[Character Discussion Thread] Jack

[doctorskuld]

Kicking off the series of character discussion threads right with Jack, everybody's favorite leather-clad mercenary and #1 TangFei shipper.

This thread will be full of spoilers, including the little bit of his background revealed in the second epilogue of the novelization.

Jack intrigued me from the very first scene in the series, where Tang Yi meets to negotiate with the Shi Ho Clan. Tang Yi projects an air of confidence, but Jack is the one with swagger as he faces down two pistols at point-blank range. And he grins as he stuffs his gun into a Shi Ho Clan member's hand, just in time as Unit Three bursts in to arrest everybody.

Throughout the rest of the series, Jack takes a special delight in terrorizing Li Zhi De,



cheering on Meng Shao Fei and Tang Yi from the benches,




and cooking for Zhao Zi, whom he finds charming due to Zhao Zi's immunity to his particular brand of intimidation.




We find out in late in the series that despite Jack's apparent competence and loyalty to Xin Tian Meng, it's all an act, as he's actually been hired by Interpol Chief Yan to infiltrate the syndicate and pass information on their operations to law enforcement. And his next mission is to worm his way into Chen Wen Hao's Cambodian syndicate.



That's when Jack realizes he might not actually want to go, because he's fallen in love with tiny cop disaster Zhao Zi. So when Zhao Zi finally confronts his own feelings and tells Jack not to go,



Jack ends his story arc as the most badassly adorable ex-mafia househusband since Tatsu.



But my favorite thing about Jack, besides how absolutely stacked he is, is that we just don't know that much about him. The second epilogue of the novelization, if it can be counted as canon, states that he was trained in the army, suggests he may have served as an elite assassin, and he left because he got bored of being a hitman. As for how long he's been in the employ of Interpol, we don't really know. We don't even really know from the series what makes Jack tick (other than Zhao Zi, of course), so Jack is a character who is ripe for fanfiction and fun to explore in fan creations.

There are a lot of different characterizations I've seen out there in the fandom, a lot of different interpretations of his life before the events we see in Trapped and after he settles down with Unit Three's resident cinnamon roll. There's a lot to discuss.

So, everybody, let's talk about Jack!

Comments

[doctorskuld]

I don't know how many bowls of ramen ZZ ate that morning, but Jack's stunned look as ZZ tells him to help him carry the plate of toast out says everything.

[clevermanka]

How much do you think (or know) Kenny actually ate during those scenes?

[doctorskuld]

I think I've spent the last 30 mins looking for the right behind the scenes video, and I can't find it (I'm so sorry, I'll post it when I bump into it again) but there's a clip where they're filming the scene with Jack and ZZ in the kitchen the morning after the lightest interrogation ever, and Kenny downs like...3 bowls of ramen?

This is why when you ask Kenny what's the difference between you and your character, the only things he can come up with are age and IT savviness.

THAT'S ALL.

KENNY WAS PLAYING HIMSELF THE WHOLE SERIES.
And then Andy Bian fell in love with him for real.

[clevermanka]

Oh my god that adorable child.

[doctorskuld]

It still kills me every single goddamn time when I remember that Andy Bian was his first on screen kiss and his first kiss in real life.

*DEAD*

[joatamon]

...wut?

[doctorskuld]

I'm just going to link you this entire post, but it's the very first video on there.

Kenny Chen had never been kissed IN REAL LIFE before he filmed the kiss with Jack on the stairs.

YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE BTS VIDEO, it's amazing. (And all the videos after that...because, oh man, Kenny and Andy are A LOT.)

[joatamon]

OH MY GOD

When I was watching Trapped I was like, this character is adorable, but...a bit over the top, maybe?

...And then Kenny Chen happened?

Thank you for that link! The post is hilarious, and I have my tinfoil hat firmly on, and I am girding my loins to watch those videos because I'm not sure I can handle it oh god

[doctorskuld]

There are interviews where they've asked Kenny what's the difference between Zhao Zi and himself, and the only things he can think of are 'age' and 'IT savviness.'

THAT'S IT.

Kenny was playing himself the entire time. 😂

It's too, too cute.

[joatamon]

Sweetest boy

How old is ZZ supposed to be in the show? Would he have had to go to university before entering police training? And how long would that all take?

[doctorskuld]

All the four main characters are supposed to be in the 28-29 range. Kenny has said in interviews (https://youtu.be/eRVGS7Wz2PI)(about 4½ minutes in) that Zhao Zi's supposed to be 28. This is one of the few things that doesn't really come across, given that Kenny was 20 when they started filming in the fall of 2018. 😂

[joatamon]

Huh, thank you. Yeah, Kenny comes across as max...20

I would have said it was weird casting but it turns out Kenny Chen was basically born for that role so :D

[doctorskuld]

Apparently they had a really hard time finding the right actor for ZZ. They went through 70-some auditions before finding Kenny. I'm glad they finally settled on him, because he was totally born for the role, and his chemistry with Andy Bian is genuinely off the charts!

Fun fact: Stanley Mei, who plays Ah-De originally auditioned for Zhao Zi!

[joatamon]

Top marks for the casting team :DDD I wonder how many of them Andy had to kiss o_O


Casting is such a weird process. I've started watching Thai bl's and they take fan service to the next level, to the point of filming and releasing auditions/chemistry tests from their mass casting calls. I feel so bad for those actors!

[joatamon]

Related: how tall is Kenny? Because he is a teeny tiny man

[doctorskuld]

Kenny is actually taller than you think, he's 173cm, which is about 5'8”. He just looks a little shorter than Andy, who is 180cm/5'11".

It's just his personality which is smol and cute.

[joatamon]

I am shook! I honestly thought he could be as short as me (5'2")

[doctorskuld]

I thought he was short too at first, but when you actually look at him standing next to ordinary-ish folks, he's actually not small at all! It's just that Andy, Chris, and Jake are 5'11”+.

I too was shooketh!

Check out this video, about 7½ mins in: https://youtu.be/txUCCJkzFao

[joatamon]

Huh! I like the normal people height test technique :g: