Director Jon M. Chu, who's helmed "Crazy Rich Asians," "In The Heights," and on the film adaptation of the musical "Wicked," chats about all of that and more in this interview with CinemaBlend's Law Sharma.
In addition to a discussion about the director's massive impact on the AAPI community, find out what Chu thinks of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's "Wicked" performances so far.
In addition to a discussion about the director's massive impact on the AAPI community, find out what Chu thinks of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's "Wicked" performances so far.
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Short filmTranscript
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.