00:00Well, John, thank you so much for sitting down with Cinema Blend. I am I'm stoked to
00:13be talking to you as not only an Asian has that's been directly affected by your work,
00:19but a Bay Area Asian at that. So thank you for joining.
00:22Yeah, of course. Good to be here.
00:24It's been, you know, four years since Crazy Rich Asians came out. And I know that it changed
00:30my life personally, and it changed the community's life. If you can just like share how you reflect
00:35on the impact that you've had on the AAPI community and the world.
00:39Yeah, it's been a journey. It's been a journey. You know, we were at this event the other
00:45last week for Gold House. They started the gold open sort of phenomenon. And I'll never
00:53forget when we first started having those conversations about we were at my parents
00:57restaurant, they have a Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area. And Bing who started Gold
01:02House and we all were sitting down there and we had people from Wall Street, people from
01:05Silicon Valley, people from LA, people from the studios trying to figure out how we can
01:11all Asian trying to figure out how we can all support this movie that's about to come
01:17out, knowing the opportunity that we had in front of us of an all Asian cast from agents
01:22around the world in a rom-com that, you know, rom-coms weren't the hottest thing at that
01:30moment, especially in the theater. So just think of that day and thinking about how impossible
01:38it felt, but what we were all going to try and all these communities come together. And
01:41then to see last week, everyone there and sitting and celebrating movies like everything
01:49everywhere all at once, like everyone was so supportive and loving to see Henry Golding
01:55there, to see Jimmy O. Yang, knowing Awkwafina is shooting another movie and Michelle Yeoh,
02:03of course, starring in all these movies to see people like Simu Liu, all these people
02:08just showed that how fast it happened is incredible. And then we still have a lot more to do. But
02:16just knowing that that can happen in four or five years is insane.
02:19All those pictures from the Gold Gal looked amazing, though, especially the one with you
02:23and this Yeoh and Destin. I love that you brought that up because, you know, you are
02:27a role model to a lot of us in the community. And with the rise in prominence of organizations
02:33like Gold House, like CAPE, like Character Media even, what does that mean for you, particularly
02:38as a filmmaker?
02:39Well, first of all, they were there before. Gold House was new, but CAPE was there. Character
02:45Media was there. A lot of organizations were there before. They helped. They gave me scholarships.
02:51They gave me connections. Even Project Involve gave me mentors and people to see. So I'm
03:02a product of those organizations. Having made movies in the business, I didn't know my place
03:11in the community yet. And so I needed people in the community to tell me that on Twitter
03:16or in articles or in these organizations, that there was an opportunity for me to be
03:23a part of this if I chose to be. So I think all those organizations are more important
03:29than ever, but they were always important. They're a reason why this generation of creatives
03:35are here. Without that support, we couldn't have even gotten to this step. And so they
03:41only become stronger and more important, especially as we all sort of Voltron together.
03:45Yeah, Voltron together. I like that phrasing.
03:49And it's not just in entertainment. It's in news. It's in journalism. It's in so many
03:55things, politics, tech, and sports. So that's what's fun, is that all the rise is happening
04:06and we're all, even if we're not in the same business, sort of being inspired by each other.
04:12Yeah. Now, I do want to bring up, because being a filmmaker is hard on its own. And
04:18then now with the ever-changing kind of like way we distribute films, it must be a little
04:23mind boggling as a filmmaker. But what do you feel, especially after In the Heights
04:27release, how do you feel about that hybrid release model or just like streaming in general
04:32as a filmmaker? What does that mean to you to have access to that as well?
04:36Listen, I love watching streaming movies. I love watching movies in the theater. I love
04:42watching YouTube clips on my iPhone, any of those things. I think entertainment is storytelling
04:52can be told in many, many forms. What I want to make sure we protect is the movie experience
04:57because I think the movie experience says something. It's the place where it forces
05:03you to see something differently, that you're paying money for something that has value.
05:08You're establishing what a hero looks like, what beauty is, what kindness looks like.
05:18And movies, you're paying money upfront and sitting back and not being on your phone and
05:24you're in the dark and you're forced to be that. And so movies have a cultural shifting
05:29relationship with the audience, with the world that has proven itself over and over again.
05:34I get that the landscape is changing, but I love that more people are getting opportunities
05:38to tell stories in different ways with streaming. But I do think protecting some space between
05:45a theatrical experience and saying, you got to see Spider-Man, you got to see Top Gun,
05:50you got to see Crazy Rich Asians because you got to see Shang-Chi because it's worth
05:55your money and your time. And then when people do that, you get into a habit of putting those
06:01people and people who look like that on a pedestal. I think that's very, very important
06:05for us to continue to have a live. I'm all about change. I grew up in the Silicon Valley.
06:11Change is progress, but it's also nice to protect the things that we know has space
06:18in our lives, our busy, crowded lives that allow us to just reflect on what we're going
06:23through.
06:24Well said. Now, it's no secret to people who are familiar with your work that music and
06:30dance is a big part of kind of your storytelling style in a lot of ways. And so, you know,
06:35I got to ask about Wicked. I'm wondering, one, how is it going? And two, what songs
06:41did you think were so good that you couldn't cut or inspired you to make it into two movies?
06:46I'm very curious about that.
06:48Law, I can't tell you all that. That's all coming. That's all coming. But I can tell
06:53you that I'm having a blast. I spent the last year getting to know Stephen Schwartz and
06:58Winnie Holtzman, who wrote the book. Mark Platt, working with our creative team. Paul
07:06Tazwell's doing the costumes. He did Hamilton and West Side Story. And we have Nathan Crowley,
07:13who's done a lot of Chris Nolan stuff. And he just did Wonka. And we have Alice Brooks,
07:20our DP, who I worked with on In the Heights and Tick, Tick, Boom. We have a great team,
07:24and we're coming with some great stuff. And when you see Cynthia sing the songs, and when
07:29you see Ariana sing these songs, they interpret it in a way that I've never experienced Wicked
07:35before. It means something different. So we're getting in there. I love a lot of the songs,
07:41all the songs. I will not tell you my favorites yet. They will come. But I will say that I also
07:48love the show, and I understand the responsibility of this is the first time we're going to
07:52crystallize this show. So I'm not here to make it the hip hop version or some remixed, you know,
08:00millennial version. I'm here to give honor to what it is. But also, this is 2022. Things have
08:06changed. Perspectives have changed. And the movie is about perspective and change. And how hard it
08:14is to change. Sometimes you have to pop your bubble and come out and engage with the world.
08:19And sometimes that engagement means feeling angry. Maybe sometimes that engagement means
08:26feeling sad. Maybe that engagement means it's not the easy yellow brick road for you,
08:32that it's off the beaten path. Maybe it's about the wizard's not going to solve all your problems.
08:37It's up to us to face each other. And I think those messages are very important today. And
08:42I can't wait to express that in something like Wicked.
08:44Ooh, that was like listening to you recite poetry just now. A lot of good analogies.
08:49Wait till you see the movie.
08:50If you like that. The Willow trailer just dropped yesterday.
08:53Oh my goodness.
08:54Yeah, you were previously attached to it. But I know that you are a big fan of Willow. And I just
09:00want to know what your reaction is to seeing that teaser. It looked amazing.
09:03I texted. I didn't just text Jon Kasdan. I sent a voice memo, basically screaming,
09:10jumping up and down. Like, you did it, bro. Like, I'm so happy for the team. I'm so happy. Like,
09:16I mean, half that cast, I was there helping to choose that. So I'm so excited for them. And
09:22they were, their auditions are great. They're so funny. They're so memorable. People are going to
09:26fall in love with them. But when I see them, the scope that they were to pull off during the
09:31pandemic, which is, you know, the reason I didn't go, it was just too much for my family to get over
09:37there. But when I watch that stuff, I'm just so, so proud. And I know since I've read most of those
09:44scripts, I know how it's going to end up. And I think people are in for a good ride.
09:48Oh man, I can't wait. I was watching it. I was at Star Wars Celebration when they
09:52premiered it. I got emotional. Of all the teasers, that was the one that got me. I was just
09:57like, that just blew me away. So I was genuinely curious. I definitely, like, I started playing
10:03up my iPhone. I was like, uh-uh, I got to play it on the big screen. And I just saw my big screen
10:07and I was blown away. I'm so excited. You know, when you see, even just seeing the name up there,
10:13even seeing Ron Howard announce it and seeing, like, it's just, it brings back so many memories.
10:20Yeah, yeah. And now you have, you know, you adapted a Gem in the Holograms. And I know at
10:26one point you were attached to Lilo and Stitch live action, but now you're kind of headed into
10:30the animated realm with Oh, The Places You'll Go, which is one of my favorite Seuss books.
10:35Is it daunting taking on a project that's like almost like a decade long, you know,
10:39like with all the planning and stuff that goes into animation? Is it intimidating in any way?
10:44Listen, every movie I do is very different than the before. I mean, from the Step Up movies to
10:48then a Justin Bieber documentary to the G.I. Joe, Gem in the Holograms. Now You've Seen Me Too,
10:54Crazy Rich Asians. I mean, should I just say my whole IBB? No. Each is so different,
11:00but that's kind of what I love. That as a storyteller, I won't get it all right,
11:07but I love exploring different genres. And animation has been a love since I've been
11:14little, little. I was in love with Disney animation. I mean, we were in the golden age
11:20of Disney animation with Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid and Aladdin. And so I always
11:28wanted to be an animator actually before I wanted to be a filmmaker, a live action filmmaker. And
11:34so be able to jump into there, it's been it's daunting. I'm learning, but I'm sort of used to
11:38that. I love working with Bad Robot, J.J. and that team over there, Hannah. And then we have
11:45some tricks in the Dr. Seuss estate. And we have some other tricks up our sleeves I can't announce
11:51here, but there's some other fun collaborators that are going to be taking it to a whole other
11:56level. Of course, Warner Brothers. But we're creating something very special with that.
12:00We know that that was his most special creation about much bigger than it's about learning about
12:10life and our journey through this, especially a creative or a journey with purpose. So we're here
12:17to build a epic Seussian world that maybe we haven't fully experienced before. This is it's
12:24going to be very special. Oh, by the way, I also call I called up Domi Shee, who just did Turning
12:30Red. And we've been she's been giving me some advice along the way. So I have some good mentors
12:35going in. Amazing. She's amazing. Turning Red, like blew my mind. I joked with Michelle Yeoh
12:41that my favorite genre of film right now is generational trauma. You know what I mean?
12:48Yes, it is very healing. It's very therapeutic. I wonder if you do have a dream project and a
12:54dream actor you'd love to work with. I'm sort of working on my dream project right now, Wicked. I
12:58mean, I chased this movie for 10 years. I saw the opportunity of what we could say with it. And so
13:04I called the studio every six months and they would always ignore me. So when I got the call
13:11to step in, I was like, yes, put me in coach. So that's something that I'm really passionate about.
13:17And and in terms of an actor, I have a lot. I have a lot. But I also like,
13:26you know, when I work with Awkwafina or Michelle or Henry, you're just starting,
13:34you know, you've just started to work with them. And I'm like, I want to do more with them. Anthony
13:40Ramos and Leslie Grace and like Corey, like I want to do more with them. And so I so those are
13:48the people that I'm, you know, when you look for projects, I'm like, how do I get back in the ring?
13:52Because I know they have so much more to give. And I'm glad that they're all they're all they're
13:57blossoming. I just wish I was part of that, too. I want to work with Bruno Mars. I would love to
14:01work with Bruno Mars sometime. I know he's very I don't know if he hasn't really stepped into that
14:05acting place, but I think he's one of the greatest entertainers of all time. So Bruno, if you're out
14:10there, let's get this together, bro. Just to close out this interview, I was wondering if you had
14:16any encouraging words for the community that may be not having the best time right now with
14:20everything going on? I would say look at look around you. We have a strong community that is
14:28together, that we can mourn together, we can celebrate together, and we have power together.
14:36And so don't get overwhelmed by all the all the screaming and yelling everywhere. I would say
14:44stay focused on what we can all add to this conversation creatively through your writing,
14:50through your reporting, through your creations online, on cinema, whatever, TV. I think we have
14:57to be laser focused and keep this boat moving. So do it. Do it now. We need you. We're all here,
15:03and you're going to have a bunch of people on the other side of your project, win or lose,
15:07that are going to be there for you. And thanks for what you're doing. I think it's really important,
15:11and it's people like you that keep us in the conversation and keep everything
15:15developing and evolving forward. I really appreciate that. Thank you for your time,
15:19and I'm so excited for what the future holds for you. I'm stoked. Thanks a lot. See ya.
Comments