I flew to Vancouver in late July last year to shoot Wu Assassins – the new martial arts/sci-fi Netflix TV show in which I play a really strong female character: the bodyguard for a triad boss. The story is actually set in San Francisco, but we filmed in Vancouver as they have great incentives for film and TV. It’s so popular that there can be up to 50 productions shooting at the same time – you literally walk down the street and see two or three productions in progress, with all the trailers parked up. People often go to LA to catch filming in progress, but Vancouver is actually busier.
It’s a really interesting city, very international and full of characters and cultures. For people from Asia, you feel like you’re at home – they call it Hongcouver, after all.
I’m a massive foodie, so I immediately fell in love with Vancouver because every restaurant is top quality – Japanese, Chinese, steakhouses, vegan, fresh seafood – anything you can think of, it’s there. I was staying in Yaletown, which is the hip, young area, with lots of bars and restaurants. The first thing I did after I’d checked in was head down to sample the awesome happy hour deals where you get amazing cocktails and great bar snacks like C$1 (HK$6) oysters, beef carpaccio, or truffle mac and cheese.
Vancouver is also very beautiful: clear skies, fresh air and surrounded by water. I love the outdoor activities, too. It’s very easy to walk or bike around. We spent an entire day in Stanley Park, biking around and looking at the harbour. And there are so many amazing hiking trails: the Grouse Grind trail is a great one for athletes; it’s really steep.
I was in Vancouver for four months, and although the city is small, I never felt bored. I can’t wait to go back to start filming season two.
JuJu Chan is a Hong Kong actress who’s appeared in films such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. Her latest project is Netflix drama Wu Assassins
