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In April 2013,Crazy Rich Asianshadnt yet hit bookstores.
Someone actually said that to one of my representatives, says Kwan.
I was like, Do we even have to respond?
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It reflects self-worth and it reflects Asians coming to see this movie, says Chu.
We are worth that.
Which is why we didnt necessarily want to do it on Netflix or a streaming service.
Something in the museum trickles down to everything in the world.
The cinema is the museum, it puts it in a glass box: This is special.
So we had a very big decision to check that we pursued it the cinematic way.
And then get this thing made in that form, knowing its an all-Asian cast, says Jacobson.
Ivanhoe would bankrollCRAs development and act as a local fixer in Singapore when cameras finally rolled.
Unlike the Hollywood second-guessing, Oh my God, will this work?
Its all Asian, it was exactly the opposite for us: Thats exactly why it will work.
That was where we cracked the script and felt the conflict was most fully realized.
Joe: RetaliationandNow You See Me 2 was looking for his next project.
Why havent we had a full Asian cast in a movie?
I suddenly looked myself in the mirror and thought, Oh shit.
After his mother and sister emailed him asking, Why arent you doing theCrazy Rich Asiansmovie?
They even have a cousin in Hollywood who directs movies, says Chu.
Kevin was like, Thats you!
I was like, There is something weird about this movie, that Im supposed to do it.
From that first conversation and presentation, there was this passion that was so heartfelt, says Jacobson.
Right away, he was so clearly our guy.
Dates are dates, and if those are immovable, I understand, Wu wrote.
But I would put all of my heart, hope, humor and courage into the role.
What this could do means so much to me.
(Chu was so deeply persuaded, he pushed production back four months to accommodate her schedule.)
Its a very forward thing that a lot of actors wouldnt do, says Simpson.
Youre supposed to let your agent do it.
Because youre gonna get a personal rejection back if you write a letter like that.
Constance brought that up.
I feel uncomfortable bashing Asian guys in this.
The more I thought about it, the more I was like, Youre right.
And we had to change it very quickly.
Its so easy to be lazy and be like, No, no, its fine.
And then you get caught in what youre putting in the world.
In October 2016, the project was ready to seek out a distributor.
With the project green-lit, the last crucial piece of business was casting the right Nick.
He was like looking at Cary Grant, says Chu.
Our motto was always JFK Jr. in New York.
Hes this blood of royal blood.
And Henry had absolutely all of that stuff plus the accent on top of it.
We need to flip the paradigm.
The only paradigm theres been is the sexy Asian woman or the Asian temptress.
The guys always neutered.
Get that shirt off, Henry!
Ken Jeong (creator of ABCsDr.
There are certain jobs in your career that are commercial jobs and there are some that are passion jobs.
This one is a passion job, says Jeong.
Its just something I wanted to be part of.
Its about wanting to be part of something monumental.
Something thats bigger than me.
Im so giddy Im part of this, I cant even tell you.
Its a classic Hollywood studio movie with an all-Asian cast.
It feels like the big cultural event.
To be right there alongside those releases felt really significant and exciting.
Like, the realization of our aspirations for this.
