During the filming of Rush Hour 3, Jackie's dialogue coach Diana Weng interviewed crew members, asking them to talk about what it was like working on the film and working with Jackie.

David “Goldy” Goldsmith, Video Assist

Goldy is the Video Assist, which means after a take has been shot he plays back video for the director and crew to watch.  Because of his proficiency with computers, he’s become the “editor” on the set because he has to edit every fight scene for Jackie and Brett.  His father, Jonathan, was a well known actor while Goldy was a child actor and was in the TV show, “Morning Star, Evening Star.”  He continues to get acting roles in various films that he works on as a crew member.  He appears in Rush Hour 3 as a clown backstage in the Follies scene.  He’s been in film production for about twelve years.

When I worked with Brett for three weeks on After the Sunset, it was a trying and difficult experience because our personalities are different. When Rush Hour 3 was presented to me, I wanted to do it for one reason and one reason only: I wanted to meet Jackie Chan. I told my wife, Patty, “It would be so cool to meet Jackie Chan!” And now, I have met Jackie Chan.

I’m unable to finish the film because we are overscheduled and I have other commitments. This is very hard for me because I’ve never done that before. But having met Jackie and all the people who work for him and all the unbelievably talented crew that are working on this film, I would say that this is one of my top experiences. I’ve developed friendships and professional working relationships that I hope to carry with me throughout my career. I hope I hear from Jackie more than once in awhile. Ultimately, the experience has been truly rewarding. By the way, I have already changed my last name to “Chan.”  I’m now David “Goldy” Goldsmith Chan. My wife is a little resistant to it, but I’m working on it.

*You can read more about Goldy here*

Adam Howard, Visual Effects Supervisor

Adam Howard is one of two Visual Effects Supervisors (John Bruno is the other VES) for Rush Hour 3. He creates anything that cannot be shot with a camera on a set with actors in the real world. He helps bring the audience into the “unreal world.” He has hired ILM (Industrial Light and Magic), a company owned by George Lucas, to do all the visual effects for the end sequence of the film.

I’ve been in the business for twenty-seven years. I started in Australia and I now live in San Francisco with my wife. I’ve been doing action films since…forever. I worked on films like Titanic and Armageddon. This is a big and fun film to work on. The visual effects will be amazing. We have a fun action sequence at the end of the film. We will be showing something that nobody has ever seen before. It’s going to look really great and Jackie is the hero and Chris saves the day. Last week we started the process of making digital doubles of Jackie, Chris, and Hiro. The rest is massive green screen stuff, a lot of compositing and making a complete virtual Paris. It’s a big job. It’s fantastic working with Jackie!

Ric Spencer, Costumer

Ric Spencer was born in Antigua in the West Indies. He grew up in New York where he attended the United Nations International School because his mother worked for the United Nations. He started working as a costumer in 1994. He has worked on thirty seven projects,both films and television shows. As Jackie’s costumer, he is in charge of every outfit that is worn in the film. If the costume needs to go through transformations depending on what happens in the scene, Ric will make sure it happens. He has promised to give Jackie one of his dreadlocks when the film ends and Jackie is eagerly waiting to cut it off so he can keep it in his museum.

I’ve loved working on this film, but it’s been really long. It’s the movie that won’t end. It’s been great being able to go to Paris and to see the things that I’ve seen. It’s also been great to watch Jackie work. That has been the most fascinating for me. I’ve never witnessed this before so it’s nice to see how he puts all his stunts together. It’s a bit fast paced for me. I think it’s because when I work on stunts in other films, it’s much more structured. To watch the end product, it'll be worth it!

Margarita Pidgeon, Key Hairstylist

Margarita Pidgeon is the Key Hairstylist in the film. If Kelvin Trahan, Jackie’s hairstylist, and the Department Head Hair, is busy, she is the person who will take care of Jackie. She has to make sure that all the hair styles and wigs on all the actors and stunt doubles consistently look right when they are in front of the camera. She is married to Kelvin Han Yee, a well known Asian American actor from San Francisco but they have been living in Los Angeles for about four years.

I used to work in a lot of theaters and operas in the San Francisco Bay Area as a wig builder. Eventually, I crossed into working on television and film. This is a great industry to work in. Jackie is an international superstar. He’s really a kind person and a hard worker. He’s your typical Alpha male. I tried to explain to him what that meant. He’s also a perfectionist. It’s good in this industry because you can’t be lazy. I’m looking forward to his next film, The J and J Project with Jet Li. I hope it plays in the West because it’s like The Odyssey of Eastern culture and maybe he can artistically bridge more cultures.

Aaron Toney, Stunt Double

Aaron Toney is a stunt double for Chris. Since getting his SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild) Card in 2005 after working on “Pirates of the Caribbean 2, he’s been working steadily.

I used to be a security guard. For about three years, I worked at night from 11:00 PM until 7:00 AM. When I was done, I would train in the afternoon. I trained in gymnastics and different kinds of martial arts. My main thing is Tae Kwondo, but I also do Wushu, Capoeira, European and Japanese style martial arts. I also do stunt driving and anything else I can get my hands on. Originally I wasn’t even supposed to be on this film, so it’s a really good opportunity to fill in someone else’s shoes. I’m really honored to work on a film with Jackie. I have friends who ask me what it’s like. It’s surreal. You want to watch everything he does. You want to aspire to be as sharp and exact as he is, with what he does. It’s been really fun. I really enjoy watching him and his team work. I especially enjoy working with Brad Allen (the J. C. Stunt team coordinator). He’s my hero. After I watched Gorgeous, I was just amazed. It’s a real honor to work with him and all the boys.

Dana Morris, Camera Production Assistant

Dana Morris is the Camera Production Assistant with the Camera Crew. He helps Jimmy Muro, the Director of Photograhy, download stills to judge light quality. As a P.A., he’s here to learn about every aspect of the business in the camera department.

My name is Dana Morris and I got started in this business when I was seventeen. My best friend’s aunt was the Script Supervisor on the Drew Carey Show, and her boyfriend at the time, now husband, got me on as a Set PA (Production Assistant). I went to L. A. (Los Angeles) Film School and got a degree in Cinematography. I shot a lot of shorts, independent films, and music video. I wanted to get into big features. My friend, Darren Moran, a First A.C. (Assistant Camera), now Operator, who worked on our show, connected me with Paul Santoni (“A” 2^nd Assistant Camera). I prepped a day with him at Panavision. A job suddenly opened up on this film where they needed a Camera P.A. I started out in Stills Photography, in a darkroom, printing out my own photos, so I have a photography background.  I think this helps a lot going into cinematography, knowing the process and knowing how things are done. I like working on this film. From what they are telling me, things are going kind of slow. Jackie is really nice, really generous. He doesn’t seem like the typical movie star. He is very personable, really down to earth, especially considering how famous he is.

Stay tuned for more interviews from Rush Hour 3's crew!

Text and photos ©2007 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.

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