"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what you've given me."
A MATTHEW DADDARIO/ HARRY SHUM JR FANFICTION
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Harry Shum Jr. has stories to tell. From his long-running character Mike Chang on Glee to his starring appearances in countless films and television shows, Shum Jr. has developed an incredible knack for keeping audiences engaged while making them smile and, occasionally, bringing them to tears. His latest film, All My Life, shows all these skills in beautiful form, telling the true story of Solomon Chau and Jennifer Carter and how their lives are changed by a surprise cancer diagnosis. Schön! spoke to Shum Jr. about the film, his reflections on Glee and his hopes for the future.
As I understand it, you worked quite closely with Jennifer Carter to tell her and her husband Solomon Chau's true story. What were the meetings with her like?
She was wonderful. You know, it's always nerve wracking walking into any situation where you're having to play someone who's existed. And with Jennifer, she was just really wonderful and really open and really brave about sharing her experience and intimate moments...She didn't come into it saying, 'You need to play this. This is how I am, this is how you should play it.' She just came like, 'Look, I'm sharing everything that I feel you need to make this story really moving.' All she really wanted was to share the message of the movie, which really was one of hope...It's about strength and living every day to the fullest and not living with any regrets. That was really, really powerful, and that really helped us be able to just be a vessel for this story.
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It's quite a heavy subject. What was the process like for you personally? Did the role take a toll on you at all?
Yeah. I look at life very differently now — I just have never filled the shoes or played a character in this manner, where I got to watch videos and see how they live, even just a smidgen of a slice of their life. There were moments where, on set, before and after a shooting, we would get super emotional: sometimes you don't know why, and obviously there are moments when you know exactly why...You start thinking about your family, you start thinking about your loved ones, how much of a hero [Chau] was, and in this particular story, just the fact that he was able to be so selfless knowing what he was going through.
![I Get To Love You [ShumDario]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/200674984-64-k316097.jpg)