Mr. Chow talks about his restaurant empire, art and family history

NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with Michael Chow, also known as Mr. Chow, about his restaurant empire, his art and his family history.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Michael Chow always seems to have a vision. He likes to control the details in everything – what he wears, how he decorates, what he paints. And moments after he walked into our studios in Culver City, it was very clear he also wanted to control our conversation.

MICHAEL CHOW: I – coming here, already coming to this studio today, for instance, I already said it – I’m into a movie. What am I walking into and – when I studied a little bit about you very quickly.

CHANG: Oh, you did?

CHOW: Yeah, of course.

CHANG: (Laughter).

CHOW: And then, so what we’re going to talk about, so it’s like I’m writing the script, right?

CHANG: Did I do anything to defy your script, upend your plans?

CHOW: No, no, no. I’m trying to control. I’m so…

CHANG: I can feel that. You’re trying to control the interview I’m trying to control.

CHOW: I control…

CHANG: (Laughter).

CHOW: Yeah. I know, yeah.

CHANG: (Laughter) But I like that. You’re making this quite interesting.

CHOW: Yeah, yeah. So we have a little, little…

CHANG: A little duel.

CHOW: A little, little, little duel. Yeah.

CHANG: (Laughter).

CHOW: In a good way.

CHANG: You might know this artist and actor better as Mr. Chow, as in the Mr. Chow behind the whole restaurant empire. These days, he simply goes by M. He’s the subject of a new documentary called “AKA Mr. Chow,” which traces M’s 84 years. His childhood was spent in Shanghai with a father who was a star of Beijing opera and a mother who doted on him.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, “AKA MR. CHOW”)

CHOW: My mother attended me with tremendous amount of fuss and spoiled me and overprotecting me. I literally lived like a prince.

CHANG: When M turned 13, though, all of that abruptly ended. He was sent away to London to go to boarding school. And while he was abroad, his parents fell victim to Mao Zedong’s…