WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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(upbeat music)

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- [Voiceover] We are recreating
blockbuster movie posters

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with Asians.

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(techno music)

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- Maggie and I are going to be recreating

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the cover of Mr. And Mrs. Smith.

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There aren't many movie posters

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with Asians on them

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and even if they are,

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usually they're accompanied
by other people.

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- You know I just really
wanted to see Asians

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being represented as the
people that I know in real life

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who are a) bad ass,

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b) like super smart,

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show that by recreating movie posters

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where we are the heroes for once

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instead of the sidekick.

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- I've never been described as sexy,

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never been described as suave before.

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People call me cute,

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friendly, and funny

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but like never sexy.

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The male lead and the romantic interest.

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- Angelina Jolie embodies
this perfect human being.

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She's sexy, she's smart, she kicks butt.

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(techno music)

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- Brad Pitt like to think I could even

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like share the same space with him

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was absurd to me growing up

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but I'm gonna do it now

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and I'm gonna kill it.

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- Brangelina, we're coming for you.

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(techno music)

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- So today I'm doing the movie poster

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for Jurassic World.

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You know growing up you sort of

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look at the media and you
can relate to other people

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who don't necessarily look like you

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but to wake up every morning

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and look in the mirror

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and just know you look one way

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and to look at the world around you

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and realize oh I don't
look like anyone else.

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Then that can be very isolating.

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It would have been nice
for me to sort of know that

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okay I'm not alone.

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I do have more aspirations.

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I can look outward

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and I can see that there
are so many different things

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that I could do or could done.

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It would have just
allowed me to dream larger

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and there's a lot of perceptions tied to

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what it means to be an Asian

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that are not seen as desirable

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as leading person material.

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But we have Asian Americans who are not

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necessarily being written in

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based on assumptions about
what an Asian is or is not.

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(techno music)

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We just need roles that are human

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and are written to be human.

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(techno music)

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- Today I'm going to be Harry Potter

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in the Deathly Hollows
Part two movie poster.

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When I was told I would do that,

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I was like oh do you want
me to be Ronald Weasley

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and then I was told no
you're gonna be the lead.

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- Seeing three Asian like leads

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in a film is so cool.

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- I am a huge Harry Potter fan.

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There are two Indian characters

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that I remember in Harry Potter.

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I mean I loved reading
about them in the books

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and I loved that they existed.

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I obviously related to other characters

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in the book as well

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but they definitely stick to me

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as two that I really remember.

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- Growing up there was never
kind of that role model

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feeling in Hollywood

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because we look up to everybody
that we see in the media.

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- The only Asians I saw growing up

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was Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

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Even now there aren't
any blockbuster movies

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starring a Asian lead.

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It changes the perception
of a certain community

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to the rest of the world too.

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(techno music)

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- It's not like oh I only like them

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because they look like me,

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but it does kind of make you feel like

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oh like maybe I could do that.

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(techno music)

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- Today I'm doing the Mockingjay poster

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which I'm a little bit nervous about.

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Like thinking about how

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a Singaporian Chinese
American immigrant like me

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could one day be some sort
of Katniss Everdeen figure

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was impossible.

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It's not just about
putting people of color

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in situations where they aren't normally.

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It's about bringing a
diversity of perspective

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of culture of background
to every role in Hollywood.

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The culture that you grow up in

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it informs every decision that you make

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and as creative people,

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it informs all of our
creative decisions as well.

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As for mainstream American media,

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the lack of Asian identity

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is not just missing out
on a whole perspective

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and culture of people
who are willing to add

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to the conversation,

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it's doing a real injustice
to younger audiences

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who feel like that's something that they

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can never attain.

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When simply that's just not true.

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(techno music)

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Whatever they see on their screen,

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they can accomplish.

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They are interesting enough,

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they are talented enough.

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All we have to do is keep trying.

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(techno music)

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- Really it isn't that we necessarily

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need more of one thing.

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It's that we need more roles

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that are written in a multi-layered,

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multi-dimensional way.

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- I think I'm as sexy as Angelina Jolie

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and I believe it.

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- It's super important for us to

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encourage future generations.

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You're capable of doing great things.

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You are capable of doing this or that

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and you're worth it.

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- We might not be the
Katniss Everdeens today

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but it's going to happen.

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- You done?

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- Yes.

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(laughter)

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- All right ya'll.

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Well I'll see you tomorrow.

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Oh God.

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(laughter)