FAMOUS SHADOW
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FAMOUS SHADOW
Blog by Precious Chong
I performed again last night as part of Shelley Marshall's Full Bawdy Comedy Show. It rocked the house. Really, everyone who performed killed! (comedy term for "did well"). I was pretty amazed to be a part of it. And there was a good turn out too. So yeah Shelley! She just puts it all out there and also it's pretty generous and amazing of her to share the stage with all these talented women. She's smart. There is a real audience for it too. People were lapping it up.
I'd like to clear something up. Especially now that my dad is touring with Cheech and he's doing a lot of press. Also the documentary AKA Tommy Chong aired recently so he's more in people's consciousnesses. In my experience and life as an actress having Tommy Chong as a father has been an interesting side note for people but it hasn't really "helped" my career. I'm not being overly modest or trying to say I want to do it all on my own. Because really it would be friggin' great if it would cut me some slack and get me more work as an artist.
I was at the Comedy Bar in Toronto a couple weeks ago to see Jimmy Hogg's comedy show. It was good by the way. Anyway, I ran into a couple of guys who were doing the Winnipeg Fringe in the same theatre I was. So one of them was a little drunk and he kept asking me how it is to have Chong as a dad. How has it helped me as a performer? I'd answer that I don't think it's made a huge difference for whatever reason. Maybe because I'm a woman, maybe because I started my career before reality television really hit, maybe because my dad's career was a bit off the radar? Who knows? I've come to accept the fact that my dad, my parents, are extremely supportive of me and will help me do press for my shows etc. But in the end, I'm on my own. I get my jobs because I get my jobs. I'm not saying that having Chong hasn't helped. For instance my commercial agents in Los Angeles were fans of my dad and I'm sure that helped us have rapport but 
they are business people so I don't think they would have signed me for that alone. And I have a sneaking suspicion that here in Toronto it might work against me at first. As in "who does she think she is.or.why wouldn't she be famous if her dad was." Blah blah blah.
I remember lamenting the fact that I wasn't "making it" to an old boyfriend once and he told me that he had worked on a television show that never aired and one of the actors was Martin Scorcese's daughter. She was young. She was beautiful. She could act. His point was that it didn't make it a guarantee. There are other elements and who knows what else. Timing. Karma.
Back to the Comedy Bar. So I kept answering this guy's question. And he kept asking it over and over again. Like he really didn't want my honest answer he just wanted his sneaking suspicion confirmed. "You're right" I finally said, "That's how I got that great space for my fringe show". He paused for a beat and then he said "No we all got the same space". "Exactly'. I replied.
I don't know any different. I have a famous father. I have a famous sister. It's always been like that. I think that the idea of celebrity has really become something in our world today. Or maybe it's always been like that. I'm guilty of it as well. I mean I start acting weird around famous people too. Not my family of course but you know on movie sets etc.On the set of Amelia I introduced myself to Hillary Swank like this "Hi I'm Hillary I mean I'm Precious". Seriously. Like a bozo.CLICK HERE and read more BLOGS from Precious Chong.
