James Wan has taken over one of the most thrilling movie series ever in “Fast and Furious.” So who is James Wan? Recently the director sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to shed some light on the man at the helm of “Fast and Furious 7.”
For all of you “Saw” and “The Conjuring” fans, apparently you have Wan’s mother to thank for such great movies.
“Growing up, I have my mother to thank. She was a big fan of movies, so she introduced me to cinema at a very young age,” said Wan. “The very first movie that I ever saw in a theater wasSnow White and the Seven Dwarves. And I have early memories of Poltergeist. As trippy as Snow White is, it has a very dark side to it. So from a very young age I was somewhat subjected to movies with a darker streak. Ever since then, I've loved scary movies.”
Although Wan born in Malaysia his childhood was spent in Australia.
“I moved there when I was about 7,” said Wan. “Language-wise, my mom and dad’s dialect, they’re pretty obscure. It’s Chinese, but not your traditional Chinese, like Cantonese or Mandarin. It wasn’t something that I got to use very much growing up. We eventually just spoke English around the house. “
The “Insidious” director was also asked about his friendship with Leigh Whannell, with whom he works the most.
“I met Leigh when I was about 17 years old,” he explained “We hit it off and became very good friends. We shared the same interest in movies and we wanted to make the same kind of movies as well”
Even though Wan probably understands how talented he is and how well his movies will perform in the box office, the first “Saw” caught him a little off guard.
“When we made the movie, it was a low-budget film. We shot it in 18 days. So my expectations weren’t very high at all because I didn’t really get what I wanted to do with the film and it was a real struggle. I had never made a movie before,” he acknowledged. “ I did not know that 18 days wasn’t enough for me to achieve what I wanted to do. I had to cut so many corners. And despite all of that, it went on to become what it became. It is pretty mind-blowing.”
So what about “Fast and Furious 7?” Eh, you know it’s not that big of a deal.
“Believe it or not, even though it’s a massive, massive movie compared to what I’m used to in the past, I’m not daunted by how big the movie is,” he said. “Because to me, it’s just filmmaking -- it’s just longer and you have much bigger set pieces to design. If anything, it’s better for me because I have a lot of people at my disposal that I can use. I have real people -- top, high-end people -- to help me out with that. In a lot of ways, it’s actually a lot easier.”
“The Conjuring” is in theaters now. “Insidiious: Chapter 2” will hit theaters on Sept. 13. “Fast and Furious 7” will hit theaters July 11, 2014.
