Taste was based on the short story Taste by Roald Dahl, first published in the March 1945 issue of Ladies Home Journal. I played Mike, whose extravagant home dining room provides the setting. Mike plans to present a rather obscure wine for his friend/wine rival, Richard (played by Jim Diederich), to taste, certain that no one could possibly identify it. Richard ups the ante by wagering two homes for Mike's lovely young daughter's hand in marriage. Jim engendered the right amount of snoot in Richard. I found my character's new-money arrogance via my wardrobe -- a black satin kimono house robe adorned with gold dragons.

Strangely, I was cast during an audition for another film following the day I auditioned for Taste. A young lady present, whose capacity was not disclosed to me, ushered me into the hall and explained that I would likely be cast in both films with conflicting shooting days, but "Taste was the better production." My "Deep Throat" apparently. I inquired about her position on two unrelated projects but was met with reticence. Despite minimal rehearsals and a rather do-it-as-you-go feel while shooting, the photography turned out very attractive. The script followed Dahl's short story quite closely, was dialogue-heavy, and replete with sermons on various types of wine. Mild interjections were made by Mike's wife Emma, played by Morah Hochstein and bursts of objections by their daughter, Jane, played by Leianne Kullman. Alice Chandler Hume played the omniscient maid who gets the last line. It was one of those gigs where you seem to remember the ride to and from the set more than the work itself.

Taste was shot entirely in Brooklyn, New York City by its writer/director Yifan Zhang on an Arri Alexa with Zeiss lenses.

Running Time: 17 minutes