Article by Betty Ouyang
[Betty Ouyang serves as a Guest Writer for Dig In Magazine]

For more on Actress Betty Ouyang visit: www.BettyOuyang.com

Actress Betty Ouyang

It was just another gorgeous, sunny day in Los Angeles when I got a call from one of the producers of the film “Frozen River”.

The producer asked me if I would be interested in working as an actress on a low-budget feature that they had already started shooting. She wanted to warn me about a few things first, though.

First, they were shooting in upstate New York, near the Canadian border. (It was February…brrrrrrrr!) She told me that they already had a day or two when they couldn’t even turn the camera on—that kind of cold!

She also mentioned that my character would be doing chase scenes at night, and that at one point, my character would be locked in the trunk of a car, which was slowly sinking into a river of melted ice.

After hearing about the part about being locked in a trunk, I suppose I could have mentioned to the producer that I suffer from mild claustrophobia. But being the optimistic actor that I am, I figured that we would solve all these problems later…with the help of a fantastic crew.

“Sure, sounds great. Sign me up!” I exclaimed enthusiastically to the producer, accepting the role.

The producer went on to explain that although my character would not have officially scripted dialogue, there would be a scene where I would be expected to improvise dialogue…in Chinese, no less!

And finally, she mentioned some of the awesome actors that were already involved in the project. One of the stars was Melissa Leo.

Melissa Leo & Betty Ouyang: "Frozen River"

At this time, perhaps Melissa Leo was not yet a household name. But for me—a true lover of independent films—Melissa Leo possessed a talent and resume that were truly enviable!

To me, she was the scene-stealing actress who was in one critically acclaimed indie film after another. “21 Grams” and “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada”, to name a couple. And I knew that I could learn so much by watching Melissa on set. Even better, in “Frozen River” I would have the chance to run with her in sub-freezing temperature…while being chased by the local sheriff. How cool was that?!!

So I left 90-degree LA for 8-degree upstate New York. Being originally from New York, I knew how bad winters in the East could get. I packed a whole lot of clothes and thermal underwear—and I was off!

After talking to the producer, I remember thinking to myself that there was something truly special about this film that I was about to embark on. I could feel it in my heart, and in my guts! Not only because of the names that were attached to it. But the story. And the fact that the two leads (played by Melissa Leo and Misty Upham) were two women on the fringes of society. Single and poor. And also that the film revealed something about Mohawk Indian culture, a culture I admittedly knew nothing about. And then my character being Chinese added yet another layer. I was pretty darn excited, to say the least!

I remember the first time I got to meet Melissa. It was the night that we were doing the chase scene. There were four of us actresses, having to run together in the cold darkness! I really appreciated how Melissa took the time to give all of us advice about pacing ourselves. Our scene was emotional and intense, but Melissa reminded us to always be wary about the icy ground and to not let ourselves get carried away. She also gave us a lot of advice on layering and keeping warm, particularly regarding our feet! I really appreciated her nurturing quality, especially since the first couple of days on a feature set can be overwhelming.

When my part in “Frozen River” was officially wrapped a couple of weeks later, I gave Melissa a “good-bye” hug. Never could I have imagined at that moment that the next time I would see her would be after “Frozen River” won Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. Nor would I have ever guessed that the film would eventually go on to get two Oscar nominations, including Melissa Leo for “Best Actress”. (Melissa did not win the Oscar that year, but her role as ‘Ray Eddy’ was definitely one of the most talked-about film performances of the year.)

So I guess my Actor’s Intuition was pretty spot-on after all. It steered me to exactly the right place. It brought me to a place where I could observe and learn from some of the best. And cheers, Melissa! Here’s to your prodigious talent, your fearlessness and your kindness in helping to look after “the girls”.

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