In ABC Family’s Saumari Girl, the six hour mini-series set to air in early September, Heaven Kogo (Jamie Chung) is the adopted daughter of one of Japan’s most influential business men.  She was the only survivor as an infant, of a plane crash that killed everyone else on board.  When Heaven’s arranged marriage in San Francisco is attacked by ninjas and her brother is killed, his last words send her to his friend Jake Stinton (Brendan Fehr) for protection.  Jake is a former employee of the Japanese Yakuza who is hiding from them while running a dojo on the side.  He ends up training Heaven and starts her on the path of the samurai, as she learns that her father may not be quite who she thought he was.  Jake’s girlfriend Karen (Stacy Keibler) also returns to find that Jake and Heaven have grown close, leading to confrontations between the two women.

Jamie Chung

Did you have any martial arts training before this role?

Jamie Chung> No, I took martial arts as a kid, and literally, I sprang my finger and I remember the sensei trying to get me to quit.   It was harsh, but I was really young.  But I played sports my entire life; volleyball, softball.  In college I played intra-mural sports and I played sports for the sorority; I played flag football.  I’m very athletic and I love the physical challenge of that.  I had no doubt in my mind that I could do an action role, but I got lots of training and learned how to safely play with a sword.  It’s all about fight choreography.  It’s like learning a dance.  Literally, the person that you are fighting with is your dance partner.  It’s just muscle memory with all the moves, and how to really sell a blow or a kick or punch, or hit in the face.  Its television fighting and I learned so much because I did that for Samurai Girl, then I booked Dragon Ball right after, so I grew as a fighter.  Then I came back to the show, so it’s perfect for my character because I grew as a martial arts fighter. 

So what do you think about reality TV? I know you have the MTV stuff in your background.

Jamie Chung> I loved doing it.  It was part of my life in college and it was a fun thing to do.  I had a blast and met some of the coolest people, and I got to live in beautiful San Diego for three months, rent free; how cool is that?  But I finished college, I did one challenge and won some money that I put into savings, and paid for college with that money.  It’s really in my past.  I enjoyed doing it, but my focus has always been on acting.  Now that I’m here, I don’t see myself going back, but it was cool to be picked as one of the few to live in the house.

So I think you may be one of the few reality TV stars who has crossed over to acting with both this and Dragon Ball.  What’s your secret?

Jamie Chung> You work hard and you stick to it.  In this industry, like any other industry, there’s lots of competition.  It’s a job.  People forget that it’s a job and you have to work hard.  It’s like interviewing every week for a new job, and sometimes you aren’t going to get it.  But you know what?  You have to keep on trucking.  I feel like so many young people come to Hollywood and give up when they are so close to scoring something great.  I think if you’re passionate, and your determination and your work ethic are strong you’ll be able to land something.  Not every project is right for you, but if you keep looking, you’ll find a good match.  You’ll find something that you fit perfectly for?

So how does it feel to have ABC Family promoting this show so heavily?

Jamie Chung> The great thing about it is it’s on ABC Family, and they really took a chance with our show.  With all the action sequences and the story line, it’s something very new.  And I appreciate that they are backing us up 100%. I really feel like this is going to be a great show, and I really hope all of the kids and their parents, and young adults, enjoy watching it. 

Are the swords plastic, or metal, or what?

Jamie Chung> When we first started rehearsing, it was with wooden katanas.  Then we moved to aluminum swords whenever we moved to fight sequences.  They are supposed to be real swords, but we use aluminum for safety.  Whenever there’s a close up scene where I’m not fighting anyone, we tried to use the real swords as much as possible.  We didn’t want to take the chance of me accidentally hitting someone or hurting someone.  For all the close up shots and just swinging it slowly, we used the real sword.

So is it going to be you for all the action, or did they use a stunt double?

 Jamie Chung> We have to have stunt doubles.  They test out the area to make sure we don’t spring an ankle.  They are kind of like the test people, because the number one concern is for our safety.  But for the cameras, they always want us to give it a show ourselves, and I want to do it myself.  I don’t want them to see the back of my head, and contemplate on whether it’s me or the stunt double.  I love doing my own stunts. 

Have you read the books?

Tell us about Samurai Girl and how your experience has been at Comic Con?

Brendan Fehr> Obviously, it’s a new show and one that doesn’t have a lot of history from comic books or video games or anything like that.  We’re just kind of making people aware of it and we haven’t been bombarded, but it’s been kind of a good response.  I’m kind of used to it from Roswell days a little bit, so I kind of knew what to expect.  It’s been good.

You never came here for Roswell, right?

Brendan Fehr> No, I think Comic Con at the time was just starting to evolve the involvement with Hollywood and TV and the films.  So we actually never made it here, so this is my first time. 

What kind of sword training did they give you for this role?

Brendan Fehr> The sword training came more in me learning the basics; learning the attack stance and the defensive stance and strikes and blocking and all the rest of it.  But beyond that, it was just a matter of what the choreography was and imitating the choreography.  I don’t think any of us were going to confuse ourselves and think we were going to become samurais or ninjas or martial artists.  We learned the basics, but obviously had the respect for it coming in, then garnered a little more for it, then did our best in terms of the intricacies and details as we went along.  But we kind of left it up to the stunt choreographers to choreograph something, then at that point tried to imitate it and do the best we can.

Can you tell me about your character?

Brendan Fehr> Yeah, the character is Jake Stinton, an ex army brat who has a history with the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza, working for them in some sort of capacity.   You get the feeling that it was as an assassin of sorts.  What he has done is cut his ties with them, and he is out on the lam living kind of secluded and hidden.  He has his own dojo going and is under the radar as far as his history goes with them.  He gets dragged back into the whole thing with Heaven, after her wedding is attacked.  The reason she comes to him is I was her brothers best friend.  Once he passes, his last words are to go find me so I can protect her and all the rest of it.

You filmed in Vancouver or LA for this?

Brendan Fehr> Vancouver.  Back home.  It was good to be back home.

Do you think this might go to series eventually?

Brendan Fehr> There is talk of that.  Ultimately, this business is about the bottom line.  It’s about numbers and money and all that.  Obviously their interested in putting a good show on the air; one that has all of the making of something the audience is going to watch.  We’ve put that out there and I’ve seen a lot of it.  We’ve definitely put that on the screen and people are going to enjoy the storylines, the actions, the romance.  I think they are going to enjoy the characters and where they come from.  Ultimately it lays in the hands of the viewers. If we get the numbers we need and people tune in and enjoy it, then that’s going to tell the networks that it’s something they want to see and they’re going to pursue other avenues to get us back on air.  We’ve done what we can and after that, it’s in the hands of the television viewers and hopefully they’re on the same page as us. 

Have you read the books, or do you plan to?

Brendan Fehr> No and no.  I never read the Roswell books either.  I’m certainly not going to read these for the selfish reason that my character is not in them.  I’m kind of that guy who gets very focused.  I read the pilot and I read the script and I have a strong idea about who my character is.  I think the pilot sets the tone.  I think that was Roswell too.  I knew who the character of Michael Guerin was and you can play with him throughout the season.  But I really felt I had a bead on the essence of the character, and I did with this one as well.  So I don’t feel I need to read the stories for any other purpose than enjoyment.  And there are any number of other books sitting on my shelf.  I’m not going to pretend that they are on the list. They aren’t on the list. 

Did you ever read the final Roswell books to find out where Michael ended up?

Brendan Fehr> No, I never did.  I’m curious though.

He ended up moving to LA with the other adult alien and becoming an actor.  He gets compared to David Duchovny.

Brendan Fehr> Michael Guerin becomes an actor.  I don't think I’m going to comment on that right now.  I obviously love being an actor and enjoy it.  But Michael Guerin is not cut out for Hollywood.  He would lay the studios to waste. 

Did you have any injuries in the filming?

Stacy Keibler

How’s your comic con experience going so far?

Stacy Keibler> It’s so awesome.  I haven’t been here in a couple of years, so I was really excited to come.  I just love these kind of fans.  I think this is like the best place to come and they are just so excited to see us.  It was kind of like I felt like I was home.

How does this compare to the wrestling fans?  I think you probably have had a lot more people cheering and screaming your name?

Stacy Keibler> I think it is my wrestling fans that are here, so I feel like they came out in supported me, and they are the best fans in the world. 

Can you tell me about your character in Samurai Girl?

Stacy Keibler> Sure, I play Karen.  I come in about half way through the mini-series and I’m Heaven’s nemesis.  I’m Jake’s fiancé and when things heat up with them and they have a connection, I come back to town and stir the pot.  A lot of drama happens and a lot of action.  I had such a blast because my character has such an amazing arch and its something people have seen from me before.

How did you end up in this show?

Stacy Keibler> When I read the script I instantly wanted to do it.  I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of the show and I’m glad everything worked out.

Do you get to do a lot of fighting and play with swords in this?

Stacy Keibler> Yeah, both.  I do a lot of fighting and some sword fighting.  It’s action packed that’s for sure.

How do you like acting compared to wrestling?

Stacy Keibler> Well, acting is something that I’ve been doing since I was eight.  I really feel like I’m living my dream now.  I’ve had it kind of instilled in me for a long time, and I’m just so excited that everything I’ve done has been a stepping stone to where I am now.  I have such great fans, and I’ve had such great opportunities to do what I want to do.  I take it very seriously, and when I’m not working, I’m in class three days a week and I just think it’s a learning experience and you get better with experience, and I’m just so lucky to be able to do it. 

What do you think about reality TV, I know you did Dancing With The Stars, and maybe how reality TV is almost taking over more and more from scripted TV?

Stacy Keibler> I have mixed feelings.  As an actor, I feel it is sad sometimes that there is so much reality on TV.  But it’s a new time and day.  I watch shows that are reality as well that I get entertainment from, so I think that we have to accept the changes and hope that there is a balance between the two.  I don’t think reality is going away anytime soon.

What else do you have in the works after Samurai Girl?

Stacy Keibler> I just got back from Vancouver and I don’t have anything actually right on the horizon.  I have a couple of things in the works, but nothing that I can talk about, because I feel like it will fall apart if I talk about it.

Have you read the books?

Stacy Keibler> I have not.  It was so fast when I got the script and went to Vanocuver for filming, that I didn’t have a chance to read them.

When did you actually do the filming?

Stacy Keibler> I filmed in Vancouver for the whole month of June.  These guys were up there for about two and a half months, but I was only there for a month.