YHU Interview with Cynthia Hsiung - 2013 (April 8)
The following text is from The Young Hercules University.
The YHU extends its deepest thanks to Cynthia Hsiung for taking the time to grant us an interview.
Interview with Cynthia Hsiung
Answers to Interview questions posed by YHU Academy to Cynthia Hsiung, Producer of "Young Hercules".
Before reading my answers to the following fan questions, I would like to put in a disclaimer of sorts. As you know, it has been roughly 15 years since "Young Hercules" the 50 episode series began in 1998. I hope my memory can do all those associated with "Young Hercules" justice. And I want to apologize in advance if there are any omissions or murkiness in my recollection which might offend anyone who was a part of this amazing TV series. I would like to also give everyone associated with the show an appreciative not as the series was definitely loved by all those who worked so hard to bring it to life. Thank you to the incredible devoted fans for this opportunity to walk down memory lane. - Cynthia Hsiung
1. As Producer on the show, what did your job requirements entail? What sorts of control did you have over the show?
I could probably write a thesis on this question alone! As Producer of "Young Hercules" I oversaw multiple aspects of the series, the stories and episodes, the overall goals which the Network had for the show, the Studio stake in the series and the infusion of the collaborative and creative "thumbprint" for the series which included but were not limited to my very own. That meant my day was full from top to bottom, working with the writers, the visual effects, the directors, the actors, our post-production group, visual effects, music; and then there were the Studio and Network Executives I would speak to on a daily basis making sure their creative notes on scripts and rough-cuts were addressed along with any programming needs.
I suppose if there was any one person who knew on a daily basis what status every aspect of production was in, it would have been me. Others had their area which they concentrated on, my area was to know what every part of the whole was working on and to make sure the entire production along with the entire programming part was all working together in sync.
2. Does it surprise you that there are people talking about Young Hercules after all these years? Have you still come across groups of die hard fans like us?
Well, yes and no. It does and it does not surprise me that people are talking about "Young Hercules" so many years later. The obvious reason why it does not surprise me is because of the level of astronomical fame Ryan Gosling has attained. The less obvious reason is because I truly believed years ago and now that the series was a great series, full of heart, soul and great fun! And it is a timeless series which can be enjoyed today equally to when it was first made.
It does at times surprise me though because I must admit, I don’t live in the world of "Young Hercules" day-to-day. And it is on the rare special occasion such as the writing of these answers when I am touched again by this amazing TV series. This is when it does happily surprise me! It is incredibly meaningful that the fans have remained devoted fans of the series a decade and a half later! This means more to me than I can possibly say in words alone. I hope the answering of these questions can be a way for me to give back some of the love which so many fans have continued to show the series so many years later.
3. With the success of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit", because of Dean O'Gorman's portrayal of Fili the dwarf, there has been a recent influx of new fans of "Young Hercules"; do you think that this will cause a new "Young Hercules" movement?
I selfishly hope so! I love Dean-O and thought he was so adorably handsome in "The Hobbit"!
4. What favorite memories of your time working on the show would you share with us?
Goodness, there are too many to write! I can honestly say I loved every moment of the series, from start to finish and beyond. However, if I were to pick some moments, here goes.
What interview regarding "Young Hercules" would be complete without a story about Ryan Gosling?!!
But even before Ryan became the world sensation that he is today, I still would have always remembered casting him with great fondness! I had the privilege of falling in love with Ryan before most others knew of his talents or name. Am I a lucky gal or what? Ryan sent me flowers after I let him know he was cast in the leading role. The card, I will never forget. It was handwritten and began with the immortal words: "To my future ex-wife Cynthia"!
Ryan was different from the very beginning when he came in to read for the leading role. I have often shared this story with friends. His reading of the lines from the script literally moved the room. His hands were in front of him and he sort of motioned them up and down in a "pressing" fashion. It had the effect of moving the room somehow. I can only say, I can still feel his presence today when I think back to that day in the casting room at Renaissance Pictures.
After his audition, he came up and shook my hand. He was most pleasant. I knew I wanted him back immediately for a call back to have him audition for the Studio Executives. At the second audition, he again blew away the room of Executives. After that audition, he came up to me again. This time, he caught a private moment with me and wanted to share a story. He said he was nervous because his truck broke down and he almost didn’t make it to the audition. He had to push it up a hill about a mile and wanted to apologize for looking like, well, like he had just pushed his truck a mile up a hill! Ryan couldn’t look bad if he was just swimming in a mud filled swamp. Come to think of it, Ryan would probably wear mud better than any person alive!
Additional favorite memories would include the Santa Monica Convention in Jan 1999. The boys had been shooting in New Zealand since May of 1998 and I had been working over 80 hours a week for over a year on the series myself. The convention was actually a "Hercules" and "Xena" convention and YH was asked to attend a bit last minute. We didn’t really prepare much for it and hardly even had photos for the boys to sign or anything. When we - aka Ryan, Dean, Chris and myself all got there, we were stunned! YH was like the latest rock band or something! We were unprepared for the numbers of fans who were there specifically to see and meet the YH group.
5. A few years back you posted on the IMDB forum about a 51st episode. This has been a rumor flying around the internet amongst fans since the show has ended about what it was or what it may contain. Can you give us any information about that?
Yes, as I mentioned in my email, there was indeed a 51st episode script written but never made. It was written by Patrick Phillips who also wrote "Me, Myself and Eye." The sisters from "Me, Myself and Eye" were back in that script and Strife was a focused on character in it as well.
6. You confirmed that it was not Ryan Gosling singing in the episode "The Prize". Was Dean O'Gorman singing in the episode, or was his voice also replaced? Who provided the vocals for the song?
Ryan was not singing in "The Prize" and Dean did some background vocals. The music was provided by a band whose name currently escapes me! It’s old age showing itself. I do believe I have the CD in storage which has the information of the band on it. I apologize to the band if they ever read this and will look through my YH things. If I can find it soon, I will email the info.
7. Some of the lyrics of the song Iolaus sings in "The Prize" suggest that he is having romantic entanglements with someone -"You pulled me over, read me my rights, it didn't bother me then, but now I'm losing sleep. I'm sure it's already over, she walked up and slammed the door, she said 'We're just getting started.'" Can you give us any more information into the meaning behind the lyrics? Who is Iolaus singing about?
I believe the song was actually written prior to production of the episode, therefore the lyrics were not in reference to a person related to the character of Iolaus. Sorry if I have just squashed anyone’s fantasies about Iolaus and the song!
8. IMDB credits you as playing a groupie in the episode "The Prize" - can you tell us where to spot you? Did you appear onscreen in any other episodes?
Lol, my voice was used during a singing sequence. If you listen carefully you will hear a groupie yelling from the crowd "I love you Iolaus" – that was me! Sam Clark, my post-production Associate Producer needed some voices of young teenage sounding girls. He asked me to do it and in the studio during a regular playback, I was recorded. Originally Sam was going to "pitch-up" my voice, but I have a naturally higher pitched voice and it was not a stretch to get it to sound teenager-like.
9. Do you have a favorite episode or scene from Young Hercules?
Yes, I do have a favorite scene, however, it’s a little hard to describe because it never made it to air! It’s a scene where I had to make a very difficult decision. Believe it or not, my favorite all time YH scene I had to actually have edited out!! Yup, that’s right, my favorite scene never made it to air.. oh the irony!
It was a scene from the Golden Hind episode entitled "Hind Sight." In the last scene of the episode, you may recall Hercules appears under the blue light of a crescent moon and the Golden Hind, Helene, now inhuman form, walks up to him. They talk about how they both are unique in different ways. Helene tells Hercules how she thinks he will get his rightful due both on Earth and up above. Well, there was originally another scene right before this scene where Kora walks up to Hercules under the same moon lit sky.Hercules and Kora share a romantic, and rather heartfelt longing moment. This scene was incredibly lovely and actually brought a tear to my eye! The scene was not meant to play that way when it was written. In script form, the scene was less romantic and more old friends discussing personal challenges in life. The actors interpreted it somewhat differently and gave life to a completely unexpected scene albeit one which displayed a chemistry which was enlightening to me.
However, the beautiful Kora/Hercules scene took away from the following scene between Hercules and Helene. Not only that, the scene could have appeared to display Hercules as romantically "fickle" and potentially make him come across as a player! So, unfortunately, it was a difficult creative decision, but an important one for the series as a whole. Thus, the Kora/Hercules romantic scene was cut out! And for years now, I have often wished that scene could have been seen by the fans. If it had been left in, I do think future Kora and Hercules story lines would have changed quite a lot going forward!
Regarding favorite episode(s) – I seem to change my opinion every time I watch an episode! Often, however, I have said I loved the writing of "Ares on Trial" by John Loy. However, I also really love the humor of "Parent’s Day" written by Adam Armus and Kay Foster; and I especially loved that the writers fashioned Lilith’s sister, Neina after stories I told them about... none other than my own older sister! That’s a insider nugget which I have never shared publicly! The point was always that Lilith’s sister meant well but had an odd way of showing it which always left Lilith feeling bad. But in the end, Neina showed she only wanted the best for Lilith.
