Q&A: ‘The Reconstruction Of Chyna’ Director Erik Angra Speaks With Wrestledelphia (Part I)

Erik Angra, a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker, spoke with Wrestledelphia.com founder Mark Whited about his latest project—a documentary about former WWF Women’s champion and two-time WWF Intercontinental champion Chyna.

The Reconstruction of Chyna is currently funded by investors and Angra has also launched a Kickstarter in hopes that fans will too support the creation of the film.

We asked Angra to open up about the “Ninth Wonder of the World.”

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Mark Whited: So Erik, what initially made you want to get involved with Chyna and her story?

Erik Angra: “Well, my good friend Rob Potylo—who is my producer on this—has always been a pretty big wrestling fan. We were with Jimmy Hart earlier in the year and we were looking at other wrestlers. Then we started looking into Chyna.

We were just so amazed about her entire life story. Here was a women who grew up and was going to be an FBI agent, went away from that and her family’s wishes, and was able to make it as a women in a very male-dominated industry. Then she worked her way up only to be brought down in her prime and later belittled by the media. So I became very interested in her story because I felt that she wasn’t treated fairly. Celebrities often aren’t.

Once I met her, I realized how genuine, honest, and intelligent she was. I had never known she earned a Masters Degree or the stuff she was doing in Japan, such as teaching English. She speaks five languages. She is very cultured; very smart.

I really wanted to make this nuance portrait of a complicated women. So it’s not just a wrestling documentary. It’s more of a biography flick—not just about her, but the whole celebrity culture. It’s about a women who was able to make it against all odds and now is coming back to do it again.”

MW: So, how the hell did you even find her?

EA: “It was pretty tricky. Most of the work was done by Rob, who was a ninja on the Internet and was able to reach out and get in touch with her manager, Anthony. From there, we got to talking and eventually booked her ticket on good faith from Tokyo to the United States, and that was it.

For me, it was my producer saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got this contact for Chyna. Blah, blah, blah…’ So I honestly couldn’t tell you how he got to her. All I can say is he’s a ninja on the Internet.”

MW: During the initial conversation about the film, was Chyna hesitant? She’s been out of the public eye for a while. Was she guarded or did she take her wall down?

EA: “She was very trusting, and I think a lot of that had to do with Anthony. We talked a lot about the story before we even flew her out and made our agreements. They had already thought about it and considered doing something like this. I think it was just a matter of being the right place and the right time. 

Once we got to talking, we realized that we’re very much meshed together and a tight-knit crew. Almost like family. Once I met her, she was so open and honest about everything. The first feeling I had about her was that she is a very genuine person. No diva attitude. No celebrity attitude. It was just like meeting a regular, everyday person. It’s really quite remarkable considering her history. We never had any issues developing trust.”

MW: I’ve come across the Kickstarter multiple times. I saw that you tweeted a photo of Chyna outside of the WWE headquarters. Have you already started production?

visits the headquarters. http://t.co/5tLR55ECrU pic.twitter.com/hEvZmdUiSW

— Erik Angra (@AngraFilm)

EA: “We have started production. We started production the minute that she touch downed at JFK Airport, almost three weeks ago. We’ve been following her and driving her across the country, hitting a lot of spots—meeting fans, trying to make amends with old friends, and things of that nature. We’re in Las Vegas doing Celebrity Poker for charity, where she was able to see some old friends again.

A lot of the production is on good faith. My company and Anthony’s company are partners, so we’ve put up a lot of the money up front, with the hope that fans might also help fund this thing and take it home. It seems like they will. So we’re in good spirits about it.”

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Check back tomorrow for Part II of our interview with Erik Angra, where he’ll discuss more about the film, Chyna as a person, and more.

Follow Erik on Twitter  and Chyna on Twitter 

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Wrestledelphia.com founder Mark Whited can be reached at . Follow him on Twitter at  or .