as scared to come for their photo as they are to go to the dentist, kind of thing, you know, and and you get that wide-eyed kind of oh, I'm so nervous. Um, but hopefully in five minutes I can put everyone at ease. Yeah, and and I coach and guide people, you know, where to their angles and and expressions. Uh so yeah, yeah, that's exactly how we met.

SPEAKER_06 5:07

It is exactly how we met. And I'm yeah, it was almost like your your sort of because some photographers they'll just say, right, stand here, smile, take the picture, and and then we move on. But I feel like you were completely invested in in what we were doing. And you were you, as you said, you were guiding, you were giving some direction, you were talking about emotions, you were painting a scene, and for for a performer, that it just makes it so much, so much easier to to do. Um, and I can only imagine that those that aren't in the industry would really um appreciate that that guidance and feedback as well, because it does it, it makes it so much easier. Um, good. So, you how long have you been uh doing photography for? How long have you been taking headshots for?

SPEAKER_04 5:46

It started about eight years ago in a very small studio, uh right next to the center, in the kind of the at the edge of of Central, and it was a fourth, a four-floor walk-up, and you know how hot that is in the summer. It it and I had to drag equipment up and down if I had a location shoot. Uh so about four and a half years ago, I moved to the Xinghuan space where I am now.

SPEAKER_03 6:10

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 6:11

And I shared with a makeup artist. And uh so it's it's just a commercial building, so a lot easier to you know have people come and also drag my equipment around.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:25

Um, yeah, so I think you met here in Shinghuan. It was in Shinghuan, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 6:29

Yeah, I I I remember you I you spoke about uh the makeup artist that you were sharing with at the time.

SPEAKER_04 6:35

Um and I started eight years ago. I took a course, I've always been interested in photography, but I took a course with Peter Hurley, and he's a New York City headshot photographer, and he has a very defined style. It's uh a very a white background, kind of, you know, make people seem like they're celebrities before they are, you know, this kind of um, you know, confidence in the eyes, approachability in the mouth, you know, so sort of a strength in the eye with a bit of a smile that that gives an expression um that is you know less less deer caught in the headlights. Um so I was trying to find someone who could do actor headshots in Hong Kong and I couldn't. And so I thought, well, you know, maybe this will be my niche. And so, but it it's the same lighting that I use, whether I have families here or corporate, it's just a very flat, shadowless lighting. And of course, I can also do portraits, which is just shifting up the lighting a bit. And um, yeah, modeling, you know, there's different in a in a session. I don't know how many actors you have on here watching, but there are different types of looks, you know. So you can have a commercial look, you can have the typical actor's look, you know, the headshot that you hand into an agent. You can also do something uh like a gap ad, you know, which is veers on the commercial. Um, and then for women, I also do like a glam type of look. And then of course, business, because uh there's a lot of commercial work in Hong Kong to do uh, you know, business roles. So those are the looks that I kind of create within one session.

SPEAKER_06 9:42

When you step into the space. And uh I yeah, I remember that. I remember that feeling actually. I felt very I felt very good about myself before we'd even done anything. And it was quite very subtle the way you did it. I didn't feel like you were, you know, it was ingenuine. It was it came across very, very natural and very and very gen genuine. And uh and yeah, I just I felt I felt lifted, you know, because I was I mean, I'm not sure I was having the best of days actually when I first got there. I was like, I had a bit of a ropey morning. I was feeling a bit like a bit heavy, and that's the the sort of the worst thing that you can have when you are trying to you know make yourself look good and and and uh appealing to other people. And um, but within you know a few minutes I felt I felt much better and super comfortable and it was great. Um, how uh do you enjoy it? Do you enjoy photography?

SPEAKER_04 10:31

I love it, yeah. Yeah, it's all it's the same, you know, being in front of the camera and behind the camera, I think is what I understand both sides because I have been in front of the camera, yeah, whether it's still photography or filming or TV series. So you know, there's an awareness that it's there, but you almost have to be as if it's not there. Um, you know, in stage we say the fourth wall, you know, the audience is there, but you never go beyond it. You know, you stay, you communicate through that wall, but you're not you know, you're not stepping through it. And you know, so it's a a little bit like that, like the camera is invisible.

SPEAKER_06 11:14

Um do you have a preference photography over um having pictures taken of yourself or what which one do you prefer?

SPEAKER_04 11:23

Well, oh between I mean my primary primary thing that I do is as an actor um in TV drama and film in China.

SPEAKER_03 11:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:37

And in 2020, I couldn't go. My last time in China was a year and four months ago. Okay, and I'm counting, I'm counting how many months. Um, and I've already missed so many opportunities in 2020 because the film industry is buzzing in China.

SPEAKER_03 11:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:55

And I've built enough connections within the different productions that I've been in that um, you know, productions are the first AD or you know, producer are contacting me to come up and do roles, and I can't get a visa to go. So it's been uh a little frustrating.

SPEAKER_06 12:16

So they're actually stopping uh people from coming in if they don't have a uh uh you know an ongoing visa, a multiple visit visa of some description.

SPEAKER_04 12:27

Is it is that how it's working or there no tourists are allowed, so even if you have a 10-year tourist visa, you can't go, just like you can't come to Hong Kong if you're a tourist.

SPEAKER_03 12:38

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 12:39

And then in the past, I've gotten uh three-month talent visas for work, so a work visa, but they're not issuing those either. So it's been a bit frustrating, yeah. And that's why I've had to pivot and figure out what else I can do with my acting talent. And I thought that I could start coaching people um uh about their Zoom presence or even uh uh pitching uh big, you know, big projects. Yeah. Because that's all happening online as well.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

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SPEAKER_04 13:44

Pitching to clients. Um you know, so it's a different interaction.

SPEAKER_05 13:49

Yeah, completely different. But uh wow, okay.

SPEAKER_04 13:52

Which do I prefer? Um I mean, the thing, my goal is to be an actor who travels around the world working on whether it's TV or film and any location. So that's what I really want to do.

SPEAKER_06 14:10

Hopefully that's uh that changes soon, and hopefully you can get back over to China. Um, Enos actually speaks fluent Mandarin, which is super cool. Um, and uh how how how was that? Because I I I mean how did that happen? How did you make that decision that you wanted to learn Mandarin? And uh what what were the challenges that you faced actually grasping that language? Because it seems to me incredibly complicated, but I'm sure if you invest the time in it, you know, it's obviously you've proved that it's possible to do it. Um, but yeah, how was that experience of actually learning?

SPEAKER_04 14:48

So I've been in Asia over 25 years.

SPEAKER_06 14:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 14:52

And I um I lived in India and Taiwan as well as Hong Kong. When I was in Taiwan, that's when I realized that the Chinese language is quite a massive important language. And when was that? Probably 90, 90, about 2000, 20 years ago, I lived in Taiwan. And not, I mean, people spoke English, but not like in Hong Kong. So I thought, okay, this is it. Here I go. I'm gonna learn the language. And at the same time, I did a I was a docent at the big museum there, and I had to do a six-month course with the museum to learn Chinese history and cultural arts in order to even become a tour guide. And it all came together, and I just fell in love with Chinese culture, language, history, and I learned that it's a much deeper culture than I ever thought. Um, and then I moved back to Hong Kong and I continued at Hong Kong U. I did an intensive course three hours a day, five times a week.

SPEAKER_05 15:59

Wow, amazing.

SPEAKER_04 16:01

But I wanted to learn how to read. So uh I did I'm I I passed HSK four, level four out of six. So that's that's where I am.

SPEAKER_06 16:13

Amazing, yeah, incredible. That is incredible. Um and do you speak uh do you speak any Cantonese as well?

SPEAKER_04 16:25

Oh there we go, there we go. Just enough for taxis and uh restaurants, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 16:32

Uh and are you do you continue to practice your Mandarin while you are here in Hong Kong?

SPEAKER_04 16:40

Or yes, so I I have a teacher over at Practical Mandarin, and I do one-on-one sessions twice a month. And so last year was meant to be very busy for me in China in March 2020. I had a CCTV, CCTV interview lined up to go up to Beijing, appear on the television, and discuss how I have achieved my dreams in China. Of course, that was postponed and then canceled, and then you know, there's no travel to China anymore. But at that time, I put together some stories that I could share about my parallel experience with China. My first time in China was in '89. So that's a long time ago. And I from then till now, the advance that's happened there has been just so amazing. And I feel like I've been there to witness it, and not only to witness the advanced changes, but also to work in TV and film in China. I mean, it's incredible.

SPEAKER_06 17:52

It is awesome.

SPEAKER_04 17:53

I just feel so fortunate. I I um it's like I'm an anomaly or something, you know.

SPEAKER_06 18:02

Can you talk to us a little bit about that? About your experiences on on film sets and and and TV and um uh what is it like? How uh does it does it differ to to Hong Kong? Does it differ to because you're from the US as well, which we'll talk, or you grew up in the US, which we'll talk about um a little bit later. But um, yeah, how how did your Chinese film experience differ from from other places?

SPEAKER_04 18:47

Okay, first of all, there's no union, right? So people work 12 hours to 16 hours a day on, you know, and and I when I see the team working that hard, I'm also willing to work that hard. So it can be exhausting. The conditions can be either so freezing cold or so hot that you know, there's no green room, there's no trailer that you go into. You so the you know, for someone who's used to working in the West, there, you know, are breaks for breakfast, lunch, dinner. Uh, there's somewhere comfortable to go sit, but there it's you know, you're out there in the middle of the hottest day on earth wearing wool garments, doing my history channel. Uh, and I I almost fainted from just being that hot, and you know, by the 14th hour, it's like this is just impossible. Um so I think that's the biggest difference is food, uh the conditions and hours are extreme. But I'm an adventurer and I love going on a journey, and so it's just an experience that um that you just really start liking, and and the feeling of being part of a family and a team. So that's the main difference, and oh, and the crew work so hard. On a TV show, you know, there's a three to four camera setup. So basically you have one take, maybe two per scene.

unknown 20:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 20:38

Okay. So you've got to be ready.

SPEAKER_06 20:41

Yeah, you really do, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:43

Because three to four of these cameras are all on different angles. So um I learned I've learned a lot from some of the older actors in China how to manage around that, especially if you have to move in the space. You know, you have to avoid crossing camera lines. Um, they block everything out. So you don't just kind of go in and see how it goes. They it's very specifically blocked out. So they already tell you you go here to do this, and then you go here, and then we run through it once a rehearsal, so the camera guys know what's gonna happen, and then you just do it. Yeah, so basically it's a blocking, a rehearsal, and then do the scene. Wow, and then maybe you have a second take.

SPEAKER_06 21:32

You might be lucky to get a second take because they work so fast.

SPEAKER_04 21:36

But mind you, a TV series is a 40 35 to 40 episode drama. So they've got a lot of, you know, like Netflix is eight to 12 episodes, right? Yeah, so imagine 35 to 40 episodes.

SPEAKER_06 21:52

Wow, that's yeah. Yeah, I didn't even think about that. It's incredible, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 21:57

Um so I've never done a TV. Show in the US, so I don't know what cam camera setup they have, but I'm assuming two to three cameras.

SPEAKER_05 22:06

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 22:07

Was that the same one? Because you worked on Flying Tiger, uh, the Flying Tiger productions, right? So was that a similar, similar deal uh with that as well?

SPEAKER_04 22:17

So that was in Hong Kong, yeah. Filmed in Hong Kong.

SPEAKER_06 22:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:20

And I think the Hong Kong industry is a little more sophisticated.

unknown 22:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 22:27

The conditions were better. Um yeah, yeah. Um yeah, the industry's just been around here a lot longer. And I there were two very experienced directors, and they knew exactly what was needed. And I got to work with Lee Pace. You know, remind me of my son, brave and decisive. I know what my odds are, I know what I'm doing. Yes, who um was flown in from LA, so we played spies together.

SPEAKER_05 22:59

That's cool. Agents. Amazing.

SPEAKER_04 23:03

Um oh, and the story I can tell about that one is uh he was very surprised that we were on the streets, run and gun kind of thing. It's with the TVB crew, right?

SPEAKER_03 23:13

Right.

SPEAKER_04 23:14

And my character was to be killed on the steps in Shenghuan, and his character had to walk across. And he looked at everyone and said, Okay, are we not stopping traffic? Are we not like and then it just go, you just go, you just go, dance with the cars, yeah, and anyone who's walking by happens to become an extra, and yeah, you know, without knowing it. Um so that was pretty funny, where you know, the whole blood and everything was um put. I'm I'm just standing on the street, and you know, then he we look across the way, he sees me getting killed, he walks across. Um, and that was the end of my character on that show.

SPEAKER_06 24:00

Wow. So yeah, yeah. I was involved, I was involved in in one of those productions. Um I believe it was the the first one actually, playing uh policeman, and we had a huge uh shootout scene. And uh I was I was working with Barry, Barry O'Rourke, which you may be familiar with him. Um so he was my he was the general and I I was his junior, and we were were out in search of the bad guys, and uh it all went it all went drastically wrong, and there were bullets flying everywhere. And it was actually my first experience um using you know like a proper uh gun. Obviously, it had blanks in it, but I I I was very quickly trained on the job um just before the scene in how to use the gun and how to react to to the shots, and um, we were wearing all sorts of under, you know, undergear and um it was uh it was cool, it was a lot of fun. Um, but I remember that the gunshots were so loud. It was you know, you fire one of those, and my ears were ringing for hours afterwards, and I was like kind of looking around. I was like, is no one wearing earplugs? Like, and no one seemed and I was like, dude, can we have some earplugs? And they were like, Oh, I'm not sure about that. But I just remembered my ears were just like it was so loud, I couldn't believe it.

SPEAKER_04 25:26

Yeah, yeah. Do you miss it? Are you are you doing any acting work?

SPEAKER_06 25:30

Um I'm doing quite a lot of voiceover stuff still, partly with partly with Hong Kong, but uh also here in Sweden and Gothenburg. Um, so I'm doing doing a fair bit of that, and uh yeah, no, I I mean the the the acting scene is kind of with corona and everything, there's just not really been a huge amount going on. I mean, there is a really cool theatre here, they do a lot of English theatre, and there are television productions um going on. Uh, so I'm looking similarly to yourself. I need to sort of grasp the language of that particular nation. And then I think if I if I can speak Swedish fluently or or to a high standard, that would that would help me a lot, and um we'll see. Yeah, I might be in a few Scandinavian drums in the future. We'll yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:17

Um so my my parents are from Latvia, which is right across from where you are.

SPEAKER_06 26:22

It is, it is yeah. So I'm I'm Latvian and you speak Latvian, right?

SPEAKER_04 26:27

I do, yeah, I do. It was my first language, so I'm first generation American, which makes me not oh it makes me just American by birth, but my my parents are European and then uh quarter Russian. So uh I feel like I'm much closer to where my grandmother is from, which is Irkutsk, Siberia. Uh, but I haven't been there yet. Yeah. So uh yeah. And so it's very close to you.

SPEAKER_06 26:54

You speak Russian as well? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, just uh Latvian, very tiny, tiny language.

SPEAKER_04 27:02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 27:03

Amazing. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_04 27:05

Obscure languages.

SPEAKER_06 27:06

Well, I mean, it's similarly to Swedish, I suppose. Like it's very useful if you live in Sweden, but um outside of that, not so much. Whereas Mandarin, of course, you know that's uh it's a very useful language too. So you grew up in you said you're first uh you are first generation American and uh grew up in Chicago, is that right?

SPEAKER_04 27:30

Chicago? Yeah, Chicago, and I went to Northwestern, which has an incredibly strong theater program.

SPEAKER_03 27:37

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 27:38

And although my father said that I have to do some very serious studies, I um all I had to do was ace all my serious subjects, and then I could do my theater on the side. And I fell in very quickly with the theater crowd uh because before that I was doing uh I wanted to be a ballet dancer. Many of my friends from my professional ballet school during high school went off and became uh international dancers. But being first generation, there was a lot of pressure from my father to not be a performer. So um I knew what I had to do, similar to many um Asian families. Education first, then you can be a creative. And so that's pretty much how um now later in life, I've just really gone back to what I love, which is great, which is which is creative, everything and anything creative. Um nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 28:40

And so you were in you were in Chicago for how long? When did you actually make the move to to Hong Kong?

SPEAKER_04 28:47

Um, Chicago, I graduated, then I lived and worked in Boston for a while, and then I was just backpacking through Asia with a boyfriend back then. And um, I landed in Hong Kong and I thought, okay, this is pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 29:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:01

And you know, we were doing those that backpacking kind of trip. I also was in Burma, and that was my first time in China.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:09

And went back to New York, you know, after about two years, it was like, ah, what a slog. I I'm going back to Asia. And so I did. You know, I showed up, found a job, started, you know, just and then I never left.

SPEAKER_06 29:27

And for those that haven't been to Hong Kong, what was it about Hong Kong that actually drew you there? What was the wow factor? Why why did you think, wow, this is a good thing.

SPEAKER_04 29:35

Well, it's like New York on the island of Hawaii with an incredibly international uh uh vibe, people from all around the world, restaurants and cuisine from all around the world.

SPEAKER_03 29:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:54

Um, and there's an energy here that's similar to New York.

SPEAKER_03 29:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:59

The only thing I really, really missed, and I'm sure you had this too, was live theater.

unknown 30:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:04

You know, when you're in New York, you've just got the top of the top there.

SPEAKER_03 30:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:09

Uh at anytime you want to go to same in London, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 30:14

Phenomenal, phenomenal shows in London as well. I've not been to New York, which is still hurts me to the day, but at some point I will uh I will get over there when it's possible for sure.

SPEAKER_04 30:25

Yeah. So that was the only thing that was missing as far as um, you know, the ability to do a lot of art house stuff. But yeah, there are pockets of it, and definitely, you know, the can't local community has a lot of creative, true, creative, but you know, I didn't speak Cantonese. No, so I wasn't able to be part of that then.

SPEAKER_06 30:45

Yeah, that is a lot of educational theater, I'd say, you know, a lot of English theater for schools, for colleges, for universities in that sense. But yeah, it it's it's not quite on the same level as as that of what I imagine of New York and and and certainly London. But um London, yes. Yeah, wow, there we go. There we go. Um, and do you plan to be to stay out there for the foreseeable future in Hong Kong and and and China when you're when you can get back in again? Um is it is is this you for life now, or do you feel like there's another another avenue you want to explore? Or yeah, what what's your where are you at right now?

SPEAKER_04 31:22

Well, I've I've had such uh um unexpected success in China in the past three to four years. Uh and then I had to just mentally get over the fact that 2020 was 2020 and I couldn't go and keep on that same roller coaster uh energy there. So yes, I'm I I want to continue my career in China and then possibly you know elsewhere in the world. Yeah, a lot of the productions in China have been filming outside as well. Uh I did do one show where we spent a month and a half in New York City and then back in Beijing. Um you know, so it's the idea of combining travel with the acting and just doing bigger and bigger productions. I've actually with my looking inward, I I conceptualized and uh wrote a short film that we filmed last weekend with a woman who's has a small production company, uh Eva Cohen, and she produced it. Uh, we rewrote the script and had three local actors in it as well. So the the title is Women in Design, about an older Western woman who has to come to Hong Kong to save her business and meets Mrs. Chan, and they uh you know they kind of become friends and you know it's a cross-cultural story.

SPEAKER_06 32:58

Yeah. Oh, it sounds nice.

SPEAKER_04 33:00

That we want to show in film festivals. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 33:02

And how how how will you do that? How will you how do you plan to get it out into the will do you have particular film festivals that you want to get it into or or literally just yeah, you submit.

SPEAKER_04 33:13

There's lots of um kind of platforms where you can groups submit and then you can also you know submit individually.

SPEAKER_06 33:21

Yeah, for for other people out there that uh that that that are doing it or want to to make films and create themselves, it's it's interesting to know how how you actually then go about doing that, you know, once you've made the film, how do you get it into those, into those? So you are saying it's it's pretty straightforward to do, or so if you've the biggest problem with making anything is financing.

SPEAKER_03 33:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:45

Right? So you can have an amazing story for a feature film, but you know, where where's the money come from? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Um, so a lot of people do start making independent films as shorts, and and the short film under 15 minutes, maybe let's say hovering around seven to 12 minutes, can then and you can also make a feature film and then you submit those to film festivals, and there's uh tons all over the world. Like the Beijing International Short Film Festival happens every year. You just have to search online. And I think in the US, there's something called white box, where you submit to a group of festivals all at once. So it's like one submission fee, and then you submit your put your film in there, and then there's a panel of judges who decide whether or not it's gonna be in their festival. Um, so it's just that's more on the production side to get it out there, figure out who's gonna show it. You know, and if you get any content on a big screen is just like so amazing.

SPEAKER_03 34:57

Cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:58

It's a long journey to get there, but people do it. So um so I'm looking to perhaps writing more stories and making um more stories in Hong Kong.

SPEAKER_06 35:12

Nice. I'm sure Hong Kong will be very happy to hear that. That'd be cool.

SPEAKER_04 35:17

It's like I'm not a producer, but I need to. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 35:20

No, it's good, it's good, it's good. You're you're you're creating and you're even during 2020, you you you you know, you couldn't do exactly what you wanted to do at the time, but you you found a way to to overcome that and get around that, and you you're you have a great energy, Enus. You're always driving and and pushing, and that's uh it's a great uh yeah, I know, but it's it's admirable for sure. Um, there we go. So um if you couldn't be a creator, Enus, uh do you have any hidden skills that we don't know about? If you couldn't do photography, if you couldn't be an actress, um is there anything else that you would do?

SPEAKER_04 36:00

I'm I'm um I have three daughters.

SPEAKER_06 36:04

Nice.

SPEAKER_04 36:04

We're all yep. Uh is that a hidden skill?

SPEAKER_06 36:08

I don't know, but I feel very uh I've got two young ones and it's it's a it's hard. So you've got three, so that's that's definitely a skill.

SPEAKER_04 36:16

So for a while there, I was a professional mom.

SPEAKER_06 36:19

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 36:20

So while you're a professional mom, you realize you have some hidden skills, such as first aid, doctor, nurse, yeah, um, coach, yeah, uh, cheerleader, uh, schedule organizer. I mean, it's it's a lot to to be a mom and a dad.

SPEAKER_06 36:40

Life skills as well, they're life skills, right?

SPEAKER_04 36:42

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 36:43

Organization, scheduling, you know.

SPEAKER_04 36:46

Would it be a hidden skill? I I guess I learned that there were things that I didn't realize a parent had to do. And then I'm like, wow, I'm actually really good at this.

SPEAKER_03 36:55

You know, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 36:56

Uh so um, yeah. I don't know. If I couldn't be a creative, what would I do? Well, I used to play the piano, um, but that's again being a creative. I feel like I that's one thing that it's a tough question, isn't it?

SPEAKER_06 37:10

To ask a creator, like if you couldn't be a creator. But uh, I sometimes get some very unusual responses. It's uh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:17

I don't know. I how about I'd be a bird.

SPEAKER_06 37:20

You'd be a bird.

SPEAKER_04 37:21

I'd yes, I'd go flying all around, traveling all over, I love it, and um look look at the world and and what's going on. I don't know, I'm just joking. Um maybe the thing I'd like to do is um start uh piano again. I haven't had a piano around for a while, so maybe that.

SPEAKER_06 37:42

Uh and do you have any um any moments in your life that you're particularly proud of? You know, uh it could have been uh working in in China, learning Mandarin, but it doesn't specifically have to be a work experience. It could it can be anything life related that you something when you look back, you're like, I'm so happy that I did that, or I can't believe I did that. I can't believe that happened to me.

SPEAKER_04 38:05

It's just overwhelming and all-encompassing um to raise children and then see that you know they're happy, healthy, and thriving in the world.

SPEAKER_03 38:15

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:16

Um, I I would say that's that's my biggest thing that I've done.

SPEAKER_06 38:23

Wow, there we go. Very nice. All right. Um let's jump to we're gonna jump to a game now because I'm aware that the time is flying. I'm having such a lovely time talking to you.

SPEAKER_03 38:34

Oh my goodness, it is.

SPEAKER_06 38:34

So we're gonna jump to a little game. Uh, would you rather? Um, and actually before we do that, if people want to get in touch with you, Enes, if they want to, if they if they want to find out more about your work, what you've been up to, uh, where's the best place for people to actually contact you?

SPEAKER_04 38:50

Do you have a website that they could go to or there is Instagram or basically my name.

SPEAKER_06 38:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 38:56

If you just Google my name, I'm the only one with my name, Ineslaymans.

SPEAKER_03 39:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 39:01

So on Instagram, I'm at in s.laymans.

SPEAKER_03 39:05

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 39:05

And also I have a page that I started called Zoom Headshots, where I'll just put up my headshot work. Um, and then a website, my name.net. Yeah. Another website, my name.com. So inslamans.com. Very good.net. Um, and there's a Vimeo channel that people can watch outtakes of things in different shows I've been in. So it's just all under my name.

SPEAKER_06 39:32

Awesome. I will post all the links in the description for the podcast. So it'll be nice and easy for them as they read through your biography. There'll be direct links to those things that you mentioned.

SPEAKER_04 39:43

Um, Warren, you're great.

SPEAKER_06 39:46

No worries. Uh, all right. So let's jump to this game. Would you rather? I'm going to ask you five questions. Uh, don't give it too much thought, just the first thing that pops into your head. Okay, are you ready to go?

SPEAKER_03 39:58

Uh yes.

SPEAKER_06 39:59

Don't be scared, it's okay. It'll be all right. Um, okay, number one, would you rather be the youngest or the eldest sibling?

SPEAKER_04 40:11

The oldest. I am. I am out of three. Yes.

SPEAKER_06 40:16

Okay, there you go. Uh number two, would you rather get rich through hard work or through winning the lottery?

SPEAKER_04 40:26

Get rich. Um gosh, you know, of course I like the hard work, but as an actor and a creative, it's a struggle.

SPEAKER_05 40:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:41

Um so gosh, winning the lottery would be pretty amazing because that would give freedom to not have to be all wound up about um covering your living expenses.

SPEAKER_06 40:53

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, um so 2020 has been really tough. Yeah, yeah, I can imagine that. Right, yeah, yeah. I know I know it has. I've experienced it.

SPEAKER_04 41:01

So I'd say in a very fun, yeah, I'd say winning a lottery. Okay. Although then I could work hard and really focus on not having to do the overhead kind of stuff, you know. I like that. Yeah, I like that. Like that. Nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 41:15

All right. Um, what would you prefer, a noisy neighbor or a nosy neighbor?

SPEAKER_04 41:27

Uh noisy.

SPEAKER_05 41:28

Noisy, okay. Noisy. Very good.

SPEAKER_04 41:30

Noise does noise doesn't bother me. It's it's yeah, it's fun. You you can feel that there's people around you. Nosy would be like knocking on the door all the time.

SPEAKER_06 41:40

Yeah, yeah. What are you up to? What are you doing? Um all right, and the last one. Would you rather be four foot five feet tall or seven point seven feet tall? It's a random one, but I'm throwing it in there. Yes, you. Would you rather be really four foot five?

SPEAKER_04 41:59

I'd rather be four foot five and you know, wear huge shoes like Lady Gaga. I mean, what do you do when you're seven seven and you're a woman? Oh my god.

SPEAKER_06 42:11

I think probably basketball would be a good way to go. Um good, good, good. And very, very lastly, Enos, before I let you go, because I know you're a busy lady, um, uh, we would love to have Enos Lehman's final thoughts for the podcast. So this goes out to our audience that are listening. Um, something uplifting, an approach to life, uh, dealing with positive and negative change.

SPEAKER_04 42:35

Well, I'm older and I could just say age is a number, and it's never too late to follow your dreams and do what you really want to do. There might be obstacles in the way, but if you know what it is and you put it out to the universe, it will come to you, you know, and every day do one small step towards that goal. Even if it's just reaching out to someone or you know, reading a book that inspires you to write a screenplay. Um, just one thing towards the goal and don't beat yourself up if it's not coming fast enough.

SPEAKER_06 43:13

Oh, I like that. I really, really like that. So those small little steps and and take your time, be patient, and don't beat yourself up if it doesn't happen straight away. That's that's really awesome advice. Thank you so much for today, Enos. It's been an absolute pleasure. I've really enjoyed it. It's been great.

SPEAKER_04 43:29

Yeah, me too, me too. I can't believe it's flown by this. I know already.

SPEAKER_06 43:34

I spoke to someone the other day and they said it's gonna last about 45 minutes. And she went, Really? That's a that's a really long time. And then we're like 50 minutes later, and she yeah, it's strange. I don't know why that is, but anyway. Yeah, yeah, good.

SPEAKER_04 43:47

All right, well, we've got great questions, so thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 43:50

Your answer is awesome. Uh have a lovely evening. It must be about six six ish now.

SPEAKER_04 43:55

There in the it's turning six, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 43:57

Yeah, yeah. Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_04 43:59

So and you Have daytime, so I do.

SPEAKER_06 44:01

I've got a whole day ahead of me. I don't know what I'm gonna do yet, but I'm gonna do something. I'm gonna take a small step towards something, Ines.

SPEAKER_04 44:08

Take a small step, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 44:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 44:12

All right.

SPEAKER_04 44:13

Great talking to you. Bye. So you're not gonna help me anymore.

SPEAKER_01 44:20

As a lawyer, you know, the first golden rule is to take care of it outside the court.

SPEAKER_04 44:27

So how are you gonna do that?

SPEAKER_01 44:30

See?

SPEAKER_04 44:31

Linda! I'll give you one more day. Your deadline is tomorrow. What you want me to change my mind? What you chose is far too difficult for you. I want you to choose something more simple and then come back to me.

SPEAKER_03 44:49

That's nice.

SPEAKER_05 44:55

I'm loving so much.

SPEAKER_04 44:56

I know. You know, remind me of my son. Brave and decisive. I know what my odds are. I know what I'm doing. Because women like you and I, that's the game we have to play. We have to win.