Checking in on Netflix's first Mandarin-language International Original, Nowhere Man

Netflix is sparing no effort when it comes to developing exclusive Chinese-language content for its world-leading internet entertainment service. Nowhere Man, currently being shot in Taiwan, is Netflix's first Mandarin-language Original TV series. With the prison portion of the shoot officially commencing this Friday, Netflix staged a special media meet and greet with show's three male leads: Joseph Chang, Bo-Chieh Wang, and Zhou Ming-Fu. The three stars said that apart from doing lot of exercise and training for their roles as prison inmates, they also gather in private to read the script together. Joseph Chang noted that while the copious amounts of swearing in the dialogue made them constantly burst into laughter, they all really got into their roles once shooting officially kicked off. Nowhere Man also hired renowned Japanese martial arts instructor, Kensuke Sonomura, to choreograph the fight sequences to ensure that the moves are more authentic, infusing a greater sense of realism into the drama.

During the live event, all three actors got their heads shaved by the director in preparation for their upcoming prison scenes. For Bo-Chieh Wang, this was the fifth time his head was shaved for a role. On the other hand, while Joseph Chang and Zhou Ming-Fu were already donning short haircuts, an even closer shave was required. The production team also arranged for the three stars to appear in their prison uniforms: A beige work shirt, knee-length maroon shorts, and a pair of uniquely Taiwanese blue-and-white slippers. Looking drastically different in their new get-up, all three agreed that the opportunity to film in a prison for Nowhere Man presented a fantastic challenge.

Nowhere Man's prison shoot would not have been possible without the immense support of the New Taipei City Film Assist & Development Center and Ministry of Justice's Agency Against Corruption (ACA), which joined forces to provide Netflix with a space inside the ACA's Learning Center as one of the filming sites. The Nowhere Man production design crew then worked on the prison, solitary confinement cells and prisoner classrooms to transform the set into an even more immersive environment for the actors. Principal photography on the show is scheduled to complete in about a month.