1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:01,480 Speaker 1: Hi. 2 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 2: My name is Anani Ramos. 3 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 3: I'm nineteen years old and I'm born and raised her 4 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 3: in Washington Heights. 5 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:08,040 Speaker 1: I'm Sandy Rodriguez. 6 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 3: I'm twenty seven. 7 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: Tracy McNeil, I'm forty three. 8 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 4: My name is Learning and my age is seven. Wake up. 9 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 4: I got this little punk, I got a chase away 10 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 4: put the Great at the Cricket Dan since where I 11 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 4: looked down on and Hya. 12 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:22,959 Speaker 1: Good morning. 13 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 5: So we are in Washington Heights also known as Little 14 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 5: Dominican Republic. Like on Google Maps, it's in Upper Manhattan. 15 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 6: And we're at the in the Heights premiere. Crazy, really insane. 16 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: I'm so happy that I'm here and we're at this 17 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: most gorgeous movie Theater, United Palace. 18 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 7: This movie theater has been here all my life. I've 19 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 7: been here all my life. You could be here all 20 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 7: day because they would show double features black and white, 21 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 7: so we would be here all the time, and all 22 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 7: the kids from the neighborhood would be here all the time. 23 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 5: I have not seen in the Heights of the musical, 24 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 5: like this is my first time. 25 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: I haven't seen the music. I wanted to, but I 26 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: never had the chance. 27 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 5: I wasn't able to see it on Broadway, but I 28 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,040 Speaker 5: was able to watch clips of it on YouTube. 29 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 3: The last time I went to the movies, Wow, I 30 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 3: honestly do not remember. 31 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 6: It's been a while before COVID. 32 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 7: I went to the movies all the time, and I'm 33 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 7: dying to go back to the movies. 34 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 3: For me personally, and I think a lot of people 35 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 3: resonate with this. COVID has been extremely, extremely difficult. So 36 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 3: to be able to see something so beautiful and pure 37 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 3: and share it with a community, it's nothing better, nothing 38 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 3: better than that. It's just emotional, so emotional to see 39 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 3: yourself and the people that you grew up with on 40 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 3: the screen. I haven't seen too many movies with our 41 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 3: neighborhood in it. 42 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 6: You hear Watchington, you probably hear something bad. 43 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: I have never seen my neighborhood represented with beauty and 44 00:01:55,680 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: light and joy, and so to see pride and love 45 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: and light, which is what I see represented on the screen, yeah, tears. 46 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 6: So many tears were had. 47 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: At the very beginning, when everyone's getting ready to go 48 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,119 Speaker 1: to work and the mother is doing her child's hair 49 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: and she had a hair that looked like mine. It's 50 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: our entire community, and it showed with love. 51 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:30,079 Speaker 4: From Futuro Media. 52 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 6: It's Latino USA. 53 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 4: I'm Maria in Josa today the film In the Heights. 54 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 4: We talked to director John M. Chew about why he 55 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 4: thinks immigrant narratives deserve to be summer blockbusters. In the 56 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 4: Heights is a story that has lived many lives. A 57 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:54,959 Speaker 4: Puerto Rican kid from Washington Heights, Lin Manuel Miranda, began 58 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 4: writing the musical in nineteen ninety nine, when he was 59 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 4: just nineteen. He was a sophomore at Wesleyan University, miles 60 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 4: away from the Heights, the largely Dominican and Latino neighborhood 61 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 4: in Upper Manhattan where Midanda grew up. But it was 62 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 4: in his dorm room in rural Connecticut where Midanda began 63 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 4: to look around him and think about home. Lights up 64 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 4: on Washington Heights, up at the break of day, A 65 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 4: wake up, and I got this little punk. I got 66 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 4: a chase away, pop the great get the crackt the 67 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 4: dorm sing while I wipe down the morning. A Morning 68 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 4: in the Heights tells the story of three days in 69 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 4: the life of a community in Washington Heights through the 70 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 4: eyes of Usnabi, who owns a bodega at the heart 71 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 4: of the neighborhood. We learn about the hopes and dreams 72 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 4: of the many people whose lives intersect on this one 73 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 4: block during these three days. And of course the music 74 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 4: is everything from salsa to hip hop. 75 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 6: Yoga ninety six thousand, I finally fixed it, keep. 76 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 4: The pot, taking us to the streets of Washington Heights. 77 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: Day. 78 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 4: In two thousand and eight, In the Heights made it 79 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 4: to Broadway, going on to win four Tonys, including Best Musical. 80 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 4: I used to dream about this moment. Now I'm in it. 81 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 4: Tell the conducted a whole baton a minute. Thank the 82 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 4: cast and crew for having each other's back. 83 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 3: Son. 84 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 4: I don't know about God, but I believe in Chris Jackson. 85 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,280 Speaker 4: And while there was already talk about making In the 86 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 4: Heights into a movie back in two thousand and eight, 87 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 4: it would be a long journey before the story made 88 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 4: it to the big screen. At first, it was lean 89 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 4: Manuel Miranda who had to pitch the musical to the 90 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 4: big studios. Universal picked it up in two thousand and eight, 91 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 4: but ultimately dropped it in two thousand eleven when Midanda's 92 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 4: next musical, Hamilton, became a hit. In twenty fifteen, the 93 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 4: conversations about an in The Heights movie picked up again 94 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 4: at the same time Hollywood was being rocked once again 95 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 4: by conversations about a lack of diversity in the industry. 96 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 6: Well, I'm here at the Academy Awards otherwise known as 97 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 6: the White People's Choice Awards. 98 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 4: Then John M. Chu Is tapped to direct In the 99 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 4: Heights at the time, to the son of Chinese and 100 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 4: Taiwanese immigrants, was going through his own reckoning about the 101 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 4: stories that make it to the big screen. Having been 102 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 4: discovered by Steven Spielberg straight out of film school, chu 103 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 4: was catapulted into Hollywood, spending the first decade of his 104 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 4: career directing large budget franchised movies like the sequels to 105 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 4: Step Up. 106 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:52,919 Speaker 6: Are you ready to Step Upward? 107 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 4: Now you see me. 108 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 6: If you think you've seen it all, take another look. 109 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 4: And Gi Joe, you want to make a difference, Let's go. 110 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 4: But in twenty sixteen, Chuo did something that everyone in 111 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 4: the industry told him was a massive risk, directing crazy 112 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 4: rich Asians. 113 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 6: So your family is rich or comfortable? That is exactly 114 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 6: what a super rich person would say. 115 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 4: And making it the first major Hollywood film to feature 116 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 4: a majority Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club way 117 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 4: back in nineteen ninety three. Contrary to what the Hollywood 118 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,360 Speaker 4: executives thought, the movie was a massive hit, giving Too 119 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 4: the confidence to take another risk directing in the Heights. 120 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 4: But this time, as Chu and Miranda looked for a 121 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 4: studio to produce In the Heights of the movie, it 122 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 4: was the studios who were coming to them. They were 123 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,360 Speaker 4: able to secure a fifty five million dollar deal with 124 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 4: Warner Brothers, by then busy with other projects. Miranda as 125 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:04,480 Speaker 4: playwright Kiada Alegria Hudi's to write the screenplay. Even though 126 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 4: Kiata had won a Pulitzer from her playwriting, she and 127 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 4: most of the actors tapped to star in the film 128 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 4: were relatively unknown in Hollywood. They got some pushback from 129 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 4: the studio, but kicked off shooting in the streets of 130 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 4: Washington Heights during the summer of twenty nineteen. Everything was 131 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 4: set for the movie's big release in June of twenty twenty, 132 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 4: but then. 133 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: The box office took a major hit this weekend, fall 134 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: into a new twenty year low amid the coronavirus pandemic. 135 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 4: The pandemic hit and the team was confronted with a 136 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 4: difficult decision to release the movie on streaming platforms only, 137 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 4: or delay the much anticipated release. Since In the Heights 138 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 4: premiered on June eleventh, the movie has sparked a spectrum 139 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 4: of reactions, from praise for the movie's joyous representation of 140 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 4: Washington Heights to critiques that the movie falls short in 141 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 4: its goal of representation by not having dark skinned actors 142 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 4: in leading roles in a movie about a largely Dominican 143 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 4: Afro LATINX neighborhood. Now, As In the Heights hits theaters 144 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 4: one year after its original release date. We speak with 145 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 4: director John M. Choo about his own immigrant upbringing and 146 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 4: how he sees film as a technology for belonging. John Mchwo, 147 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 4: Welcome to Latin USA. 148 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 6: Thank you. Have you seen the movie? By the way, Maria, 149 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 6: I did finally yes. 150 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 4: To be honest with you, you know, I just cried 151 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:36,839 Speaker 4: and cried and cried and cried and cried. 152 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 6: As did we all almost every day on that says seriously, Yeah, 153 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 6: it was very emotional every day. I don't know where 154 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 6: it all came from. You could feel that that people 155 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 6: are there for a bigger reason. 156 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 4: It feels so much like that is the story. People 157 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 4: are there for a bigger reason. But we're going to 158 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 4: talk a little bit first about you so people can 159 00:08:57,160 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 4: get a chance to get to know who John m. 160 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 4: Chwo is. My mom is from Taiwan, your dad is 161 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 4: from mainland China. You grow up in the Bay Area. 162 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 4: They have a restaurant in Los Angeos. Take me to 163 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:10,079 Speaker 4: that place. What was it like growing up there? 164 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 6: I lived in a magical place in the Silicon Valley 165 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 6: before it was the Silicon Valley, in a Chinese restaurant 166 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 6: where my dad and my mom are working their butts off, 167 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 6: and it's still there, by the way, to this day, 168 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 6: they're still working there fifty one years later. That's where 169 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 6: I grew up, where I was told that America is 170 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 6: the greatest place in the world where you can do 171 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 6: anything if you work hard and love what you do. 172 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 6: And I believed it, and that's what they needed to 173 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:39,320 Speaker 6: believe too in order to survive. And so I got 174 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 6: to go to shows every week, and they took us 175 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 6: to the city to see. It was either opera season, 176 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 6: ballet season, or musical season. I took instruments, drum, saxophone, violin, piano, guitar. 177 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 6: I took tap classes for twelve years, twelve years. I 178 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 6: dig it. 179 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:55,560 Speaker 4: Oh, so you're a serious tap dancer. 180 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 6: I mean, I can hope a little bit. 181 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 4: It's not just step ball chain for you. 182 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 6: Let's be real. I am not a performer, but I 183 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 6: had dreams. I would sit in my bedroom and dream 184 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 6: about being an Disney animator at first, and then Walt 185 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 6: Disney himself, and then I would dream about being a 186 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 6: filmmaker like Steven Spielberg or Tim Burton. I know what 187 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 6: it feels like to sit in your closet and play 188 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 6: with your toys and imagine a future that doesn't exist 189 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 6: in front of you. There was no Asian American directors 190 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 6: that you could sort of point to, and yet I 191 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,680 Speaker 6: thought it was always possible. And yet at the same time, 192 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 6: there was a sense of when I brought my dumplings 193 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 6: to school that my friends would be like, what was 194 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 6: that smell? At that point, you bury it and you 195 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 6: keep moving, like it wasn't worth the energy. I remember 196 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:45,679 Speaker 6: in college I was dating a girl and we went 197 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 6: to a supermarket and we're walking out and some guys 198 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 6: starts yelling at me, get out of this country. 199 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 4: What do you do? 200 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 6: And you get out and I totally ignore the guy, 201 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 6: totally as natural as I have done my whole life. 202 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 6: And my girlfriend at the time was like yelling back. 203 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:00,840 Speaker 6: She went back at him. I had to hold her 204 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 6: back and she was like, I can't believe that happens. 205 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 6: And I was like, yeah, I guess I don't even 206 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:09,400 Speaker 6: really hear it anymore. That was the first time I realized, like, 207 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 6: I've been given tools by my parents to ignore this stuff, 208 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 6: and yet I was starting to be aware more and 209 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 6: more of it through college coming to LAM. 210 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 4: So on the one hand, your childhood was that, but 211 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 4: also you had this magical part in going to the 212 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 4: theater and the opera and all that stuff. You were 213 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 4: also watching a lot of TV. So what was that 214 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:32,680 Speaker 4: relationship like in terms of television and American television and 215 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 4: becoming too Americanized? I mean it was in my family 216 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 4: a point of contention. What was it like in your 217 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:41,079 Speaker 4: family and what were you all watching or what were 218 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 4: you watching? And what were they watching or what were 219 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 4: you watching together? 220 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 6: Well, you have to remember they came over to this 221 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 6: kind of My mom was nineteen years old when she came. 222 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 6: My dad was twenty three, and they met in the 223 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 6: Bay Area and the only words of English they knew 224 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:58,199 Speaker 6: were from Elvis songs or Beatles songs, and they watched TV. 225 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 6: My mom looked up to those people. My brother is 226 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:06,439 Speaker 6: named after her, Howard Hughes, and my mom always thought 227 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 6: that we were like the Kennedy's and she was like 228 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 6: Jackie O. And so she even called me John John 229 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:16,080 Speaker 6: a lot. Even to this day, she'll call me John John. 230 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 6: My dad was not the opposite of my mom, but 231 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:23,439 Speaker 6: he was much more cautious of us being too Americanized. 232 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 6: Like when we went to dim sum and we wanted sodas, 233 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 6: he was like, you have to drink tea like the food. 234 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 6: He's a chef, so he's like, the food goes with 235 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 6: the tea. This is called yumcha. It's about a tea meal. 236 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:38,680 Speaker 6: What are you guys talking about? And my mom would 237 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:40,679 Speaker 6: never let him win that argument. It was like her 238 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 6: whole thing was like people look at Chinese people and 239 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:45,080 Speaker 6: don't think that we can go to the country club 240 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 6: with them or talk about wine with them, And she's like, 241 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 6: I want us to always be that family, so they 242 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,679 Speaker 6: when they see other Chinese families, they know that they 243 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 6: could hang with them as well as anyone else. 244 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 4: It's very interesting that your mom's kind of outlook it's 245 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 4: kind of like in a reactive mode to essentially white supremacy. 246 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:09,680 Speaker 6: Yeah. Yeah, it wasn't painted like that to me, of course, 247 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 6: Like America will give you everything you want if you 248 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:15,079 Speaker 6: act like the way they want you to act, And 249 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,959 Speaker 6: that was the survival mechanism that worked for them at 250 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 6: that time and was working for us. Because of those lessons, 251 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 6: I did get to sort of code switch and sit 252 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 6: into situations and go to go play tennis with my 253 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 6: friends and feel like I deserve to be there, good 254 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 6: or bad. At that point, it was just the way 255 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 6: it is. 256 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 4: At some point, you're like in your room playing and 257 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 4: then imagining a movie. I love that you go to 258 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:48,160 Speaker 4: film school, you're at USC, but I'm trying to understand, 259 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:51,840 Speaker 4: at what point was it when you're like, oh my god, 260 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:56,559 Speaker 4: the power of film. Do you remember when the light 261 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 4: bulb moment was? 262 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 6: I think I saw the power of stories because my 263 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 6: parents they were storytellers. They were hosts. If you come 264 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 6: to our house, you're eating a lot, and if you 265 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 6: say no, you're eating more, and they're telling you the 266 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 6: story of why the sauces are the way they are, 267 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 6: why you need it right now in your life. When 268 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,760 Speaker 6: I was probably kindergartener, first grade, and they said that 269 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:19,560 Speaker 6: they were going to come and they volunteered to talk 270 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 6: about Chinese New Year to my class, and I was like, 271 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 6: this is the worst idea ever. Oh gosh, I'm going 272 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 6: to be even more ostracized now. And instead they brought 273 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 6: tons of food from the restaurant. They brought red envelopes 274 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 6: with gold chocolates inside of them. They told the story 275 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 6: of Chinese New Year with dragon Dancer Lion dancer. They 276 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 6: got their chefs to put the suit on and dance 277 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 6: around with drums, and I became the most popular kid 278 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 6: in school. And so I saw that when you show something, 279 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 6: when you show how joyful it can be, that it 280 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 6: can change everybody's mind, no matter where they came from. 281 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 6: I would think. The second time really with was when 282 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 6: I actually got a camera in my hand. Probably it 283 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 6: was fifth or sixth grade, and I cut to something together. 284 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 6: I never actually edited something. So I got this little 285 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 6: mixer from Sharper Image, that catalog of like futuristic stuff, 286 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 6: and I cut together a video of our family vacation 287 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:20,560 Speaker 6: and my parents I showed it to them, sat them 288 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 6: down on the couch and showed it to them and 289 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 6: they started to cry, and I watched their face and 290 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 6: I remember thinking, Wow, they're paying attention to me, paying 291 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 6: attention to this, And I could see just the way 292 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,800 Speaker 6: they watch movies or TVs. Seeing our family as though 293 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 6: they were a TV show having living the dream. It 294 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:44,160 Speaker 6: felt like it moved them, and I knew from that 295 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 6: moment on, I was going to do this for the 296 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 6: rest of my life, whether I was getting paid for 297 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:48,160 Speaker 6: it or not. 298 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 4: Coming up on Latino Usay, our conversation with John m 299 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 4: two continues. We're going to dig into his own personal 300 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 4: recond around representation in Hollywood. Stay with us, not stay bye, Yes, Hey, 301 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 4: we're back. And before the break, I was having a 302 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 4: conversation with John m Chu, the director of Crazy Rich 303 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:06,760 Speaker 4: Asians and most recently the director of the movie adaptation 304 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:08,879 Speaker 4: of In the Heights. We're going to pick up our 305 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,680 Speaker 4: conversation now about John's watershed moment when he became aware 306 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,639 Speaker 4: of his own power to uplift the stories that weren't 307 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 4: being told. Your connection to film is deeply emotional. Yeah, absolutely, 308 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 4: But in your beginning of your career, you're doing these 309 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,719 Speaker 4: huge franchise movies. Step up the sequel to Now You 310 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:39,400 Speaker 4: See Me, yep. And so you were doing these big 311 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,680 Speaker 4: things and then you have I mean, was it a reckoning? 312 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:44,680 Speaker 4: Was it a moment when you just said, look, I 313 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,199 Speaker 4: need to do something different. What is the word that 314 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 4: you applied to it. Is it a reckoning or is 315 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 4: it something else? 316 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 6: In a way, I was just trying to swim. Making 317 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 6: movies is emotional for me, extremely personal. With a camera, 318 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:02,919 Speaker 6: I could go to anybody at my school and go 319 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 6: up to them and they welcomed me into the circle 320 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,240 Speaker 6: and they would talk to me because I was shooting 321 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:09,120 Speaker 6: them and they loved it, and I would cut something 322 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:11,639 Speaker 6: together and give it to them. I gave me so 323 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 6: much freedom that I could be heard and listened to 324 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 6: at any time. So for me, it wasn't actually the 325 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 6: end product. It wasn't the story I was telling. It 326 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 6: was the actual act of making a movie that fulfilled me. 327 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,960 Speaker 6: It was like breathing that working with people and giving 328 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 6: our all, and like then being able to show it 329 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,439 Speaker 6: to people and seeing their reaction and that that piece 330 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 6: they could save and they would watch over and over again. 331 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:44,400 Speaker 6: That was the most fulfilling, purpose driven idea that I've 332 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 6: ever had in my life. I could I played all 333 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 6: these instruments. I did all this dance, but I was 334 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:50,879 Speaker 6: never great at any of them. But I was really 335 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 6: good at this and I could feel that. So when 336 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,199 Speaker 6: I got discovered at USC, I've made short films, and 337 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:01,960 Speaker 6: when Steven Spiler saw the short and I got thrown 338 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,000 Speaker 6: into the business, It's like winning the lottery. I didn't 339 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 6: earn it. I made a short film, it wasn't a feature. 340 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 6: I'd never pate on a set before, and I got 341 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 6: thrown into this business here. The first seven movies was 342 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,879 Speaker 6: me being like, wait, how does this work. I have 343 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,360 Speaker 6: less experience than the pas on set. I had way 344 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 6: less experience than actors on set, so I was just 345 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,359 Speaker 6: trying to figure out the puzzle. That's why sequels were 346 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 6: fun for me, because I liked being given a box 347 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:32,120 Speaker 6: and saying, make the best thing of this box. And 348 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 6: I kept doing that until there was a point where 349 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 6: I finally realized that I deserved to be here, like 350 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:42,320 Speaker 6: I do have this skill set. Most of the time 351 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:44,680 Speaker 6: I was making movies, I'm like, if this all falls apart, 352 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:46,200 Speaker 6: what should I be doing? Should I be going into tech? 353 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:48,919 Speaker 6: Should I be going into design? I had backup plans, 354 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 6: but every time it would hit and be fine. I'd 355 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 6: be like, oh, I get another one. But then when 356 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 6: I realized, no, I know what I'm doing. I'm working 357 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,719 Speaker 6: with Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Friedman, Michael Kaine, these 358 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 6: let jins, and I can hang with them, and I'm like, Okay, 359 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,639 Speaker 6: I know I can do this. Now I'm worthy. And 360 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 6: then I turned into myself and said, well, then what 361 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,200 Speaker 6: are you doing with this? And that's with the reckoning 362 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 6: or that's the moment that it hit me. I had 363 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 6: made a short film in college called Guilo the Little Foreigner. 364 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 6: It's Guilo's like white devil what they called me when 365 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 6: I went to Hong Kong for the first time to visit, 366 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 6: And it was that dual idea of like when I 367 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 6: went there feeling like, oh, this feels like people who 368 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 6: look like me. They're treating me like their cousin everywhere 369 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:35,760 Speaker 6: I go. But then they call you guiloh, and like, oh, 370 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:37,639 Speaker 6: I don't belong here either, And so I made a 371 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:41,200 Speaker 6: short film a musical about that, and it went well 372 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 6: when we screened it, but I was so self conscious 373 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 6: of what I was saying in it, like did I 374 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,119 Speaker 6: go too far with this or that or that? I 375 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 6: never shared that short film. I never sent it to 376 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:55,160 Speaker 6: film festivals. I kept it to myself. And for all 377 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 6: those years of making movies in Hollywood, I was never 378 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:01,240 Speaker 6: going to touch being Asian American again. I didn't want 379 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 6: to be an Asian American director. I want to just 380 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 6: be a director. That was my excuse the whole time. 381 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 6: If you asked, if you look at interviews back then, 382 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 6: I probably said that. But at this moment, it was like, 383 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 6: what's the thing that scares you? What's the thing that 384 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 6: only you can make? Because anyone could make these sequels? 385 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 6: What is the other thing? And it always came down 386 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,560 Speaker 6: to my cultural identity crisis. And the more I was 387 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:32,480 Speaker 6: living life, the more I found others who shared that idea. 388 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,920 Speaker 4: Did you feel like that story, that experienced that life, 389 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,479 Speaker 4: that code switching that did you feel like it was 390 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 4: there's a kind of superpower here or were you still 391 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 4: like I'm just trying to still understand it all and 392 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 4: piece it together. 393 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 6: I think that it was more I'm trying to piece 394 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 6: it all together. I felt confident I made enough people 395 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 6: money over the years in the studios that I probably 396 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 6: got one free one. I probably got one thing I 397 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,639 Speaker 6: could do whatever I wanted. At the same time, Oscar 398 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 6: So was happening starring John Choe, movement was happening where 399 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,400 Speaker 6: they put like John Show on famous movie poster as 400 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 6: if he were the lead character, and it broke my 401 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 6: brain to see that I had never thought of it 402 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,200 Speaker 6: like that. In my mind, it was like, oh, yeah, 403 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,919 Speaker 6: he is a star, and he could have been in 404 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:19,320 Speaker 6: Minority Report, he could have been in Top Gun. And 405 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,879 Speaker 6: yet how crazy it is that we've never seen this? 406 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 6: What happened to the America that I was taught? And 407 00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 6: the more I looked at it, the more I looked 408 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 6: at myself like what's wrong with Hollywood? And I looked 409 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 6: at myself like, oh you are Hollywood, Like I literally 410 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 6: tomorrow could cast an all Asian cast if I wanted to. 411 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,760 Speaker 6: I always say that crazy which Asians wasn't something that 412 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 6: started some movement. It is a result of a movement 413 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 6: that was started before that. I am the result that 414 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,920 Speaker 6: that movement changed my brain. People speaking out online, and 415 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 6: for me, it was this realization America was not as promised. 416 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:55,439 Speaker 6: In fact, that was probably just a story that my 417 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 6: parents needed to say to get through it, but that 418 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 6: each generation would we had to make our own nest. 419 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 6: That's it. And so I was now at a certain 420 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 6: age of forty or approaching forty at the time of 421 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,560 Speaker 6: Crazy Rich Asians, and I knew it was our time. 422 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,080 Speaker 6: I was now in a place of power. So I 423 00:23:13,119 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 6: went to search for what those stories were and actually 424 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,399 Speaker 6: found Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights at the 425 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 6: same time. 426 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 4: So take me to that night on Broadway. I take 427 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 4: my Dominican born husband to see In the Heights. He 428 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:30,680 Speaker 4: can't stand musicals, and he's weeping like a baby the 429 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,480 Speaker 4: entire time. You know, what was that like? And you 430 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 4: know you're seeing it? Where'd you go? Were you? What'd 431 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 4: you do with all of those feelings? 432 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,879 Speaker 6: When I saw In the Heights for the first time 433 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:44,439 Speaker 6: ten years earlier, I was making a step up to 434 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:47,920 Speaker 6: the streets my first movie and we had a salsae 435 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,160 Speaker 6: section and our salsal choreographer was this guy Luis Salgado, 436 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,439 Speaker 6: and Luis Salgado was in In the Heights. He's like, 437 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 6: come check it out. He's like this guy lin Manuel Mirande. 438 00:23:58,080 --> 00:23:59,920 Speaker 6: I was like, okay, sure, let's go check it out. 439 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:02,439 Speaker 6: We take a trip up to New York and I 440 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 6: watched this not knowing what to expect and like any 441 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:10,359 Speaker 6: lin Manuel Miranda first experience, your jaw is on the floor. 442 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 6: He had this amazing ability to express a story something 443 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 6: that I recognized. Even though I'm not from Washington Heights, 444 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,920 Speaker 6: i am not Latino. I recognize it as my own 445 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,960 Speaker 6: family in a Chinese restaurant, working hard for each other, 446 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 6: fighting hard for each other, my aunties and uncles raising me. 447 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 6: I knew what that feeling was like. I knew who 448 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,119 Speaker 6: my Abuela Claudia was. That was my booboo, helping me 449 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 6: make one tons in the kitchen. I knew when she 450 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:43,800 Speaker 6: would do the books at the end of the day 451 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 6: for the restaurant, she would be doing it on an abacus. 452 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,479 Speaker 6: And the sounds of those details, like he said, it 453 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,120 Speaker 6: all on the screen without my family even being involved 454 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 6: in it, and that moved me. I cried just as 455 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 6: much as your Dominican husband. Probably. I didn't ever think 456 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:00,640 Speaker 6: I would make that move at it, and even wasn't 457 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 6: even in the ballgame for that, but it stayed with 458 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 6: me for all those years. I love so ten years 459 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:07,400 Speaker 6: later when it's coming back to me and they're saying, Hey, 460 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:10,440 Speaker 6: would you ever do this movie? Do you have a 461 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 6: vision for it. It hit me like a ton of 462 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,960 Speaker 6: bricks that I knew this story. I sat down with 463 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:20,440 Speaker 6: Lynn and we had a great conversation about dreams. When 464 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:23,040 Speaker 6: you dream, you don't go to the place you're actually dreaming. 465 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:25,959 Speaker 6: It's it takes place in your bedroom. Your bedroom turns 466 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:28,800 Speaker 6: into your dream. And so I said, I think that's 467 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:32,639 Speaker 6: what that's what in the Heights the movie can do that. 468 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 6: We can if we're shooting and washing the heights and 469 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 6: we're on the streets, then let's bring the dreams to 470 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 6: the street. Let's make the streets change for them, like 471 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 6: art installations invading the space. What it means little dream. 472 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 6: I knew what it felt like to yearn which is 473 00:25:57,840 --> 00:25:59,879 Speaker 6: why that shot of Usnavi in the window of his 474 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,560 Speaker 6: bodega looking out. The pressure of looking out and yearning 475 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 6: for something beyond the window and then seeing a reflection 476 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 6: of your community, and your community is not sitting there 477 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,680 Speaker 6: sad for you. They're dancing and they're daring you to 478 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 6: dream bigger, They're daring you to break that window. To me, 479 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 6: that pressure was like everything this movie could be, and 480 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,440 Speaker 6: you can't do that on stage. And so we connected 481 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:20,200 Speaker 6: on that very early. 482 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 4: All right, So let's go back a little bit. Here's 483 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:27,480 Speaker 4: just to give some context. So lin Manuel Miranda starts 484 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 4: writing in the Heights in his college dorm in Wesleyan 485 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 4: in nineteen ninety nine, goes off Broadway, then it gets 486 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,360 Speaker 4: to Broadway two thousand and eight, and it was really 487 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 4: a story about gentrification. But when the play makes it 488 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 4: to the movie adaptation, the screenwriter Kiera Aligria Hudi's really 489 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:51,120 Speaker 4: wants to update the film and decides to go there 490 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,919 Speaker 4: politically by making an undocumented immigrant one of the central characters. 491 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 4: And I'm wondering how you felt about that and how 492 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:01,160 Speaker 4: you think that this is going to affect the impact 493 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 4: that this film is going to have right now? 494 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 6: Well, first of all, Kiara is the key to everything 495 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 6: about this movie. How blessed was I to be able 496 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:11,479 Speaker 6: to work with someone who knows words like that and 497 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 6: someone who knows words in musical form with Lynn like 498 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:20,159 Speaker 6: It was a dream team to be welcomed into. And 499 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 6: that's how I saw it. I was being welcomed into 500 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:25,920 Speaker 6: a family that existed, and I had assets to give, 501 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 6: But in the end of the day, I was leaning 502 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:32,119 Speaker 6: on Linen Kiara to guide me. I came there with 503 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:35,119 Speaker 6: my eyes open, my ears open, and said, tell me 504 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 6: about this place. I know the words to the songs, 505 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:41,480 Speaker 6: I know your show. I connected with it. But tell 506 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 6: me why you started this in the first place. And 507 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:45,919 Speaker 6: they took me on a tour. They took me on 508 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:48,879 Speaker 6: a tour to the best cafe Gauleche, where he shot 509 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:50,880 Speaker 6: his home videos in the one hundred and ninety first 510 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 6: Street Tunnel. It was like this glimpse into their lives, 511 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,399 Speaker 6: their childhood, their dreams, their hopes, where they went on dates. 512 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 6: And I, as a first timer, got to experience the 513 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:05,479 Speaker 6: electricity of those places, having never seen them before. So 514 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 6: I took note all the time what made me feel wet, 515 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 6: because most of the audience will have never been there, 516 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:14,280 Speaker 6: and I wanted to know what would trigger for them. 517 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 6: And so it was truly a collaboration in that. And 518 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:21,879 Speaker 6: we talked a lot about home, and how could you 519 00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 6: how could you talk about home without talking about someone 520 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:30,399 Speaker 6: who wants to fight for home and who is not 521 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 6: going anywhere. It's not even a question that he wants 522 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 6: to go anywhere, but he was going to be right here. 523 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 6: How could you argue with someone who's the most Washington 524 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 6: Heights all American kid and say he doesn't deserve to 525 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:43,600 Speaker 6: be here. 526 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:49,800 Speaker 7: Escalaton Richard penetrating YA corporations when we should be demonstrating. 527 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:55,000 Speaker 6: Mcgration positions, behaving from this nation's gone from ladon to blazon. 528 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 4: All right, So here's the reveal. I'm asked to play 529 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:06,400 Speaker 4: a role in the film. I get an email from 530 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 4: Kiata that's would you you know, the casting director would 531 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 4: like you to play this role? Would you be interested? 532 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,920 Speaker 4: And I'm like, are you kidding me? Then all of 533 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 4: a sudden, it turns out I'm on set with you 534 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:21,320 Speaker 4: the very first day that you're shooting in the Heights. 535 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:26,400 Speaker 4: The very first big scene is my scene. You're directing me. 536 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 4: Everybody's there, and you did create that sense of family. 537 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,040 Speaker 6: I really fell in love with Washington Heights. I fell 538 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:38,120 Speaker 6: in love with everyone I met there. I fell in 539 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 6: love with Lynn and Kiara and the story that I 540 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 6: felt so close to when I was ten years prior. 541 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:48,880 Speaker 6: And I knew that I couldn't come in here and 542 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 6: just say, hey, I have this vision, here's a portrait. 543 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:53,320 Speaker 6: Everybody pick a color and fill it in. That was 544 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:56,080 Speaker 6: that was not my role as a director here. I 545 00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:00,200 Speaker 6: understood that I had to be listening at all on 546 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:01,840 Speaker 6: all moments. In a way, it was sort of a 547 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:05,080 Speaker 6: how I think all movies should be made, and I 548 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,200 Speaker 6: this was the first time I really got to implement it. 549 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 6: But it did require people like Lynn and Kiara and 550 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:16,080 Speaker 6: you and our every single one of our cast members 551 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 6: to trust me, trust each other, and again give each 552 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 6: other grace to figure it out together. 553 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 4: This is one of the things that you talk about 554 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 4: as a director, and I'm wondering, you know, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, 555 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,400 Speaker 4: if other Hollywood directors are listening, take a hint, because 556 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:33,680 Speaker 4: you do have this collapse. You've talked about this as 557 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:37,240 Speaker 4: a director. And I'm going to talk about a particular 558 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:39,560 Speaker 4: scene in the movie, which is the dinner party scene, 559 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 4: when all of the main characters get together in one 560 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 4: kind of small Washington Heights apartment. The dinner party is 561 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:50,640 Speaker 4: to celebrate Nina's return from Stanford and set the scene 562 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:55,080 Speaker 4: where are we? What's conversations went into selecting all of 563 00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 4: the details, like the food that's in the scene, the music. 564 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 4: Can you just to that scene and deconstruct it for 565 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 4: a moment. 566 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 6: This is the first time that all the characters were 567 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 6: going to be around a table, and this is our 568 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,680 Speaker 6: first opportunity to really connect all their stories together, and 569 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 6: so we want to feel intimate, warm, like a regular 570 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,000 Speaker 6: party would be. And we have the best cast them 571 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,720 Speaker 6: all in a room. I just watched them, not even 572 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:23,520 Speaker 6: in rehearsals, just coming into that real apartment space which 573 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 6: has no room, interact with each other, and I was like, 574 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 6: I want the audience to see what it's like to 575 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 6: hang out with this crew, with this cast. I want 576 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:32,720 Speaker 6: to see what it's like to try to have a 577 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:34,680 Speaker 6: meal with them when no one's getting a word in. 578 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 6: Everyone's eating and talking over each other and dancing, and 579 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,920 Speaker 6: everyone's trying to top each other. Like what I want 580 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 6: that feeling. And I remember in Crazy Rich Asians, I 581 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 6: got a lot of emails and messages about this one 582 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:51,760 Speaker 6: moment where the four friends have just eaten and they're 583 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 6: just driving, four Asian friends driving and it makes you 584 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 6: want to be in the car with them. That's it. 585 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 6: I was like, that's all that we need. We haven't 586 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 6: even had that. So I knew to see a family 587 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,720 Speaker 6: eating together, ribbing each other, but at the same time 588 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 6: loving each other and being able to fight with each 589 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:12,280 Speaker 6: other and get real with each other. That's what I 590 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,840 Speaker 6: wanted to feel in that room, so I just rolled. 591 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 4: So you know, you and Van Manuel and Kiera have 592 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:22,640 Speaker 4: talked a lot about and really adamant about giving young 593 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 4: Latinos and Latina talent and young talent of color and 594 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 4: immigrant talents a real chance to become stars. Instead of 595 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,200 Speaker 4: you could have cast some very big names. Did you 596 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 4: have to fight and say, yes, we're doing this, and 597 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,480 Speaker 4: we're doing this with actors who maybe are not known yet, 598 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 4: and yes, that's the way we're going to do it. 599 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 5: Well. 600 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:43,200 Speaker 6: One of the best things about having made a movie 601 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 6: like Crazy Rich Asians that made Warner Brothers a lot 602 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 6: of money is I got a little extra power, and 603 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:52,360 Speaker 6: then you're paired up with Len Manuel Miranda who has 604 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 6: a lot of effing power, and you go to Warner 605 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:57,040 Speaker 6: Brothers say, oh, you want to make this movie, then 606 00:32:57,080 --> 00:32:59,360 Speaker 6: we're going to call the shots on casting. We had 607 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 6: a lot of converse about different people who could play 608 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,240 Speaker 6: different roles, but in the end we knew in order 609 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:06,040 Speaker 6: to pull off the tone of this movie, which was 610 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 6: a very delicate tone a musical that felt as truthful 611 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 6: as Dialogue, was that we needed people who could sing 612 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:16,040 Speaker 6: and dance, but not in a performance way that singing 613 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:19,600 Speaker 6: and dancing was the language they spoke, that they could 614 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 6: ebb and flow through movement and music and dialogue like 615 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:28,200 Speaker 6: butter like you didn't even know it was beginning or ending. 616 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 6: And that took a long time to find, but we 617 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 6: found him. 618 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 4: I really want to give props to each of the actors, 619 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,400 Speaker 4: So I want you to just do me a favor 620 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 4: and just do one sentence or one word for each 621 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:44,800 Speaker 4: of them. I'm going to count, I'm going to shout 622 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 4: them out. Okay. So Anthony Ramos, I almost. 623 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 6: Not begin to probably not for her. My name puts 624 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:56,520 Speaker 6: some of fame, exaggerating the truth, the truth, the absolute truth. 625 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 6: He is the movie. I didn't put him in a movie. 626 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:02,400 Speaker 6: We put the movie through him. 627 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:07,680 Speaker 4: Actually, he is going to become such a massive star. 628 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:11,000 Speaker 4: Hu can we handle it? Can we handle? Okay? Melissa, 629 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:12,400 Speaker 4: you me. 630 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 6: A bottle of cold shampe? Are you moving? 631 00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:17,919 Speaker 2: Just a little credit? 632 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 6: Checking him on that down? Talk to Warrior, that woman 633 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:28,279 Speaker 6: she fought through so much to get herself sharp for 634 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 6: that movie. 635 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:36,040 Speaker 4: Hmm. Okay, Leslie Grace, let me just listen to that block. 636 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:42,120 Speaker 6: Light, light light. It is a typhoon of goodness all 637 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:44,320 Speaker 6: around her. And you want to get caught up in 638 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 6: that typhoon, typhoon. 639 00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:50,399 Speaker 4: Of goodness Jimmy Smith. By the way, just the fact 640 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:52,359 Speaker 4: that I put a photograph of me and Jimmy Smith 641 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 4: has got so many women sending me swooning hashtags. It's 642 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,839 Speaker 4: kind of amazing. Jimmy Smith's at three. 643 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,320 Speaker 6: I am last night, sweet, I will last been cooking. 644 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 6: Don't when I see you this weekend. I call him 645 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:12,439 Speaker 6: the shoulders because he you get on his shoulders, He's 646 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 6: gonna guide you through everything. 647 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:17,040 Speaker 4: Those are some Those are some pretty pretty broad shoulders, 648 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:19,320 Speaker 4: Jimmy Smith. And you still got you still got that? 649 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:24,160 Speaker 4: Olga it is? I will have my fridge broke. 650 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:24,400 Speaker 5: I got. 651 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:25,719 Speaker 4: I'm not gonna let you. 652 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:28,960 Speaker 6: I try my mother's old recipe. 653 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:34,200 Speaker 4: One kind of condensed milk. Oh hey, lottery ticket. 654 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:45,480 Speaker 6: Purity. She's not playing Appuella Claudia. She is Abuella Claudia. 655 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,120 Speaker 4: She's not just a judge on lawn order. Okay, Corey 656 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:54,160 Speaker 4: Hawkins from the number one burner erner can't give me 657 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 4: on the damn back burnous. I'm making deals. 658 00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 6: But guess what what Chile got? No, see, he's the 659 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:07,080 Speaker 6: pro he is of our group. He makes us laugh 660 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:10,440 Speaker 6: the most. He makes it all really really fun. So 661 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:11,239 Speaker 6: what sweetness. 662 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:13,920 Speaker 4: Yes, Stephanie Biatrice. 663 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:16,440 Speaker 6: My name is Dominic and Cuban. My dad is from 664 00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:17,840 Speaker 6: Chile and pr which. 665 00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:22,759 Speaker 2: Means I'm Dominic, but I always say am from Queen. 666 00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:24,040 Speaker 5: Oh. 667 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 6: She is like deceivingly funny. She's like the spice underneath 668 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,799 Speaker 6: the layer of cake. You look and you're like, okay, 669 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,120 Speaker 6: this is great, let's take a bite, and then bam, 670 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:35,320 Speaker 6: she bites you. 671 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:39,200 Speaker 4: Daphne Rubin be. 672 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:53,200 Speaker 6: Jose from the liquor sore. Oh, she is fierceness in 673 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:54,640 Speaker 6: every piece of that word. 674 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 4: I love it. Okay, we have two more. Dascha Polanco, 675 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:05,600 Speaker 4: she is family. 676 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:08,200 Speaker 6: I think she had one line in the script and 677 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:11,560 Speaker 6: she just made room for herself. I also want to 678 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:15,000 Speaker 6: include Noah because Noah plays graffiti Pete and this kid, 679 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:18,400 Speaker 6: he's of the neighborhood. He's an amazing dancer. He had 680 00:37:18,440 --> 00:37:19,960 Speaker 6: no idea what we were throwing him into, but we 681 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:24,400 Speaker 6: saw such truth in him, too, such simplicity that it 682 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:28,080 Speaker 6: felt elemental. We needed to have Noah Katala in this movie. 683 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:35,920 Speaker 4: And finally, the young and Gregory Diaz, Sonny, you're late clacks. 684 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,279 Speaker 6: You know you love me. Our little fourteen year old 685 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,000 Speaker 6: wasn't even in high school yet. I don't think he 686 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 6: knew what he was getting into by joining this family. 687 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:49,040 Speaker 6: He was like putty in there where people were just 688 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:51,719 Speaker 6: trying to mold him in every way. Again, he wanted 689 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:55,239 Speaker 6: no molding. He was the cricket in your pants that 690 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:57,360 Speaker 6: you don't really know is there, and suddenly you're like, why. 691 00:37:57,239 --> 00:37:57,680 Speaker 4: Do I itch? 692 00:37:57,719 --> 00:37:59,319 Speaker 6: Oh my god, and it gets you up to move. 693 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:02,320 Speaker 6: He moved the whole movie, and I think he's a 694 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:04,560 Speaker 6: breakout star from this. Everyone loves him. 695 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,920 Speaker 4: Okay, John, So I want to ask you about you know, 696 00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:12,120 Speaker 4: these little Easter eggs throughout the film, and you know 697 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:13,960 Speaker 4: what I'm talking about. I mean, there are these little 698 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:17,400 Speaker 4: secret things that like wink, wink, nod, nod for all 699 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:19,560 Speaker 4: the people who kind of have been following this production 700 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:23,200 Speaker 4: for a long time. For example, Lin Manuel's mom and 701 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:27,960 Speaker 4: dad make cameos. You see several of the original actors 702 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:32,719 Speaker 4: from Broadway during the final scene, and I'm wondering if 703 00:38:32,719 --> 00:38:35,200 Speaker 4: I'm missing any other Easter eggs, and why were there 704 00:38:35,239 --> 00:38:35,840 Speaker 4: Easter eggs? 705 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:38,120 Speaker 6: We have so many Easter eggs. I mean, the cast 706 00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:40,959 Speaker 6: at the end was something that when we just talked 707 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:42,840 Speaker 6: about it, we all cried about like to have that 708 00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:45,520 Speaker 6: original cast who paved the way, whoever could show up 709 00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:49,759 Speaker 6: that day. At least there was something very emotional for 710 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:53,320 Speaker 6: us Lynn when he first thought of in the Heights, 711 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:55,920 Speaker 6: he wrote, he drew a picture in his notebook in 712 00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 6: a spiral of a guy walking off a subway, and 713 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:01,880 Speaker 6: it's just a sketch. We put that sketch on the 714 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:04,200 Speaker 6: pedagua cart. So when you see it close up with 715 00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:07,560 Speaker 6: the pedagua cart, you see a sketch in it, which 716 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:11,480 Speaker 6: is his dream manifested into a movie. It's crazy. 717 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:14,800 Speaker 4: I love that. Finally, John, there is a lot of 718 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,399 Speaker 4: talk about the power of black joy as a form 719 00:39:17,480 --> 00:39:23,080 Speaker 4: of resistance. This movie is about really intersectional joy in 720 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:27,120 Speaker 4: so many ways. Just finally, your thoughts on Latino, Latina 721 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 4: immigrant joy and the power of it. 722 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:32,640 Speaker 6: I think our movie was never meant to make some 723 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:34,840 Speaker 6: sort of political statement. It was meant to make a 724 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:40,600 Speaker 6: human statement. It was meant to show and share the 725 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:44,279 Speaker 6: best parts, and the best parts are the joy, and 726 00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:47,560 Speaker 6: the best parts are the struggle, because that's how you 727 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:49,920 Speaker 6: see how tough everyone is. That's how you see how 728 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:52,520 Speaker 6: much people care about each other in this community. That's 729 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:54,920 Speaker 6: what I witnessed, That's what I see in any immigrant community. 730 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:58,320 Speaker 6: So I think the joy of not just the movie, 731 00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:00,360 Speaker 6: but the joy of all of us having work together 732 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,640 Speaker 6: and knowing that we can have very different struggles but 733 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:08,239 Speaker 6: very similar ways to get through it, which is just sharing, sharing, sharing, 734 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:11,440 Speaker 6: And imagine when we share our food together or you 735 00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:13,560 Speaker 6: share a song. Imagine what you can do when you 736 00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:16,960 Speaker 6: vote together. Imagine what you can do when we decide 737 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:19,560 Speaker 6: how we want policy to be together. Because the Asian 738 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:22,840 Speaker 6: community and the LATINX community are the fastest growing in America, 739 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:25,520 Speaker 6: are we ready to make this the place we needed? 740 00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:28,000 Speaker 6: To make it together? The only way we're going to 741 00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:31,560 Speaker 6: do that is by finding common ground, and not common 742 00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:35,160 Speaker 6: ground is the same ground. Common ground as in, where 743 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,759 Speaker 6: do we share each other's joy so we can help 744 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:40,160 Speaker 6: each other smile. I think that's powerful. 745 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:43,520 Speaker 4: No, John m Chu, what a joy to speak with 746 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:46,280 Speaker 4: you muchas gras Yes, thank you for this beautiful interview, 747 00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:48,360 Speaker 4: spending a little bit of time with me. We appreciate it. 748 00:40:48,719 --> 00:40:50,759 Speaker 6: Of course, it's an honor this sitoes. 749 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:53,239 Speaker 4: I love you, Ryon, Oh, I love you too, and 750 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:55,399 Speaker 4: I think I might be seeing you soon. Well, we'll see, 751 00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:55,879 Speaker 4: we'll work. 752 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:57,759 Speaker 6: Oh yeah, I would love that. That would be fun. 753 00:40:58,040 --> 00:40:58,719 Speaker 6: That would be fun. 754 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:18,600 Speaker 4: This episode was produced by Julia Rocha and edited by 755 00:41:18,719 --> 00:41:23,359 Speaker 4: Miguel Macis. And this week, it's really hard to say 756 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:27,399 Speaker 4: goodbye to miel Ma Cis, who has been a part 757 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:29,879 Speaker 4: of Latino USA in my life for several years. 758 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 6: Now. 759 00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:34,120 Speaker 4: Miguel is taking on a pretty extraordinary position at of 760 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,840 Speaker 4: all places, a show called All Things Considered at NPR. 761 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:42,120 Speaker 4: So we're incredibly happy for Miguel to achieve this milestone 762 00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:44,960 Speaker 4: in his life as a journalist, as an immigrant from 763 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:49,440 Speaker 4: Spain and an American citizen journalist. We're so proud of you, Miguel. 764 00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:53,920 Speaker 4: But to be honest with you, Wow, you're leaving me flat. 765 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,320 Speaker 4: What am I going to do? Who's going to accompany 766 00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:58,560 Speaker 4: me on all of my recording? It's week after week 767 00:41:58,600 --> 00:42:02,720 Speaker 4: after week after week. I'm gonna miss you. Miguel. Congratulations 768 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:07,080 Speaker 4: and we love you from Latino USA and from me gracias. 769 00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:12,120 Speaker 4: The Latino USA team includes Andrea Lopes, Grussado, Marta Martinez, 770 00:42:12,440 --> 00:42:17,520 Speaker 4: Mike Sargent, Julieta Martinelli, Victori Estrada, Chili montalbo Alejandra Salassar 771 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:21,040 Speaker 4: and Rinaldo Leanos Junior, with help from Raoul Prees. Our 772 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:25,080 Speaker 4: editorial director is Julio Ricardo Barella. Our engineers are Stephanie Lebou, 773 00:42:25,239 --> 00:42:28,959 Speaker 4: Julia Caruso, and Leah Shaw. Our digital editor is Luis Luna. 774 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:32,520 Speaker 4: Our New York Women's Foundation Ignite fellow is Mari es Kinka. 775 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:36,080 Speaker 4: Our intern is Oscarde Leon. Our theme music was composed 776 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:38,359 Speaker 4: by Sanie Roubinos. If you like the music you heard 777 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:41,200 Speaker 4: on this episode, stop by Latinousa dot org and check 778 00:42:41,239 --> 00:42:44,600 Speaker 4: out our weekly Spotify playlist. I'm your host and executive 779 00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:47,520 Speaker 4: producer marieno Josa. Join us again on our next episode, 780 00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:49,879 Speaker 4: and in the meantime, look for us on social media 781 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:52,960 Speaker 4: and I'll see you on the big screen in in 782 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,440 Speaker 4: the Heights, Hi, Joe. 783 00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:02,440 Speaker 2: Latino USA is. It's made possible in part by New 784 00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:07,000 Speaker 2: York Women's Foundation, The New York Women's Foundation, funding women 785 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:11,120 Speaker 2: leaders that build solutions in their communities and celebrating thirty 786 00:43:11,239 --> 00:43:15,239 Speaker 2: years of radical generosity, the John D. And Catherine T. 787 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:22,440 Speaker 2: MacArthur Foundation, and the Heising Simon's Foundation Unlocking knowledge, opportunity 788 00:43:22,719 --> 00:43:26,759 Speaker 2: and possibilities. More at hsfoundation dot org. 789 00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:33,239 Speaker 4: Do you remember like one song of the oldies, like 790 00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:34,240 Speaker 4: what we don't remember. 791 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:38,040 Speaker 6: It was like Yaki yak don't come back like all 792 00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:40,320 Speaker 6: that whatever, whatever that song was. 793 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:46,080 Speaker 4: I'm Maria Noojosa. Next time on Latino USA. Fruksu's Photo 794 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:50,160 Speaker 4: a unique photojournalist collective from Ecuador that aims to give 795 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:54,160 Speaker 4: a world a glimpse into their country. That's next time 796 00:43:54,239 --> 00:43:55,200 Speaker 4: on Latino USA.