'Crazy Rich Asians' actress says movie starts dialogue about identity and representation

Record ID: 1356199

  • Title: 'Crazy Rich Asians' actress says movie starts dialogue about identity and representation
  • Date: 7th September 2018
  • Summary: SINGAPORE (SEPTEMBER 7, 2018) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ACTRESS VICTORIA LOKE TALKING IN INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS VICTORIA LOKE, SAYING: "I know there has been a lot of very fair criticism of the film not being representative of Singapore's actual cultural background, and cultural makeup, and it seems to be like a western interpretation of what Singaporean cultur
  • Embargoed: 21st September 2018 12:24
  • Keywords: 'Crazy Rich Asians' Victoria Loke Fiona Cheng cultural identity representation Singapore
  • Location: SINGAPORE AND UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
  • City: SINGAPORE AND UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
  • Country: Singapore
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
  • Reuters ID: LVA0018WMLVF1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: THERE IS A RELEVANT EDIT ON WNE: 2222-FILM-CRAZY RICH ASIANS/SCREENING
    For actress Victoria Loke, the best reward to play in the hit movie "Crazy Rich Asians" is to become a "stakeholder" in conversations about cultural identity and representation in a Hollywood film.
    The 26-year-old plays Fiona Cheng, the down-to-earth wife of lead character Nick Young's flashy cousin Eddie Cheng.
    The romantic comedy, based on the 2013 best-selling book of the same name by Kevin Kwan, tells the story of an Asian-American New Yorker who goes to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's wealthy and tradition-bound family of Chinese descent.
    The last Hollywood studio film to feature a large Asian cast was "The Joy Luck Club" in 1993.
    The film, with a mostly eastern Asian cast, has drawn criticism for not representing Singapore's multi-ethnic society, and for interpreting the Asian culture from a western and Hollywood point of view.
    "I think this is important that people are raising these issues because then it opens up new venues as being able to put out other projects, other films, Singaporean films hopefully, that do represent Singapore authentically, you know tell stories from invisible corners of Singapore that no one gets that behind. I think that is a very important conversation that has been brought up by this film," said Loke, a born-and-bred Singaporean actress.
    Amid the lavish parties and romantic setbacks, the film highlights the clash of Western and Asian cultures and the tension between old-money Chinese families in Singapore and the nouveau riche.
    It is also a love letter to Singapore, as the camera lingers on the city's modern and traditional architecture, parks, nearby tropical beaches, street food and music.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register