Archive

A Couple of Prince Charmings Emerge From ‘White Frog’

By  | 

“Teen Wolf’s” heartthrob Tyler Posey and “Glee’s” Harry Shum Jr. caused much of the commotion at the LA premiere of “White Frog” at Outfest this summer. And now Wolfe Video, the largest distributor of LGBT films, has acquired the North American rights to the star-packed film.

The family drama, directed by Quentin Lee, initially attracted a lot of attention because of a powerhouse cast that includes B.D. Wong (“Law & Order”), Joan Chen (“The Joy Luck Club,” “Saving Face”), Booboo Stewart (“Twilight Saga”), veteran actress Amy Hill (“50 First Dates”), and, of course Posey and Shum Jr.

The mother-daughter writing team of Ellie and Fabienne Wen wrote “White Frog” together.

“This was our first screenplay,” gushed Ellie, trying to stay calm amidst some hectic moments before the screening. “I studied drama [at Stanford] and my mom studied English at Yale, so it’s in her blood, she’s always wanted to write.”

Ellie is a So Cal native, growing up in San Marino and now living in Santa Monica. She and her mom were inspired by family friends and the close brother relationships they have witnessed to write the story of a young man afflicted with Aspergers Syndrome [Booboo Stewart of “Twilight”] and his mentor and best friend, his gay older brother [Harry Shum Jr.]. When tragedy strikes, one brother must rely on the foundation of love and support established by the other.

Shum came to the picture after a chance meeting with writer Ellie Wen.

“I stopped Harry Shum Jr. at the San Diego Film Festival,” Ellie said with a big laugh. “He was kind enough to read the script and his manager was really supportive. From there it just snowballed.”

“The script was brilliant—and funny,” Shum said following the screening.

Shum has worked on many films as a dancer, and started out on “Glee” in a small guest role that ballooned into a regular character. He was born in Costa Rica and Spanish is his first language, though he’s fluent in Chinese and English.

Tyler, who plays Shum’s good buddy in the film, is the son of actor John Posey, but he’s carving out a niche for himself on TV and film. All smiles at the film’s premiere, Posey is obviously enjoying every minute of it.

See www.wolfevideo.com for more about the film.

Journalist Laurie Schenden covers the entertainment industry, with many of her notable celebrity interviews appearing in the Los Angeles Times and other national and international publications. As a longtime columnist and feature writer for the LA Times, she also covered events and California destinations for the lifestyle, Outdoors and Travel sections. Laurie Schenden's international pieces include the long-running Where Are They Now celebrity feature for Spotlight Magazine, published in five languages. Laurie has also contributed to numerous documentary films, and produces content via Saving Grace Films.

1 Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login