I am Jimmy Wong, actor and musician. I played Fred Chu in the film John Dies at the End. AMA

CHING CHONG LING LONG TING TONG?

ching chong ya too baby! Much love :)

What was the biggest audience you've ever performed in front of? Also have you been in any bands? What were the band names?

biggest audience definitely was last VidCon. I'd estimate 2,000 people? Main band I've been in is The Keep with Sam and Niko from CorridorDigital. College band was called The Gremlin's Kremlin with my old roomie and others.

you're a rockstar Harley!

Related question: Other than Xanadon't, what is your least favorite TGK song?

HAH! I have no idea how you know that, but my honest answer is I'm not entirely sure. Maybe Either, Either? It was a very simple song when we wrote it, perhaps not our most fleshed out.

Does two Wongs make a right?

Yes.

What is it like hanging out with Freddie, Brandon, Niko, and Sam?

Always a blast, you can see how we interact a lot with the WiiU Lan Party episodes recently! We're all very chummy around each other - we all also lived in the same apartment/loft for a year when I first moved to LA.

I really don't have a question, I'm just a lowly fangirl who just stomped her feet and threw her hands in the air because you're in JDATE. I love you. That is all.

In that case you're anything but lowly! You're a rockstar! I threw my hands in the air as well.

Thank you for the kind words :)

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I don't think anyone in their right mind would cast me as a black person. Save for the Wachowski siblings!

I've played characters that haven't had any racial specification before in other shows and series! For the most part though I don't mind playing an Asian character, because well, I am asian. As long it's not represented in a racist or demeaning fashion like Long Duk Dong then I have no problem with it.

as a tag on to this question. do you think asian actors will ever rise to prominence in hollywood to assume leading roles that are not ethnically or race-related? and/or be able to break the mould of being type-cast into roles as the "triad mob boss" etc.

ie. just off the top of my head, in "fast five" i thought it was cool that fernando chien was able to be cast as a regular team member in hobbs' DSS taskforce and not be stereotyped.

Not to mention Sung Kang totally makes out with a supermodel in that movie.

I can't predict the future, but I can help shape it. With what we're doing at Rocketjump with Freddie et al, we want to make Asian actors rise to prominence in Hollywood, not wait around for someone else to give us that opportunity.

Have you finally learned what "Ting tong" means?

Not yet my friend. The day I meet Alexandra Wallace, perhaps then we'll get an answer.

VGHS was awesome and your character was great! Is there any word on the second season?

Yes!! Thank you so much btw. We are looking at beginning principal photography on the second season early next year (2013). I think we could be shooting as early as February in and around Los Angeles. This season's gonna be bigger, better, and from what I've seen of the scripts so far, a total blast.

Kudos to you. No questions but I think you should've put VGHS in your IAMA title, more people would've recognized you ;)

Perhaps! Most questions in here are about VGHS anyway :)

Have you read This book is full of spiders?

Not yet!! I have to pick it up still.

Where do you find the recipes for Feast of Fiction? Do you and your co-host experiment and create them or take similar recipes and modify them for the videos? Thanks for doing an AMA~

Most always we search for pre-existing recipes and modify them. A lot of fictional food is based off of real existing foods so it's not too hard to find a similar recipe, or at least a good starting point. I'll make sure to keep the recipes similar to the universe they're from as well, but some times they're not 100% historically accurate, etc.

Have you met the real life David Wong (Jason Pargin), or John Cheese (Mack Leighty)? If so, what were they like?

I haven't had a chance to meet John Cheese but I met Jason/David at the Sundance premiere. He was a really super nice guy! You could tell he definitely was the man to write the book, a lot of great stuff brewing up in his head. I do tweet with John occasionally, and I helped him out with his recent wedding (congrats!!!). John also seems like a really upstanding dude with a wicked sense of humor.

How difficult is it to make a living as an actor?

Pretty darn tough. Imagine going in for 5 job applications a week and getting about one a month if you're lucky. Then imagine sometimes that job only works one day the next month and you don't get paid until another month after that. It was extremely hard to start out, but slowly you make it work.

What was the best/worse part of making Video Game High School?

Best part was being able to work with friends and family. There's nothing better than getting on a set and feeling completely 100% comfortable with being there. Takes a lot of pressure off and you can really have a lot of fun and be more creative and take bigger risks as an actor.

Worst part? Hrm.... we did film in November in LA. I know this will come off as very wimpy, but it was quite rainy and cold for a lot for a lot of the outdoor scenes for everyone else (I didn't have very many), so you could tell that it was a bit tougher for everyone to get those shots off. But really that was the "worst" of it - the rest of the experience really was fantastic.

Do you have any other acting projects coming up?

VGHS (Video Game High School) is definitely the biggest acting project coming up. Other than that I have some personal work planned that I'm writing and plan on directing, and also some collabs with a couple of friends that have promise.

There are also a few auditions and preexisting projects that I am in the dark about, but am crossing my fingers for them to go through!

Have you read the John Dies at the End book? If so, do you feel the film lives up to it?

Tough question! The book is really super indepth compared to what a movie can accomplish in a couple of hours. I think Don did a really fantastic job of adapting the source material into something digestible in 90 minutes, and the way he manipulates the stories to fit is really genius IMO.

How did you get such a wanted youtube username?

What Jonpaz said - with the right connections you can reclaim a username if it's been unused for several years.

Hey, I really want to watch John dies at the end, but I live in Germany...

Any clues on how to watch it outside of the US? I don't think any of these services are available over here... :/

Thanks, and I love your work. You were brilliant in VGHS! (Just got the kickstarter DVD!) - can't wait to see the movie, one way or the other ;)

JDatE outside of the US? Arrrr matey.

Thank you so much for the VGHS praise! Hope you enjoy all the extra little goodies in the DVD :)

You met the author of the book at Sundance, how would you say he smelled?

For shame, I didn't get a good whiff of him. I was too excited about the whole premiere dealio that I didn't even get a chance to really take in the smells around me ;)

I'm really excited for JDATE. I'm wondering of I should hold off on watching it this weekend and try to catch a showing in january. Do you think that it's worth the wait to experience it in a theater, or should I watch it on my rinkydink tv at home?

What was your favorite scene to shoot for the movie?

I agree with Oaklandnative for the most part. Watching this with a group of friends or with a crowd is definitely the way to go. So many references, so many jokes, it would benefit from a group watching.

That being said, I sat down last night and watched it beginning to end at 2 in the morning and had a blast just by myself. There are definitely ups and downs to both sides of it, but I can imagine the movie would be a lotta fun with headphones on in front of a computer too. Plus you don't have to hide your massive boner the entire time (cuz you like the movie so much).

What do you think of the new youtube layout?

It's interesting. Puts a lot of highlight on bigger profile creators, and is also very, very customized to each individual browser. Even if you're logged out the site will pull from your cookies and history and figure out what you like to watch and put those videos on the front page. So the game is very different now. I've heard from a lot of different YouTubers that the new site layout has gotten them a bunch of subscribers, and I've heard from others that their general view count for videos has dipped by almost half. So some win, some don't.

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The final cut is drastically different than the Sundance cut. Things are more polished, the running time is brought down to 90 minutes (I think the original was well over 100). The initial discussions definitely have an impact I think - but moreso the initial audience reactions. I can't say specifically for Don, but when I show my own work to other people I always pay attention to when their attention falters or what they have to say afterwards. Sometimes I make a lot of adjustments as a result!

Hey Jimmy! Thanks for responding to me on twitter! You made my day! All my friends who I showed video game high were so jealous! There are some questions I wanted to ask you. 1: Did VGHS raise your fan base a lot? Or maybe a little? 2: Where do you see yourself in 2 years? What are some of your Youtube projects? 3:VGHS season 2? 4: What is you relationship with your older brother Freddie like?

No problemo dude! Thanks for asking the questions :)

1. Definitely raised it a lot. I got a ton of exposure to a lot of Freddiew fans that didn't know I was his brother or that I even made videos! That helped a bunch.

2. In two years I'd love to be a well established actor and a prominent force in the Asian American community. We need more Asians in the entertainment business. I have no idea where YouTube will be or where I'll fit into all of it, but I can definitely see myself still making a lot of videos one way or the other.

3. VGHS season 2 begins filming this next year! We hope to release it in the summertime.

4. We get along really well! We're very similar in a lot of aspects, very different in others. We grew up close to each other tho so that goes a long way when you're friends from a young age.

Is this real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality?

Open your eyes, look up to the skies and seeeeeeeee

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We lost our band space recently and with how busy the CorridorDigital guys are (along with myself) it's been hard to play or write much music. But we definitely will reunite come VidCon 2013, so perhaps we can expect some new tunes then :)

And you're welcome for the Sunlight Souffle! It's a crazy recipe.

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Thanks!! Old school: Super Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, Kirby Super Star.

New school: Assassin's Creed 2, Bioshock series, Dishonored

How was it playing your own nephew in vghs? Also how did Meghan feel about you kissing Ellary for this role cause i have to admit it was rather touching.

Playing my own nephew! Was a little disorienting, but ultimately a bunch of fun. And acting is acting! I was playing Ted Wong kissing Ki Swan, not Jimmy Wong :)

Why is your family so cool? do you think your ancestors were amazing wizards or something?

I am 1/4 Mongolian, so I like to believe that I am distantly related to Genghis Khan.

Tell us, did racing games become your true calling?

Funny thing is, I've always really sucked at racing games! I have a tendency to crash into walls. A lot.

I'm watching JDATE right now, and I love it! Great job all around! I must ask, what was your favourite part of either A. The Book or B. The Making of the Movie?

Also, when is this coming out on Blu-Ray. This is a must own.

No idea about the BluRay - I'd say probably a few months after the theatrical release? Maybe sometime this summer.

My favorite part of making the movie was doing all the stunt stuff at the Mall of the Dead - getting to run around a creepy old mall was fantastic, and seeing a car flip was also equally awesome.

I hope you get bigger as an actor. Hollywood is sorely in need of Asian-Americans.

Why do you think Asian-Americans are so popular on YouTube? For a smaller minority than Latinos, Asians seem to have a larger representation on YouTube.

Thank you so much! I hope to continue my career path upwards as much as possible.

I think a lot of asian popularity has to do with the fact that the internet is a tool that is as sharp or as powerful as its wielder. I think the Asian American community really latched onto the internet and its power when stars like NigaHiga or KevJumba burst onto the scene. I don't want to make generalizations, but I think Asians as fans are very, very dedicated. Not to say Bieber doesn't have his own rabid following, but there's something about the collectivist culture that maybe lends to us being really huge dedicated fans to the people we admire online.

Other than that I don't want to say too much. I'm not entirely sure why our representation is so strong on YouTube other than we make for great fans, and that people like NigaHiga and KevJumba were sorely needed. They were the firsts and they were pioneers. They filled in a gap that had been there for a long, long time.

If you could choose one "standard" comment that people would not be allowed to make on your videos, what would it be? I wonder this for just about every big YouTube channel.

For music, I really don't like seeing "THIS VERSION IS BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL!". At the very least I'd love for that commenter to expound on exactly why that is the case, but otherwise I see this comment everywhere, and as an artist I really don't think you can compare music on a level of "better or not" since each song has its own merits and faults, etc.

I'd also say stop posting FIRST or whatever, but ultimately I don't really mind. If you want to be the first, then go for it!

Unless I'm mistaken, you guys are currently in Seattle right now? You should come down to Bush Garden karaoke bar in the ID. I work there as the karaoke host on Thursdays/Saturdays; I'll hook you up.

As an aside, your performance in VGHS pretty much stole the show. Brian Firenzi's too, but he was playing Brian Firenzi, so you get higher marks regardless.

And I realize there's no real question in there, but oh well. Looking forward to your new film!

And here, have a question since I just thought of one (now two).

1: If you could play any character in history, be it from film, television, literature, real life, etc., which one would you choose and why?

2: Have you ever collaborated with brother musically and, if so, are there any recordings?

Edit: Added second question.

haha! Good to know about Bush Garden - maybe we can make it down sometime in the future. Thanks for the compliments re: VGHS! It always warms my heart whenever people speak well of it :)

If it's really ANY character, I'm assuming we're ignoring the race component of it all... hrm... one of my favorite musicals growing up was Les Miserables, and I named myself Jean in french class as a kid so I'd say Jean Valjean. Great character.

Second choice - HAN SOLO BABY!

MORE FEAST OF FICTION PLease!!!!!

Coming right up!.... after the holiday break.

Thanks for doing this Jimmy! Around two years ago I went to your Spontaneous Meet-Up at Comic-Con. I remember that you said you went to Virginia Tech for a little while. So, what was your favorite thing about VT, or Blacksburg, while you were here?

If you ever find yourself in Blacksburg for a show I'll be certain to talk it up.

Ah! Perhaps you had VT confused for Vermont. I went to Vermont for college but I haven't ever actually been to Virginia Tech. Sorry for the confusion! If I do ever do a show in Blacksburg though I'm happy to have your support :D

Do you enjoy being the best part of VGHS?

Hahahaha thank you very much. I believe that honor goes to the whole ensemble cast!

How hard was it originally for you to get noticed on YouTube?

Not too hard! A lady named Alexandra Wallace helped me out a lot.

Did you read JDATE to prepare for the role? What else did you so to prepare?

Have you met Cheese and Wong? Which is the funny one?

I read JDATE after I got the role to familiarize myself with the character and the movie. I didn't really keep a lot of that in my head when approaching the role though, I left much of the direction to Don and tried to make Fred as human as possible.

Why don't you post videos regularly on the jimmy channel?

Hey Johny - unfortunately music takes a lot of time and I sort of lost my way after I released Ching Chong. Too many covers, not enough songs that I enjoyed doing. You'll see the music I do like to do more recently pop up when I feel inspired - but the burden of having to write a song every week or thinking I had to cover a new pop single was exhausting and not rewarding.

Does John die at the end?

Says so in the title! Maybe. Perhaps.

I love you.

Ching Chong you too friend :)

Do you want to go bass fishing with me?

Hells yeah! Fishing's awesome.

Do you watch himym? (How I met your mother)

only here and there!

Favorite miyazaki film?

A tie between Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke.

Also, my little brother asks: How's it like to be the first to die by a creeper in that Minecraft LAN party?

A bit shameful, but playing in the Spirit Lodge with Clint was a lot of fun.

What was your first big hit on youtube?

CHING CHONG BABY! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zulEMWj3sVA

What is Freddie like as a brother? Is it different to when you were both kids?

Freddie is definitely a fun guy to have around. We interact pretty similarly to how we did when we were kids as well.

Dude, can I just say I popped the gnarliest nerd boner when this popped up on Reddit? I'm such a huge fan of Wong's books, and I've been geeking out over the movie trailers for months now. I have yet to see the movie but I'm sure it'll leave me mouth agape in a pool of my own semen. In a good way, though.

What's your favorite scene from the movie?

Were you a fan of the book prior to getting the role or is this just another gig?

Who's the coolest dude (besides yourself) among the cast for the film?

ThreeArmSally! Boom. Love it. I can't wait for the semen gargling to begin.

Favorite scene was one that we unfortunately had to cut out - but it involves us in the truck confronting Shitload with a plan to escape. Maybe that'll make the DVD/BluRay.

I had heard of the book prior to the movie but never actually read it. Don chanced upon my headshot at the production company when I was working for them on another job, they asked me to audition, and just like that magic was made! I am extremely fortunate it ended up like that.

Haha! I got to work primarily with Chase Williamson and Rob Mayes (who played John and Dave) and Fabianne Therese (Amy). Chase and Rob are both incredibly funny and charming guys. Another standout actor was Glynn Turman, who some of you may know from The Wire or Gremlins or Super 8. He was super cool.

I'm going to die if the keep doesn't release new music soon.

hahaha! Hopefully we won't die and try and release new music soon as well.

Do you have any specific strategy(s) when marketing your videos/yourself online?

It's about building an organic fan base and being transparent. People don't like secretly being marketed to, and given the chance, people WANT to share content with other people online. Give yourself a chance by making that kind of content and a lot of the marketing will be done by your fans. I'd say be careful not to go too crazy on any social media platform, you're ultimately defining yourself through all your status updates over time. Don't go down a road that's hard to come back from.

Who is your favorite actor/actress?

Just recently became the biggest fan of Michael Fassbender. I think his work is really fantastic and you can tell he's someone who takes his craft very seriously. Also a huge fan of Ryan Gosling for similar reasons. Female wise I think Rose Byrne is amazing as well as Carey Mulligan.

I've read JDATE 9000 times, so i know it pretty well. As we all sadly know, some parts from books don't make it into the film. What was a part from the book that you felt should have been in the film, and what do you think is one thing they did wrong in the movie?

Another tough question! A lot of the book didn't make it in but Don did a great job condensing the source material into the movie.

SPOILER ALERT: Las Vegas and all that craziness isn't necessarily IN the movie, but is adapted to fit into the storyline. Would've loved to see that entire arc get expanded.

If there's one thing they did wrong, it's not give Fred Chu every single line there was. LEGEND OF FRED CHU forever. Kidding.

What are some of your videos that you are most proud of? Also side question is that airsoft battle between you and the other interwebs people still going to happen? I really was looking forward to that!

I was looking forward to it too! It got cancelled because of rain and as far as I can tell, no efforts have been made yet to reschedule. Hopefully it'll go through tho, I'd love to do it still.

I of course am very proud of Ching Chong for many reasons. Other videos I really loved doing was my most recent WiiU song, Don't Let Go, and It All Ends. For Feast of Fiction - Portal Cake and Krabby Patties by far.

Whats it like having Freddie as a brother?

Also, I ching chong you!

He's a great role model and an endlessly entertaining dude. Also my best friend. I ching chong you too!

Do you still have your chains on - or did you want a bunch of kids?

Confused! Restate your question. Or give context.

How was filming for VGHS? I know it was a major production, but was it disheartening or weird knowing that all your time and efforts were going into an online rocketjump/YouTube series instead of on TV or cinema?

VGHS was truly awesome, btw.

I think we all knew when we embarked on VGHS that we were purposely doing it to be a pioneer series for the web in the same way that Felicia Day's The Guild was. We didn't want to go to TV or cinema, but we wanted to prove that the quality of our show could easily hold up to those standards for a fraction of the budget.

Have you and Freddie both started with music, then moved onto a film career. Or did you both always want to be film-makers?

We both started with music at a young age with classical piano, but Freddie always had the film bug. He and I would make little short movies as kids and that blossomed into him making a full length in highschool then going to USC for film.

Just wanted to say: I LOVED John Dies at the End (the book), and am looking forward to getting home from work so I can finally watch the movie.

DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME.

ACK! WILL TRY MY BEST TO NOT DISAPPOINT. Have fun! The movie is a total blast.

Jimmy Wong? Of the Mars Wongs?

Of the Freddie and Jimmy Wongs.

Tell me if you think this is racist

http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/15j53c/just_bought_a_new_calculator/

a joke based off a stereotype. Not necessarily racist, but not terribly productive either. I thought it was amusing!

Do you think you would be more or less successful as a comedian if your name was Jimmy Wang?

No idea really. I'd hate people pronouncing my name wrong though - since Wang is technically said the same way as Wong.

How is it like having Freddiew as your brother?!

Guns goin off, burs-in all day long.

When will season 2 of VGHS be premiering?

summer 2013!!

What is you're favorite show (Any shows from the channels: Showtime, AMC, HBO)

Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Wire, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Hey, you're a fellow Washingtonian!

So a few things:

You have a marvelous voice. My first experience was with your Mario a Capella video, and since then I've been watching all your videos. Favorite one is probably Asians in the Library or the one you did in Paris. Oh, and you and your girlfriend are adorable.

Anyways, to the questions:

1) How many languages can you speak, and what are they? 2) What is your favorite place to eat at in Seattle? 3) What is your favorite color?

Thank you so much! I am a fellow Washingtonian. Beautiful state, and (currently) an even better football team!

1. I can speak Mandarin Chinese pretty fluently, and am conversationally fluent in French, less so in Spanish.
2. Thai Tom on the Ave
3. Blue! Sky blue

What's your favourite snack food? Besides pizza dunks.

PIZZA DUNKS FO LIFE! I am a big fan of goldfish, or pickled cucumber.

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my mom's fried rice. DERICIOUS

Are you jealous of your brother stealing the spotlight (for the most part) in your career?

Freddie never stole the spotlight from anyone, he took it for himself! I wasn't interested in YouTube when he began his path down it, I was more focused on the traditional acting route. The thing is there is plenty of room for everyone to get their spotlight in Hollywood - Freddie being up there helps me out more than anything else.

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Radiohead, Jon Brion, Sufjan Stevens, Broken Social Scene, Paul Simon, to name a few.

Ever thought about doing a road trip/tour like Freddie?

Thought about it! But it would definitely take too much time out of my schedule and being an actor I need to be in LA.

Thanks for doing this AMA. Are there any musicians on youtube that you would want to collaborate with in the future?

I'd love to get a collab in with Chester See or Kina Grannis at some point. They're both awesome in their own unique ways.