[MUSIC PLAYING]
HENRY GOLDING: I don't
know which route to take.
Hey, guys.
Good morning.
JON M. CHU: Morning.
HENRY GOLDING: Good morning.
SPEAKER: Sit down, yeah.
HENRY GOLDING: How is everybody?
JON M. CHU: I'm assuming all
the giddiness is for me, right?
Because that's--
[LAUGHTER]
SPEAKER: We're very, very
excited to have you two here.
So, many of us have either
read the book or saw the film.
We had a screening last night.
But for those of us in
the audience or maybe
who will be watching
the recording later
who haven't seen
the film or book,
do you guys want to give us
a brief synopsis of the film?
JON M. CHU: Sure, why not?
It's about a
Asian-American professor
played by Constance Wu.
And she's teaching at NYU.
And she is dating
this guy, Nick Young,
who gets invited to his best
friend's wedding in Singapore.
He invites her along.
What she doesn't know is
that he's from the richest
family in Singapore.
So all his exes,
socialites, family members
are out to destroy
this American girl.
So it's a fun romp
but has some, I think,
deeper cultural
messages within it all.
SPEAKER: Yeah.
So let's dig into
that a little bit.
So this film is
an all-Asian cast.
And here at Google,
we've talked about it.
This is the first Hollywood
film with an all-Asian cast
in 25 years, the last one being
"The Joy Luck Club" in 1993.
So what are your thoughts about
the significance of this film
coming out in 2018?
HENRY GOLDING: I think
it's beyond the right time.
It's too late, if anything.
John's been a bastion for
Asians all around the world.
And I think now is the
correct time for this.
And when we were creating
and sort of putting together
the film, he literally
scoured the earth
for the correct
actors for each role.
And those actors were Asians
from America, or from the UK,
from Australia, from
Malaysia, and Singapore.
And to hear the stories of
how important this project was
to them really resonated
throughout the entire cast
and crew.
We knew there was something
special about this.
But we didn't feel
too much pressure,
because we were so
in the moment that it
was such a joyous experience
being the star of our own show.
Previous to this, a lot
of the roles in Hollywood
were sidelined as
little extra characters,
no one with a particular voice.
But this time, everybody
had their moment to shine.
And damn, did they deliver.
We've got a fantastic cast,
comedians who just crack--
Awkwafina is hilarious,
Ken Jeong, Jimmy O. Yang,
Ronnie Cheng, Nico Santos.
So it was something
very special for us.
SPEAKER: Yeah.
So, recently, an
article came out
in "The Hollywood Reporter."
And I think, Jon, you
were in the article.
But it seems like--
back in 2016, there was
a big decision to make.
You guys had competing offers.
You had an offer from
Warner Brothers, the studio.
And then you also had an offer
from Netflix, which would have
given you guys a big payday.
Can you walk us
through why you decided
to go with Warner Brothers?
And what was the significance
of putting this film
on the big screen?
JON M. CHU: Yeah, well,
when I started the movie
only a few years ago, it was--
we didn't know if we'd ever
get set up at a big studio.
It had not been
done for so long.
There wasn't some gigantic star
that could push it through.
And so we developed
it on our own.
I brought in Adele Lim, who's
a Malaysian-American writer who
I'd worked with on a pilot.
We got into shape that I thought
was a really great shape.
And then we went
out to the studios.
And what we found
was, of course--
Netflix, they have
a lot of money
and know how to throw
their weight around.
And I love Netflix.
There's nothing wrong with that.
And our producers-- credit
to them-- deferred to Kevin
and I to make that decision.
We had 15 minutes to
make this decision.
Warner Brothers was going to
pull the offer in 15 minutes.
So they said, we are
going to give you--
I know, those bastards.
They said they were
going to make the offer,
and we had 15 minutes to decide.
So we had like 21 like
different lawyers, agents,
everyone there.
And our producers deferred
to Kevin and I. Kevin
and I had talked
the night before
and had, like, a heart to heart
about, why are we doing this?
What brought us together?
And what we
realized-- and we knew
it might come down to money.
We didn't know it was
going to come down
to that big of a gap of money.
So it was a little harder.
I kept thinking, my
backyard could use a redo.
I could use anything.
I'm still thinking
about it right now.
But it came down
to-- you know what?
It's important for
Hollywood studios
to put a movie like
this on the big screen.
Because it sends a message.
It sends a message
across the world.
Cinema is still cinema.
And it says-- when you
put a piece in a museum,
in anoints it as special.
It anoints it as something
worth your time and energy.
You have to leave your
house, fight with parking,
pay for the ticket, pay for your
food, jump into a dark room,
turn off the lights, and
say, tell me a great story.
And I think that energy is
saying, we're worth your time.
And I think subliminally
that means so much.
And it trickles to all
media at that point.
And we knew we were
in a position--
we didn't need the money.
I'd done enough films.
He had done enough.
Everybody had done
enough stuff here.
No one was desperate.
And so if anyone was
to do it, we could.
We actually thought,
maybe we donate
a percentage of
the Netflix money
to great causes for Asians.
And I was like, no, let's
all try to trickle down
to this moment right here.
So, yeah, I had sweat
things that I never
knew I could sweat.
But it actually
really helped us.
Ultimately, when you
double down, triple down
on something like that, it
makes everybody more invested.
And now it was on us to pressure
Warner Brothers to publicize
it the right way, to
market it the right way.
And credit to Warner Brothers.
They have come
through in spades.
SPEAKER: And I think the
important thing is not just
telling the story of the
Asian-American story, as well.
But growing up in the US
there are not that many films
portraying Asians.
Even on television--
Constance is
in "Fresh Off The Boat,"
which is a sitcom featuring
a full-Asian cast.
And so, Jon, you had a
great quote in that article.
I just want to share
with the group.
You said, you wanted to do a
film in a way we haven't ever
seen Asians before,
contemporary, stylish,
at the top of art and fashion,
emotional, funny, sarcastic,
unapologetic, confident.
Why do you think there aren't
more films portraying Asians
like that today?
JON M. CHU: I
honestly don't know.
This is the world we live in.
These are the people I know.
These are people
I've interacted with,
both here, in Hong Kong,
in Singapore, in Taiwan.
So I guess I didn't
even realize myself
that people didn't see
this, because I already
had seen all of it.
So I think it was when I
was showing people my pitch
and showing my friends,
they're like, whoa,
I didn't know this exists.
I didn't know this
music existed.
I didn't know they
could dress so cool.
I'm like, who are you
talking about, they?
So I think it was more of like--
it was so obvious.
And I think a lot of
us know this world.
And then also, through
talking to Henry
and meeting all
these other agents
from all around the world--
which I did not know.
I didn't even know Ronnie Cheng,
who is on "The Daily Show,"
lived in Australia.
I just saw him as the
guy on "The Daily Show."
Learning about their
experiences was
a huge learning experience for
me and opened my brain a lot.
I didn't know a lot
about Singapore,
either, before jumping
into the movie.
So, yeah, I think it was
just a matter of sharing
what we already know.
And hopefully, that
cracks the door.
Because I'm sure there is
other things that I don't know,
that we don't know.
But people have great stories
and history that just haven't
been shown in the light.
SPEAKER: So, Henry, there's
been some controversy
around the casting of your role.
And it's led to a
dialogue of what
it means to be Asian enough
to be cast in this film.
You said in an interview
with "In Style," there should
be a conversation about it.
I think we should
be educating people.
What sort of education do we
need to do about this topic?
HENRY GOLDING: Yeah,
we talk so distinctly
about black culture, Asian
culture, Latino culture.
But there's nothing
that is being discussed
about mixed race people and how
they can own their ethnicity.
And so we sort of
fall in this limbo
where, when we try to speak
up, they're like, no, no, no,
you're not Asian enough,
or you're not white enough.
I was never white
enough for the UK.
I was never Asian enough
for Singapore and Malaysia.
But I sure as hell wasn't
going to let that bring me
down and not have
the ability to own
and be proud of my heritage.
So I did that very young.
And so I've been fighting
it my entire life.
So when that came up,
it wasn't a surprise.
It was just another thing.
But at this point,
we have the platform
to be able to
discuss these issues.
Talking about Asian rights,
it's rights in general.
It's about being Portuguese
mixed with Malaysian.
In Malaysia and
Singapore, there's
so much mixed heritage from
the Portuguese, to the Spanish,
to the Dutch all
integrating into culture.
So why can't we
be proud of that?
Why can't we own that
as a badge of pride?
So, for me, I knew
through and through
that I was the right
person for the job.
There was no question and
doubt that I was more Asian
than I can possibly describe.
And Jon saw that.
And I was the right
fit for the character.
They had extensive searches
for every single person.
That's why the
casting was so good.
They wanted to find
those voices that could
bring these characters to life.
JON M. CHU: And I think
people get confused.
I think they think
the movie takes place
in China or something.
Because Singapore has, like,
so many different ethnicities
all mixed together.
And the character, Nick, had to
have been educated in the UK.
So when you're looking for
a very specific role-- and I
was very, very sure of Rachel.
I wanted her to be
Chinese-American.
Because in the script,
she talks specifically
about Chinese culture
and specifically
about what she wants to be.
So that was a [INAUDIBLE] thing.
But for Nick, it was like--
especially talking to
Kevin and his real history.
This is also based
around his life.
When you find someone like
Henry Golding that perfectly--
and we searched all
around the world.
And of course, he ended up
being in the exact place
that the book told
us he would be.
He was living in Singapore.
We could have saved
a lot of money.
So, anyway, yeah, when
someone's perfect for the role--
I think when you
watch the movie,
all that bullshit argument
goes out the window.
SPEAKER: Yeah.
And originally, Henry,
you were a host on BBC.
You weren't acting.
So did it take some
convincing for you
to audition for this role?
HENRY GOLDING: It took
a lot of convincing.
I'd been a presenter for
travel shows and news channels
for a good seven, eight years.
So I was kind of
stuck in that mindset
of being stout and kind of
put into this category of,
this is your lane.
Stick to it, because
you're not going
to be great at anything else.
Some of our problems is
that we limit ourselves.
And the auditions came around.
Those huge noise in
Singapore and Malaysia,
so much excitement
for this movie
that Jon was attached to it.
Warner Brothers had
bought these rights.
They had such
faith in this book.
And a couple of
emails came through.
It was like, oh, do you want
to audition for this role?
And I was like,
I'm not an actor.
I'm not right for this.
There's somebody out
there who deserves
this, who's worked
hard, who's going
to represent this community
or represent actors in general
for this really pivotal role.
It wasn't until a mutual
friend, Steve Jang,
here in San Francisco
put us together--
JON M. CHU: He was our
mutual friend on Facebook.
I was cyberstalking him.
HENRY GOLDING: Jon went
through my Instagram.
He went pretty deep, slid
into my DMs pretty much.
JON M. CHU: Trying not to
like anything too fast, so he
couldn't see how deep I was.
HENRY GOLDING:
Now we're married.
[LAUGHTER]
We're not.
But he got in touch.
And we had this amazing,
hour-long conversation.
He was in LA.
I was in Singapore.
And we spoke about what
it meant to have grown up
in our different
Asian environments,
here in Los Altos, here in--
JON M. CHU: Los Altos.
It's OK.
HENRY GOLDING: --in
San Francisco--
and myself, in Malaysia
and the East Coast.
And he was like, I've
got two questions.
Can you act, and
will you read for me?
And at this point, I
was like, everything
is pointing towards this moment.
And it's ridiculous if I do
not just switch that mindset
and throw myself into this.
It's crazy if I don't.
And then we went onto
the audition process.
And now my life has
completely done a 180.
And I think it's going to be
doing some somersaults very
soon.
SPEAKER: Very cool.
JON M. CHU: And what I
love about Henry, too, is--
my big brother.
I'm the youngest of five.
So my big brother, he's
like 6' 2", good looking,
athletic, all the
opposite of me.
And so I showed him the movie.
And when Henry comes out in his
white suit at Tyersall Park,
and it's like this beautiful
shot through the bushes,
and he's coming out, my
brother starts crying--
which I've never seen him cry.
He's not that type.
He's like, you have no
idea all the years I've
felt so different than
anyone else and not
seen as this symbol.
So Henry represents
this to so many--
at least, for Asian men I
know and myself included,
to see someone that is an
aspiration, an inspiration,
and everything in between,
a total gentleman,
someone from, like, another era,
a movie star from another era--
and you could be
in any ethnicity.
It doesn't matter.
Henry has this star
quality that makes
you want to be a better man.
And I think that that's--
[LAUGHTER]
Will you marry me,
is what I'm saying?
HENRY GOLDING: Yes.
[LAUGHTER]
SPEAKER: Yeah, so in
the film, Peik Lin
has a wonderful line,
like, damn, Rachel,
it's like the Asian Bachelor.
If you're a fan of
The "Bachelor"--
HENRY GOLDING:
Many amazing lines.
She has the best lines-- and a
lot that didn't make the cut.
JON M. CHU: They were
too dirty, for sure.
[LAUGHTER]
SPEAKER: So, with the cast,
it's pretty international.
You have English,
American, Malaysian.
So Henry, you're both
Malaysian and English.
What was the experience like
working in Great Britain--
different or similar to
Asian-Americans in Hollywood
or Malaysians in Asia?
HENRY GOLDING: Yeah, in the UK,
when you're labeled as Asian,
you're South Asian--
nothing wrong with that.
It's just that that,
for some crazy reason,
it's you're either of
Pakistani or Indian descent.
And that's Asian in the UK.
So I was always sort of Chinese
or something weird like that.
But over in America,
when you're Asian,
you're of East Asian descent.
And so for myself, it's
really interesting to have
had the group of such
international people
who, like I said, were swapping
these stories of how they
struggled in their
different areas
in comedy, in the
acting, and the arts.
Michelle Yeoh, for instance,
had a completely different story
to tell.
She grew up in Malaysia--
a fellow Malaysian.
But she was in the Hong Kong
industry for the longest time.
And there's no lack
of representation
there, because it
is a Chinese market.
And it's the
Chinese demographic.
So Jon always brings
up, like, when
they were first talking to her.
She was like, I don't what
you guys are talking about.
Cinema is great for us.
But that's because
it's so different.
But in sort of Western
media, representation
is a big problem.
So that was an exchange
of learning for us.
So I think we all grew
such a broader perspective.
And I think that's something
that the film really
promotes-- is the
fact that you can
be of any Asian descent, any
different ethnicity to the one
that you've been adopted
in a particular country,
be able to be proud of it, be
able to speak your thoughts,
be able to make your own mind
up of who you want to be,
where you want to go.
And so, hopefully, this just
triggers more conversation,
it triggers more
avenue for expression.
SPEAKER: So I don't know if
everyone in the audience knows,
but Jon's father is
the famous Chef Chu.
And his restaurant is a
landmark in Silicon Valley.
HENRY GOLDING: Who knows Chef
Chu here in the Los Angeles--
AUDIENCE: Yeah!
SPEAKER: A lot of hands here--
so the question is, what
were your parents like?
Were they very traditional?
Did they expect you to take
over the family business?
What did they think when you
went to USC to study film?
JON M. CHU: They're
both traditional
and very not-traditional.
We were in a
Chinese restaurant--
they came to the States not
knowing a word of English
and started this business.
And 50 years later,
it's still there.
And they actually never let us
work in the restaurant, though.
They always said, do
everything we couldn't do.
So they put us into drums,
saxophone, violin, piano,
guitar.
I was in, like,
tap dance classes.
We took etiquette classes.
My mom really thought we were
going to be like the Kennedys.
So she dressed us the same.
We took ballroom dance classes.
We went to shows in
the city every weekend,
whether it was opera
season, ballet season,
or musical season.
So we had a very different
upbringing in that way.
But my father was very
traditionally Chinese, too--
didn't want us to drink soda
at dim sum table and things
like that.
So I had these two
different things.
My mom was like, go
pursue your passions.
Just be happy.
And my dad-- and my mom,
also, at the same time--
would be like, but family first.
And sacrifice
yourself for family.
So I'm like, what the hell?
I don't know what to do.
I'm so stuck.
And that's actually a
big theme in this movie
of an Asian-American going
to Asia for the first time
and going through
this culture identity.
I remember being
scared going to school
that I would smell
like Chinese food,
or that my food that
my parents packed me,
the dumplings that
would smell up the room.
And one day, on
Chinese New Year,
my parents came and
did a presentation
for our second grade class.
And they brought
the lion dancers.
And they brought red
envelopes for all the kids
and chocolate gold cup.
And I became, like, the
most popular kid in school.
And it was the first time I was
like, oh, I'm proud to be this.
And then we went
to the restaurant
every time after, like,
sports games or whatever.
Everyone wanted the food.
It was to their hearts
through the food, really.
And so to do a movie about
it-- which I also never did
a movie about my own culture.
I was always-- if you're
the only Asian in the room,
you don't want to just
do the Asian thing.
Because I feel like everyone
then marks you as that.
And it's a silly thing, but
it's a reality that you feel.
At a certain point,
I think online,
when everyone was reacting
to the white washed
out movement and
all that stuff, it
made me realize that, oh,
no, I earned this spot.
I don't have to
apologize for my spot.
I can explore these things as an
artist, as a filmmaker the way
every other artist
gets to do that.
And look, people are
showing up for it.
So it's a very
empowering feeling
when you see the result.
And this was not guaranteed
to have people come out--
to see the support
on the other end.
So it means a lot.
SPEAKER: So we have one more--
JON M. CHU: And we had our
press tour at the restaurant
yesterday.
So it comes full circle.
HENRY GOLDING: It is amazing,
because his dad went out
to the car--
brought out family photos
from the car [INAUDIBLE]..
JON M. CHU: They took
them off the wall,
put them in the trunk, so
they could show the reporters.
They took my awards.
They put them on the
tables of the restaurant.
HENRY GOLDING: These
were awards when
he was, like, seven years old.
[LAUGHTER]
JON M. CHU: It's true.
HENRY GOLDING: So cute, so cute.
JON M. CHU: This is 100% true.
SPEAKER: So if we organize
a Google family dinner
at the restaurant,
is your dad going
to pull out your awards again?
JON M. CHU: Guaranteed.
I told him not to
for many times.
And they don't care.
SPEAKER: All right, we might
have to organize that later.
So we're going to do
one more question here.
And there we're going to
open it up to the audience.
So if you guys
have any questions,
please line up at the mic.
So similar question
for you, Henry,
about your upbringing, your
career, and how your family--
because you kind of
had a shift in career.
I read online you're
a trained hairdresser?
HENRY GOLDING: Yeah, I was a
hairstylist for a long time.
SPEAKER: And then you
became a presenter on BBC.
And now you're an actor.
So how did your family
think about this transition
in careers?
HENRY GOLDING: They've
always been very open.
And if you consider,
back in their day,
mixed race couples
weren't overly accepted.
So for them, they've
always had a very open mind
about most things.
So for what they taught us, it
was mainly, be good to others.
Try to promote well-being
in terms of helping others.
And don't do anything
stupid, and be safe.
Those were the rules.
So when I told them one day,
oh, I wanted to be a chef,
they're like, OK, great.
Do the chef thing.
I did the chef thing for
about a week, gave up.
And then I became a hairdresser.
And they're like, amazing.
Go do that.
Follow your passion.
And so I was a hairstylist
for four or five years
as soon as I finished school.
JON M. CHU: Is it true
that all the old ladies
would want to make appointments
with you so you could
[INAUDIBLE]?
HENRY GOLDING: I had
to do so many perms--
[LAUGHTER]
[INAUDIBLE]
My hands were, like, bleeding.
But then I was like,
I'm leaving the UK.
I'm going to move back to
Malaysia and Singapore.
I want to find myself there.
And I want to get into
this amazing industry.
And they were like,
absolutely, just be good.
Be good to people.
And just stay safe.
And that was them
sending me off.
So having this movie
just really drilled home
the aspect of family and
the aspect of identity.
It's been warming.
Because you look on to yourself.
It sparks something
within all of us.
We're always sort
of going forwards.
We never consider the traditions
of family or traditions
of culture.
Sometimes, it's nice to
look back, and appreciate
all of that.
JON M. CHU: And as
of, like, yesterday,
his parents weren't
coming to the premiere.
And we're like, dude, you got
to get them to the premiere.
I don't think they
understand what this is.
You've got to force them.
Your job is to get them there.
And so now, they're
going to show up.
So I think they're in
for a whirlwind of a day.
HENRY GOLDING: Yeah, it's
going to be pretty crazy.
SPEAKER: So very proud.
OK, why don't we move
to audience questions?
First one, Connie.
AUDIENCE: Hey, I'm Connie.
Ever since Constance Wu started
becoming, like, a thing,
I'm thinking about
going by Constance.
Because I feel like
it's a cooler name now.
So you can tell her that.
Jon, you kind of
touched on this earlier.
But I was wondering,
for both of you,
how is it shifting from
a environment where
not everyone was
Asian and everyone's
from diverse
backgrounds to moving
to team where most of the
cast and crew were Asian?
Were there any things you
expected or didn't expect?
JON M. CHU: I mean, I've
made movies overseas before,
in London for "Now You See Me."
It's always a little
cultural shock
as a person just going
over there and living there
for nine months or so.
This one was our
most global crew.
I think they were
also during Ramadan.
So they were fasting
at the same time.
So I was learning
about our crew.
It's like a circus.
So you have these
very intimate moments
with people you don't know yet.
And it's very quick.
But we became a family.
We knew that they couldn't
eat till whenever time.
So everyone-- we
had to pace them.
And then other people
were bringing things
to the table that you didn't
know, styles, and things that--
since we're shooting in
Singapore, in Malaysia,
about Singapore--
being educated about,
hey, you know, wealth here
isn't about size.
Even though we know that you
think Vegas, and big columns,
and big doors, Singapore
is a small island.
So a $20 million place looks
like a small apartment.
But actually, it's worth a lot.
Things like that, cultural
things that I had learn--
not just from our
crew, from our cast.
What I love about making
movies-- everyone asks me,
what's that one movie you're
going to make that will make
you--
that's when you
know you made it?
I don't have that movie.
Movies are something that
feels like it exercise for me.
I need to do it.
It's like breathing.
And this was another
one of those ones that
sort of transitioned me into
a different part of my life--
where I got to learn
a lot from them.
So hopefully, you feel that
in the movie when you watch.
You get to go through the same
journey that I did in a way.
AUDIENCE: I wanted to start by
saying that this is a really
important movie for our people.
It's one of the first movies
to start humanizing Asians
in North America.
I say North America,
because I'm Canadian.
On that note, I'd
love to hear more
about casting
decisions of the movie.
Henry, you mentioned
that this film allows
you to own your Asian heritage.
And everyone in this room
is really happy about that.
I don't mean to take
away from that at all.
I grew up also in
a mixed household.
But I do want to hear
your and Jon's thoughts--
that there is discussion within
our community that the main
male lead is not a complete
representation of what Asian
men look like, and casting a
lead with mixed Western/Asian
features might perpetrate
stereotypes about really
"Asian-looking" men--
still can't be romantic
leads, even in movies
that representation Asians.
JON M. CHU: Well,
I think one thing--
and I've had a lot of
discussions about this.
I think, one, it's great
to have a discussion.
What a privilege to
actually have a discussion
about casting
Asians as leads, A.
And what I found was it's--
one, we found the perfect
person to play this role.
It was a very specific
movie about Singapore
with a person from Singapore,
and was living this life,
and has a British accent,
and was all those things.
That aside, I don't
blame people--
at first, I was angry at
people for saying these things.
Is Barack Obama
not black enough?
Is Halle Berry not black enough?
Why do other people get
the OK, and we don't?
But I blame the system itself.
I blame that-- when you've
been hit in the face 20 times,
and then someone comes over
and tries to give you five,
and you duck, and jab
them in the abdomen,
whose fault is that?
It's not the person who's been
victimized over and over again.
I know that feeling.
I've been there.
It's whatever this environment
that we've created.
And it's a shame
that one movie is
supposed to define
everybody's experience.
That's just an unfair idea.
So I have no ill will about it.
And I think it's a very healthy
discussion that we should have,
and it's nice to have.
There's other
discussions, like, can you
hire a Japanese person to play
a Chinese person and vise versa?
And Meryl Streep can
play any ethnicity,
so why do we have to say
that this is whatever?
[LAUGHTER]
I don't know.
So I think it's
just a discussion
that we have to make the
decision on our own for.
And my hope is that this movie--
it's a book.
So it has very
defined characters.
And we and we cast accordingly.
We saw so many thousands of
people all around the world.
And there are people
that I could not
hire that were great for
roles but not in this movie.
Because we just don't have them.
We only have a certain amount.
So I hope that this
actually gives more movies
opportunities to get out there.
Because I think it's
the bigger picture.
What's the Bruce
Lee line about, when
there's a finger
pointing to the moon,
don't focus on the finger.
Focus on the enormity of this
moon that we're headed towards.
And I think we want other
filmmakers and other writers
to be telling great stories,
so we can broaden this out,
and there's not
just one character
we're looking on to
be bit like, well,
why doesn't that
represent all, everybody?
So that's what we hope.
And that's why,
when I see you guys,
when I meet the journalists that
we have met in the past, where
we go to YouTube, and
see all the YouTubers,
and all these creators.
It gives me a lot of
hope, because they
are writing the stories, and
coming up with the things,
and having the expertise
to expand this dialogue.
And yes, let's have
the dial-- lets go.
This is great.
But at the same time, let's
focus on the bigger destination
that we're headed towards.
AUDIENCE: Terrific.
Thank you very much.
JON M. CHU: Thank you.
SPEAKER: Thanks.
Next.
AUDIENCE: Hi.
So I think you started touching
on some of this a little bit
when you talked about, we can't
represent all of Asian-America
in this one film.
I do want to have do you expand
a little bit more on that.
So it's clear that the film
holds important significance.
And it's really momentous
for the Asian community.
There are, of course, criticisms
around the film not actually
being representative enough
of the vast diversity that
exists in Asian America today.
Some have said it
perpetuates model minority
in some ways, which is
a damaging stereotype
for the Asian community.
And some have said,
like you said,
this is one step closer
to where we want to be
and where we want to go.
And so I just want to
hear a little bit more
about your thoughts on
that and how you might
respond to some of those ideas.
JON M. CHU: Well, my first
thing is watch the movie.
And then maybe make
a opinion about it.
Most of the people have
not watched the movie.
Maybe they read the book,
which has very specific things.
But that's not the movie.
And then when we
watch the movie,
then let's have a conversation.
And listen, this is
the point of movies
is to have a conversation.
When I watched "Joy Luck Club,"
my dad got us all into a van--
we didn't know what
movie we were watching--
forced us to go into this
theater at the earliest
showing, 10:00 in the morning.
SPEAKER: Matinee.
JON M. CHU: Save the money.
It's all on discount.
[LAUGHTER]
SPEAKER: Matinee.
JON M. CHU: We went
to dim sum afterwards.
And we loved it so much.
We were quoting things from it.
Because we're like, oh,
that's like our auntie.
I'm not your auntie.
Like, she said certain
things that were like--
[LAUGHTER]
And we had like a
three-hour conversation.
And that's with the
power of movies.
And obviously, that didn't open
up everything for all Asians
at that point.
It was a success.
And I think, for us,
it gave us this light.
But hopefully, this
starts the conversation
that can create other
work, like I sort of
said before, that will create
the platform that we need.
This is, again,
not just a movie.
We keep saying,
this is a movement.
And maybe that's a
little self-serving,
because we have a movie
that we're releasing.
But the reality is,
that's where we are.
That's what Hollywood is going
to be watching that opening
weekend.
If people don't show up
that opening weekend,
it's going to be many
years before the others.
We're going to
still fight for it.
Don't get me wrong.
But it's just, this could
be a really nice jolt
to get us jump-started.
There's four projects,
at least, in Hollywood
right now that are
ready, on the line,
and they have not
green-lit waiting
to see how this one does--
and a lot more stars other
than this guy and
other than this guy
to actually get out
there to the world.
HENRY GOLDING: I just
want to add on to that.
Also, a lot of people
are concentrating
on the Asian-American view.
There's a lot more
Asians out there
in the world, who
don't live in America,
who face the same exact
challenges, voices
in the Philippines,
Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand.
But people seem to be
thinking that the only Western
Asians are American.
So it's the voices like
Michelle's, like myself, like--
Ronnie Cheng is from Malaysia,
as well, [INAUDIBLE]..
Jing is from Shanghai.
Those are tales that should
be told in other movies.
It's what Jon said.
It is unfair to have
the weight of the world,
the weight of Asians in general
on this one particular movie.
It's like having the
world balanced on a pin.
There's so much to tell
and so many unique,
culturally-significant stories
to expand people's horizons,
expand beyond that of
just being American-Asian,
being American-Filipino,
American-Thai.
It's starting.
We're opening.
We're cracking that door open.
We're hoping that,
not only filmmakers,
but reporters, reviewers, people
in all sorts of industries
step up, and be proud
of writing stories
no matter what Asian
ethnicity, even if it's not
Asian-American.
So we need to look at
the broader picture.
And there's no label
for just being Asian.
There's so many subcategories.
And why can't we just have the
love that you see in the movie?
That is the true
translation of everything
we're trying to do--
is that story of coming
together, fighting adversity,
and we fight it together.
That's the only way
we're going to win.
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
SPEAKER: OK, we have one
more last audience question.
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
Hi, I'm [INAUDIBLE].
I'm a fellow Bay Area native.
I have to tell you, I watched
"Never Say Never" twice.
JON M. CHU: Nice!
Belieber, belieber, I see you.
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
In growing up, I was
told by my family
to pursue a medical position.
When I got to college, they're
like, pursue a tech position.
But I've always had
creative interests.
And for both of you, what
advice do you have for someone--
especially with my
background, our heritage--
to really just break out of
that sort of internal pressure
to really pursue
those endeavors?
And specifically
for Henry, do you
feel like in your next
role, do you feel pressure
to choose a
character that breaks
the common Asian stereotypes?
JON M. CHU: Constance--
who was with us yesterday.
She had to go back
to shoot her show--
said something
great when someone
asked a very similar questions.
She said, you don't have
to listen to your parents.
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: I'll tell my mom that.
JON M. CHU: I guess
that's as simple as that.
I know it's hard.
And you have to figure
out how to do that.
But the reality is,
that's growing up.
That's saying, yeah,
we're good enough.
And you don't have
to have the baggage
that your parents may have from
another era and another time.
Men, women, young people,
whatever class, whatever--
it doesn't matter--
we can determine
our own destiny.
And now, if you're
a creator, if you're
a writer, if you're a
director, my advice is always--
if you're a director,
you've got to direct.
If you're a writer,
you've got to write.
There's no excuse.
Nobody has to give you
permission to do that.
You can borrow a phone
camera from somebody.
You can edit on your phone.
You can get it on online
and get it to people.
If you're a storyteller,
you tell stories.
And that's just innately
in you, and you do it.
It's like being an entrepreneur.
You can't train someone.
They're either starting a
business or they're not.
You can't aspire to
be an entrepreneur.
HENRY GOLDING: For myself--
you were talking about my next
roles and things like that.
And for me, being an Asian lead
in a particularly Asian movie,
I'm super proud of that.
But my real goal was
the normalization
of being a different face in
this big industry of Hollywood
and normalizing the fact it's
an Asian lead, that it's not
a particular role that's
written for an Asian character.
My next film is called
"A Simple Favor."
I play Blake Lively's husband,
Anna Kendrick's love interest.
And my name is Sean Townsend.
[LAUGHTER]
It's not necessary to
explain my ethnicity.
That's where we need to get to.
We need to normalize
this fact that we
have all these beautiful
Asian faces on screen,
and not have to explain
where they've come from,
or what they're doing there.
And so that's the level
that we want, too.
So for me, I just
want to be a leading
man in these amazing movies,
and spread inspiration, so
people who think that
they're not good enough--
because they were
born somewhere else
that they don't belong in the
country that they are in now.
So I think I'm going to
be trekking away at that.
But that doesn't
mean that I'm not
going to be taking Asian roles.
My third movie, I was
playing an Asian in that.
And I was playing a
gay Asian, at that.
I'm super proud of that.
And it doesn't
matter the sexuality.
It doesn't matter the race.
I just want to be a spokesperson
or a role model for people
who felt like they
didn't have that choice
or that they can't aspire
to be something great.
AUDIENCE: Preach.
Thank you.
[LAUGHTER]
SPEAKER: Thank you.
So that's all we have for today.
If you guys haven't seen the
film, I highly encourage it.
I saw it last night, loved it.
So be sure to go out opening
weekend, and support the film.
JON M. CHU: Please do.
SPEAKER: I'm sure you guys
would appreciate that.
Tell your friends.
Tell your family.
It's a great movie.
And with that, I know you
guys have a packed schedule.
You need to be on your way.
So, thank you so much
for visiting Google.
HENRY GOLDING: Thank you, guys.
JON M. CHU: We appreciate it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
