Failed His Own Audition for His Own TV Show
The Story
Years after his Fox International script died in production hell, Trung returned to the material. He produced “Early Risers,” a comedy TV series about American and European expats living in Saigon during the 2008-2012 period, basically his own life story.
He was originally supposed to play “Trung” (himself). He failed his own audition. Vietnamese-American actor Phi Vu was cast instead. CAA (Creative Artists Agency) handled distribution licensing. The first two episodes were filmed as of May 2022.
Co-creator Vincent Ngo (from the original Fox script) returned for the project. Director Zach Merck led production.
Lesson for Creators
Self-awareness is a superpower. Trung could have insisted on playing himself in his own show. Instead, he admitted he wasn’t good enough and hired someone better. The willingness to separate your vision from your ego is what lets projects actually succeed. You don’t have to be the star of everything you create. Sometimes you’re better as the architect.
Related
- Fox Optioned His Script. It Never Got Made. — The original screenplay that died in production hell, which Trung returned to years later with a different format and approach
- Delegate What You Love, Not What You Hate — Separating personal attachment from what a project actually needs, choosing effectiveness over ego