Name: 張孝全
Born: Dec. 28, 1983
Birthplace: Taipei City, Taiwan
Did You Know That…?
For his outstanding performance in the movie "Prince of Tears (淚王子)," actress Brigitte Lin (林青霞) remarked that Joseph Chang (張孝全) — who has been praised by the media as "both brawn and brains"—"shone like a diamond."
In addition to his reputation as one of the gifted new generation actors in Taiwan, Joseph Chang has also starred in a wide variety of television commercials and worked as a model. Spotted by film and television drama series director Yee Chih-yen at the age of 17 while riding the Taipei Metro, Chang made his debut in the 2001 television series "Finding Mr. Right (尋找Mr. Right)." Afterwards, he went on to feature as a leading man in a number of idol dramas.
In 2006, he co-starred with Ray Chang in "Eternal Summer (盛夏光年)," turning in a performance that saw him earn nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best New Performer at the 43rd Golden Horse Awards.
His performance in the 2012 film "Girlfriend, Boyfriend (女朋友、男朋友)," meanwhile, led to him winning the award for Best Actor at the 14th Taipei Film Awards and the 7th Asian Film Awards, as well as nominations at the 49th Golden Horse Awards and the 55th Asia-Pacific Film Festival. His portrayal of Liam, a gay man, in "Girlfriend, Boyfriend" ignited a substantial amount of discussion for its boldness and passion, but it was his refined depiction of deeply repressed emotion that drove the praise for his performance.
Chang has remarked that in the process of interpreting his roles, he has learned a great deal, with each and every role contributing to a better understanding of both himself and others.
In the Taiwanese entertainment circle, Chang has earned himself a reputation of being a somber man of few words, but at the same time, he has the talent of giving fantastic performance in every scene he is in. His acting comes so naturally that it seems there are two different persons in and out of the scene. It’s like that he has a switch, turning it on, he is possessed by some kind of actorly spirit, while flipping it back off, he is returning to his normal taciturn self when the scene is done.
When he was asked about his dreams, Chang once said that he had many dreams growing up, but what really made him feel like his dream had come true was being able to become an actor. At first, though, he didn’t even really realize it. It was only after he spent a few years acting that he found he really does love the profession.
Since his debut, he has gone on to feature in some 50 movies and television productions, both commercial and artistic. Having honed his skills through years of hard work, his accomplishments and talent have increasingly been recognized by audience.
In his 30s, he has slowly moved away from playing the classic idol drama leading man, reaching out into comedies like "The Village of No Return (健忘村)" and action movies like "Sky on Fire (沖天火)," as well as more realistic works focused on social issues like "Nowhere Man (罪夢者)."
Taking on a new role, Chang has said, can involve essentially starting from scratch. Each of them is a new test. He starts out by being moved by the script and taking on his new mission, and whether he is playing the protagonist or the antagonist, everything is built on a foundation of uncertainty.
For "The Victim's Game (誰是被害者)," Chang used more subtle facial movements like twitchy eyes and eyebrows in his role as Fang Yi-jen, a forensic scientist with Asperger’s syndrome. His excellent performance not only earned affirmation from the juries at the Golden Bell Awards, but also saw him take the Best Actor gong at the 25th Busan International Film Festival.
In an interview, Chang remarked that as an actor, he simply focuses on playing his roles well and letting the audience really see what the character has to say, as well as on working hard to entertain them.