“Ethnicity or race is not a genre. Being Asian American is no different from having a story about a white family or any other family, and I think that it shows that as a community, we can tell all kinds of stories of in all different genres.” – Lulu Wang
Braly talks about how the works of Nick Park and Hayao Miyazaki have inspired him, how childhood trips to Bangkok served as the inspiration for the show, the importance of having a Thai American as the lead character, and how Song played a big role in developing her character.
“It’s not so much a message I want people to live with, it’s a feeling,” Wong said. “A feeling of joy and a feeling of, ‘I want to watch this again.’” – Ali Wong
In a time where a shift in who and what stories appear onscreen is happening, Bloom feels optimistic in that the industry is getting there.
Melton talks about what it was like to be the male romantic lead, what it was like to portray an interracial relationship for a mainstream film, and also his thoughts about humanizing the stories of immigrants in this country.
“When it was first published I thought [that] hardly anybody is going to read this book by an unknown Chinese American author about mothers and daughters who have misunderstandings. Who’s going to want to read that? And the answer, after 30 years, is a lot of people.” – Amy Tan
“Making my work at a time where there is just more opportunities for Asian American actors really does help my work because when I’m looking for actors, they’re continuing to work before and after they have worked with me, which contributes to the health of the field.” – Lauren Yee
Francis Jue (M. Butterfly) and Conrad Ricamora (How to Get Away with Murder) talk about the timely show and Asian American storytelling.
Ramsey is one of only two Pacific Islander leading actors in the world to be in a Disney stage production.
An activist shares memories of growing up in a neighborhood now designated the SoMa Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District, and about the violence-prevention youth nonprofit he founded.
The school has a long history of providing Filipino language and culture to San Francisco students.
“I wasn’t faced with a lot of obstacles in being in the arts. It was always something that was very supported by my parents.”