TELEVISION HISTORY.
PARIS.
>> THANKS, BRANDIS.
LONG-TIME WTTW FANS REMEMBER
BACK IN 1987 OUR AIRWAVES WERE
HIJACKED BY AN UNKNOWN TV PIRATE
WHO TOOK OVER OUR SIGNAL DURING
THE DR. WHO SHOW.
NOW, LUCKILY SOMETHING LIKE THAT
COULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE
OF ALL --
[ JUMBLED AUDIO]
AND DON'T WORRY, OUR BROADCAST
HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN OVER AGAIN BY
THAT LOOK-ALIKE.
IF CASE YOU CAN ASK YOUR PARENT
BESIDE MAX.
THAT WAS FROM THE ORIGINAL
INCIDENT AND NEARLY 40 YEARS
LATER IT'S INSPIRED A NEW FILM
DEBUTING TOMORROW AT THE CHICAGO
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
JOINING TO US TALK ABOUT THE
FILM CALLED BROADCAST SIGNAL
INTRUSION IS LEAD ACTOR HARRY
SHUM JUNIOR WHO YOU MIGHT
RECOGNIZE FROM HIS ROLES IN THE
SHOW GLEE AND THE FILM CRAZY
RICH ASIANS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
AS I UNDERSTAND, IT'S LOOSEY
BASED ON THE SERIES OF INCIDENTS
AND A BIT FICTIONALIZED.
>> YEAH, IT'S INSPIRED BY THAT
INCIDENT AND I PLAY AN, A
CIEFIST THAT BASICALLY STUMBLES
ON THESE INTRUSIONS AND STARTS
TO FIND OUT THAT THERE'S A
DARKER CONSPIRACY THAT IS
SOMEWHAT CONNECTED -- HE THINKS
IT'S CONNECTED TO HIS RECENT
WIFE'S DEATH.
SO HE GOES DOWN THIS RABID HOLE
IN AN ARRAY OF CHARACTERS AND
SEES IF HE EITHER FINDS MORE OF
HIMSELF OR AT LEAST WHAT HAS
HAPPENED TO HIS WIFE.
>> WE MENTIONED AT THE TOP, FANS
IN GLEE KNOW YOU VERY WELL, KNOW
YOUR CHARACTER THERE.
WHAT DREW TO YOU THIS PARTICULAR
SCRIPT?
>> I MEAN, LOOK, YOU LOOK AT
THOSE INTERVIEWINGS, AND IT'S
EERIE BUT ALSO IN SOME WAYS YOU
KIND OF LAUGH AT IT BECAUSE
YOU'RE -- IT'S UNSETTLING SO YOU
DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT IT
AND I THINK THE SCRIPT
DEFINITELY HAD A LOT OF THAT.
WHILE GOING ON THIS FUN RIDE
WHERE YOU'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT IF YOU CAN GET
CLOSER TO THE TRUTH.
AND CHICAGO IS JUST ALSO, YOU
KNOW, IT'S SO PHOTOGENIC, IT'S
SUCH A GREAT BEAUTIFUL PLACE
THAT ALSO, YOU KNOW, I GOT TO
ALSO PLAY IN THIS ERA THAT I
NEVER GOT TO PLAY IN BEFORE IN
THE LATE '90s.
>> THE 80s AND 90s.
YEAH, LET'S LOOK AT A CLIP FROM
THE FILM WHERE YOUR CHARACTER
FIRST SEES THE MAX HEAD ROOM
CLIP.
>> I THINK A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF
GOVERNMENTAL --
[ STATIC ]
>> WHAT WAS YOUR RESEARCH LIKE
FOR THIS, AND DID IT DRAW YOU
ANY CLOSER TO ANY CONCLUSIONS
ABOUT THE ACTUAL MAX HEAD ROOM
INCIDENT WHICH TO THIS DATE IS
STILL UNSOLVED, I THINK.
>> THAT'S THE CRAZY PART OF IT
ALL IS, THERE WERE ACTUALLY -- I
THOUGHT, OKAY, MAYBE A COUPLE
THOUSAND PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS,
BUT IT'S MILLIONS AND MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE FOUND SO INTRIGUING
THAT THEY GO INTO FOR RUPPS AND
ACTUALLY PUT THEIR THEORIES OUT
AND DO THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION.
SO GOING DOWN THAT RABID HOLE
MYSELF, DOING THE RESEARCH, IT'S
JUST FASCINATING TO KNOW THAT
THIS LEFT SUCH AN IMPRESSION ON
SO MANY PEOPLE AND I THINK IT'S
REALLY WHY -- WHY WAS THIS DONE
AND WAS THERE ANY HIDDEN
MEANING, HIDDEN AGENDA, AND I
THINK THAT ALSO SAYS A LOT ABOUT
EVERYTHING THAT WE LOOK AT IN
LIFE.
LIKE WHAT IS THE HIDDEN MEANING
BEHIND CERTAIN THINGS THAT,
ESPECIALLY HIJACKING AND
HACKERS, THAT KIND OF INSPIRED A
LOT OF PEOPLE TO EVEN KNOW WHAT
THAT IS AND SEE IT AS A DANGER
OR AS A PRANK.
>> AND OBVIOUSLY HACKING 30
YEARS LATER IS A MUCH BIGGER
THING THAN IT WAS BACK THEN.
SO IT'S KIND OF FORESHADOWING
IT.
ARE THERE ANY THEORIES THAT YOU
HAVE DONE THAT -- HAVEN'T DONE
THAT SEEM INTERESTING TO YOU
THAT EXPLAINS EXACTLY WHAT HAD
HAPPENED?
>> I THINK A COUPLE OF THEORIES
THAT WERE INTERESTING IS THE
DISGRUNTLED WORKER, YOU KNOW, A
DISGRUNTLED WORKER WHO KNEW
ABOUT IT AND OTHER THEORIES WERE
LIKE, NO, ALL YOU NEED IS MORE
POWERFUL MICROWAVES TO DESTRUCT
THE SIGNAL AND ANYBODY COULD
HAVE DONE THAT AT THAT TIME.
AND IT'S JUST -- JUST ALSO SAYS
HOW THESE SOPHISTICATED
EQUIPMENT THAT EVERYONE USES
SOMETIMES CAN BE OVERPOWERED BY
SOMETHING YOU BUY AT RADIO
SHACK.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE ARGUMENT
TOO.
WHAT STATEMENTS WERE PEOPLE
MAKING AND I THINK WITH OUR
MOVIE, IT'S EXPLORING ALL OF
THAT AND ALSO WHAT CAN HAPPEN IF
YOU GO EXPLORE THE TRUTH THAT
YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO FILED THE
ANSWERS TO.
>> DISGRUNTLED WORKERS, I THINK
WE HAVE SOME EMPLOYEES IN THE
STUDIO RIGHT NOW THAT MIGHT HAVE
BEEN AROUND AT THAT PERIOD.
ALL RIGHT, SO YOU FILMED THIS
ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO IN CHICAGO.
WHERES ABOUT DID YOU FILM?
>> IT WAS FILMED ALL OVER IN
DOWNTOWN, AND WE WENT IN THE
OUTSKIRTS OF CHICAGO AS WELL.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A
SEQUENCE WHERE YOU FIND THESE
LIKE KIND OF BASEMENTS THAT HAVE
THAT WINDOW THAT -- THAT BUBBLE
WINDOW THAT YOU CAN KIND OF SEE
PEOPLE'S FOOTSTEPS AND THERE'S
SOMETHING REALLY UNSETTLING
ABOUT THAT, BUT I FEEL IT'S ONLY
PARTICULAR TO CHICAGO.
I DON'T KNOW THE FOCUS BEHIND IT
BUT THERE'S MOMENTS IN THERE
WHERE YOU JUST SEE FOOTSTEPS GO,
AND I FOUND SHOOTING HERE THAT
JUST HELPED KIND OF THE CITY
ITSELF WITH SUCH A BIG CHARACTER
WHERE THIS INTRUSION HAPPENED
HERE AND INSPIRED BY THAT AND
ALSO THE ACTORS AND LOCAL CREW
WERE JUST INCREDIBLE TO HELP
TELL THE STORY, AND I'M EXCITED
TO BRING THIS BACK TO THE FILM
FESTIVAL.
>> CHICAGO'S ALWAYS A GREAT
BACKDROP AND I KNOW THAT THE
CREW MEMBERS HERE ARE VERY PROUD
WORKING ON THESE PROJECTS.
SO WE MENTIONED THE FILM
FESTIVAL, IT'S GONNA AIR
TOMORROW AT THE MUSIC BOX
THEATER.
AND WHAT ARE THE NEXT PROJECTS
FOR YOU AFTER THIS?
>> YEAH.
I HAVE -- AFTER THIS, I HAVE A
MOVIE COMING OUT FROM NETFLIX
CALLED LOVE HARD NOVEMBER 5th,
A ROMANTIC COMEDY CHRISTMAS
MOVIE.
SO THOSE ARE ALWAYS FUN, AND
THIS ONE STARS JIMMY OYANG AND I
GET TO PLAY A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT CHARACTER AS WELL AND
KIND OF GET IN THERE AND
HOPEFULLY GET SOME LAUGHS.
AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY FUN.
>> ALL RIGHT, WE'LL LOOK FORWARD