‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Author & Cast Discuss Importance Of The Film And How It Takes You To “F—— Narnia”

In a summer of weekly blockbusters, it’s easy for some of the best, and culturally significant, films to get lost in the shuffle. Let’s try to not make that be the case with “Crazy Rich Asians,” which is the first Hollywood studio film with an all-Asian cast since 1993’s ‘The Joy Luck Club.” That’s 25 years of major studios shunning the Asian-American experience for the bottom line. Enter critically-acclaimed novelist Kevin Kwan.

Earlier this decade Kwan released a popular trilogy of books, “Crazy Rich Asians,” “China Rich Girlfriend,” “Rich People Problems,” which garnered him a spot on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people’s list. These novels were sprawling, multi-generational takes on the Asian experience in America and abroad. As you might expect, Hollywood soon came calling.

“Crazy Rich Asians” is the first adaptation of Kwan’s books, a contemporary romantic comedy, based on Kwan’s own childhood, which follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she travels to Singapore to meet her boyfriend Nick’s (Henry Golding) disapproving family. Of course, she has no idea what she’s in for, as she realizes the full extent of Nick’s wealth. The film, directed by Jon M. Chu (“Step Up: 3D“), stars Wu, Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan and Jimmy Yang.

Director Chu shows a real knack for the visual with colorfully vibrant images of a Singapore of our dreams as multiple traditions and backgrounds clash in a country filled with severe economic inequality. The story is a conventional one, but it’s the way Chu makes us see the familiar with a whole new set of eyes that makes “Crazy Rich Asians” stand out. To say his film is ground-breaking for what’s on paper would be an understatement, but the story itself, very much part of the rom-com genre, is richly delivered and textured in ways that feel fresh and authentic.

In honor of today’s wide release of the film, we had the opportunity to speak to Jimmy Yang, Gemma Chan and author Kwan, who gave us their take on the importance of such a movie within the industry. “I couldn’t believe this was getting made and I wanted to be a part of this. As development went on I started to realize how important this project was,” said Jimmy Yang. “I hope that when Asians see this movie they will be like ‘Oh finally our voice is being represented and our faces are being represented.’ Hopefully, this is one of many more movies to come that feature Asian casts, I hope we will open some doors.”

“What excited me when I read the script, and the books, was that the themes in it were very universal: love, friendship, family, relationships, all the themes that could be old and new, and span many generations. I felt that all of that could be something that could resonate not just with Asian audience but with non-Asian as well. It’s just about something that could speak to all of us,” explained Chan. “For so long the universal experience seems to have been white, this movie shows that it doesn’t have to be. Anyone that watches this film can identify and feel what the characters feel.”

Kwan seconds what the actors said and tells the story of what it was like at the early stages of bringing his novel to the big screen. And surprise, surprise, studios and producers wanted it more white. “There was that infamous producer that told us to switch the female lead to a white ‘Reese Johannson’ [laughs] I didn’t even entertain that option, I was told, ‘It’s a pity you don’t have a white character,'” he said.

He continued, “I even optioned the movie for $1 instead of any 5 or 6 figures deal I could have done. I needed to maintain the creative purpose of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ before having anybody in Hollywood botch it.  I’ve said this before, the Netflix route was there, but we didn’t go that direction because I wanted a cinematic experience to accompany the first all-Asian film in 25 years.”

Yang goes on to discuss his feeling when he saw the trailer at the wrap party for the film. “It felt like this wasn’t just a bunch of Asian people, this took you to fucking Narnia. It’s a whole new world that Kevin set up that everybody can enjoy. It just so happens that everyone in this world is Asian,” Yang said.

“Crazy Rich Asians” hits theaters today.