'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 culture is supposed to be like. I think those criticisms are fair. There is also a situation where you know you cannot expect one film to do everything, it cannot be everything for everyone. 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." LOKE TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS VICTORIA LOKE, SAYING: "So I play Fiona Cheng and she comes from an old money Hong Kong family. Her family owns the largest shipping company in Hong Kong. She is married to Eddie Cheng, who is played by Ronnie Chieng off the Daily Show. Our family dynamic is...the way we played it was that we want it to be representative of that couple that bickers a lot, you know we see a lot like our parents even, you know, they bicker, and they kind of argue and squabble, but they actually love each other. That is a very Chinese thing." LOKE TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS VICTORIA LOKE, SAYING: "What was great about it was that because all the cast members came from such diverse backgrounds, but were able to relate to that fact that at one point, you are all like the only Asian person on the set in some way. You know I started working when I was in New York. So a lot of us bonded over that struggle of being the only person and now finally all of us are Asian. And we have this family community that we created. We are close even till this day, where we have a WhatsApp group chat, that we are all still on, the crew is on it too, you know, our director, our producers, we are all still there. We like send each other pictures, and we hang out together. One of my cast members said that really struck me was that: coming together on this and working on this film, we felt that we built an Asian family within this industry in a way. I think for me that was the biggest takeaway that was the best experience of all that we were able to really enjoy working together as a cast." LOKE TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS VICTORIA LOKE, SAYING: "What I do really appreciate about being part of this movie is that it has given me the chance to be part of all these conversations that we are having. You know about the issues of identity that are being raised, issues of, of representation, and being a member of the cast that makes me a stakeholder of in these conversations. For me that is the most rewarding experience so far, to be able to voice out you know certain views that you know I might not have had the platform to have spoken about if not for my involvement in this movie."
  • 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.
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