Andrew Ahn, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran talk reimagining ‘The Wedding Banquet’

L-R Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran in The Wedding Banquet Photo by Luka Cyprian Bleecker Street Ang Lee s film The Wedding Banquet was the first gay movie filmmaker Andrew Ahn ever saw He feels fortunate that one of the lead characters in the film was a queer man and also Asian a representation that has stuck with him through the years Now Ahn has directed a modern version of the classic I might not have realized it at the time but it has inspired me constantly Ahn announced As I watched it again for this adaptation it inspired so plenty of thoughts about getting married and having kids and conversations I am having with my boyfriend I felt very motivated to make this film Now in theaters the new The Wedding Banquet is co-written by Ahn and screenwriter James Schamus who also co-penned the original In the film Min Han Gi-Chan is a Korean gay man living in Seattle upset that his boyfriend Chris Bowen Yang will not marry him They live in the guest house of their best friends lesbian couple Lee Lily Gladstone and Angela Kelly Marie Tran who are trying to have a baby When he realizes his pupil visa is almost up and he might have to go back to Korea Min has an idea he and Angela can marry to get a green card and in return he can pay for Lee s IVF treatments Obviously there are chosen complications The cast also includes Joan Chen as Angela s mother and Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung as Min s grandmother Ahn Gladstone and Tran in recent times spoke to Georgia Voice about the making of The Wedding Banquet One of the appeals for Gladstone who uses she they pronouns was the realization of the modern-day touches There is this built-in sort of hesitancy or skepticism people have when they hear remake Gladstone explained This felt like such a re-imagining It stands on its own One of the things that really stood out to me when Andrew first approached me was that James stayed on as a writer It was right now obvious the cultural impact and importance the original film had After reading Andrew s script first and then watching the film I thought what a brilliant way of preserving what was great about the original making it something unique and updating the conversation on all levels Tran met Gladstone on the day of their first scene together but the two were easily able to generate a lot of chemistry I think that says a lot about Andrew s ability to cultivate society and the ability for actors to be calm on set Tran revealed People have revealed this to us Lee and Angela s relationship feels lived in and there is a history there It was so easy to find my little nook with Lily s shoulder I m grateful to have spent time with her she has taught me so much as an actress and as a person helping to cultivate the atmosphere They also have an uncanny ability to be authentic and honest at every moment This was Tran s first experience working on a set that was primarily queer There was a recognition from everyone involved of how rare and special that was We as a cast and so various crew members mentioned we get to explore and celebrate this part of our identity and that doesn t happen that often Tran explained We were all aware of that It felt like making the film was like having a warm hug and I think it shows when you watch it At such an uncertain time politically for LGBQT individuals all three artists feel that now is a welcome time for the film I wished we lived in better times Ahn reported I am thankful our film can provide a moment for people to let their walls down and be vulnerable so they can fill themselves up and heal and go out to the greater world with more tools and more inspiration to protect those we love Film and art is really great and inspiring and we still need to take that next step So much of this film is about stewardship and making the world a better place for the next generation I hope this film can help inspire that stewardship Gladstone agreed with Ahn s comments Satisfaction is resistance they stated For so much of folks finding themselves new to the front lines of picketing and protesting and there is reason to do that now the fatigue of that is very real For the film Gladstone chose to make her character Duwamish a tribe of the original inhabitants of Seattle who have been denied federal recognition for decades She recognizes the tribe s frustration on feeling that their existence depends on who is in office We didn t intend for our film to be a dose of good medicine for folks fatigued in fighting just for their right to exist but you need that Gladstone revealed I think that is the way we all win in the end We don t apologize for our existence We celebrate who we are and each other and affirm and uplift each together despite what any large entity is trying to say about who we are We remain and we are here The post Andrew Ahn Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran talk reimagining The Wedding Banquet appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta