BP: That’s really interesting, why do you think people have never considered you for comedic roles?
JC: I was this very tragic, exotic flower, always. And once I was too old to be an exotic flower, things kind of dried up a bit. I lost direction, and I kind of lost enthusiasm. But now that I’m older, I can see things more clearly. I see absurdity in things more. You know, life teaches you sometimes that this is how you deal with everything. Good laughs.

BP: I want to hear about May Chen in your own words. Who is she, and what drew you to her?
JC: Since becoming a mother, the motherhood experience has always been a driving force for me. So, when I see a mother character who’s so flawed… personality-wise, we’re very different. Certain characters that I play, I almost feel like I envy their cluelessness. They are divas, the centre of attention, and they crave being the centre of attention — which is something I absolutely dread. I can’t even have a birthday party for myself. So, in a way, I relish the chance to be somebody else entirely. And, maybe secretly, I do think it would be nice to have a birthday party.

BP: I’ve noticed that in a lot of the press you’ve done in the past year, the one term that keeps coming up is “career renaissance.” What’s your reaction to that term?
JC: It confuses me somewhat, because I didn’t feel it myself. At least not in the beginning. When I first heard it, it was my daughter saying, “You should renew your Instagram, you’re having a renaissance!” I was like, “What?” I’m hard on myself. It’s so difficult for me to see myself on screen. I can watch my old films twenty years later and be fine. But in the moment, I always pick out, “Oh my God, I should have done this. This wasn’t good.” You see what you didn’t do well enough. So for me, it wasn’t like, “Oh, I’m having a renaissance.” Not at all. I had zero of that feeling. And then all the press, it got a little tedious. It got to a point where I didn’t want to do it anymore, because what’s that got to do with my work?

I think when you mentioned the word renaissance, one thing it did for me was rekindle my passion. That is true. All of a sudden, I realised my age. I realised renaissance, like, I’m old. And by that, I mean the realisation that the time I have left on earth is shorter. Somehow, that rekindled my passion. Now, compared to my 50s, I feel this incredible burning desire and vitality that I haven’t felt in a long time.

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