The Dialogue: Lulu Wang

When Lulu Wang's The Farewell debuted at Sundance, it immediately became the talk of Hollywood. The dramedy based on Wang’s own story about her family keeping her grandmother’s cancer diagnosis a secret goes beyond family issues. It’s also an immigration story that explores cultural identity through Awkwafina’s character, Billi. The Farewell has received numerous accolades, but for Wang, she is just happy with sharing her story with the world. Deadline talked to her about the impact of the film, Hollywood’s perception of foreign films, and how she hopes to continue to advocate for underrepresented voices.

The film has certainly struck a chord with the Asian American community,but how has the response been outside of it?

It’s been really great. I’ve traveled in Europe, where a lot of the international releases are starting to roll out, and it’s been really interesting to see, because having made a film that so many people didn’t want to make and felt was going to be super niche, to see it travel to all of these countries thatI’ve never been to before, and have it resonate with audiences so deeply has been very enlightening.

The film has played globally, but has there been a common reaction to the film? Or is it different depending on where you are in the world?

I think of a lot of the themes in the film are from the perspective of somebody whose family is Chinese and who has then immigrated to America. But traveling with this film makes me realize that so many people have the same exact experience—even if the place they come from and the place they live are very different.

How has your family responded since its release and has it changed the family’s dynamic?

My family responded really well. I mean, they’ve really come to terms with it. I think in the beginning it took some adjustment on multiple levels, having such a personal family story out in the world.

Also, for my parents to see my career and my life completely change because of this one project—I think that they are really proud. I think that they’ve just become more used to the fact that the story is out in the world. I think it changed the dynamicbecause the secret was within our family. They felt more okay about keeping a secret. But now that the whole world knows, I think that some members of my family feel less okay about keeping the secret from my grandma.

How do you think The Farewell would have played if it were released 10years ago?

It’s hard to imagine, because so much of life is about the right thing at the right time. First of all, I would not have been able to make the film 10 years ago because of age. Getting older and having more experience, and also the state of the world contributed to the fight that I fought to tell the story. So I certainly would not have been able to make this film 10 years ago, but I also think that the world was probably not ready. I think that the political climate, everything that’s happening in the world, has forced us to look at things differently than we have in the past.

Nigeria’s Lionheart was disqualified as an international film Academy entry because it’s in English. The Farewell isan American film, but mostly in Mandarin. What’s your stance on this?

I think it’s a really interesting year. The Farewell is an American film that happened to b in a foreign language, and the Nigerian film Lionheart is a foreign film that’s in English. And so it makes you question, well what does it mean to be American? What does it mean to be foreign? If you speak English because your country was colonized, then are you not foreign? I'm optimistic in a way now about it, because I think if you look at the big picture, it's a really great dilemma to have because it means that films are being made that challenge the boxes. It challenges rules for different awards ceremonies. In theGolden Globes, we’re considered a foreign language film. Now, technically that’s true, we are a foreign language film. They’re not calling it an international film or a foreign film, they’re saying it’s in a foreign language. But it just means that you’re then in a category with non-Americans. So The Farewell was in the category with a French film and Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which is Korean. But in many ways, I think that I'm closer identity-wise to maybe Scorsese, who makes films about the Italian-American experience and the immigrant experience, which is what I’m doing. It’s what TheFarewell is. It’s about being an immigrant, being a hyphenate. To not be recognized that way is problematic. I think that a lot of these organizations are not prepared for it, because when the films are not made that challenge these rules, then you can’t have a conversation about it.

I actually respect the rules of theAcademy, because traditionally the rules around foreign and international films were made to recognize films that might not otherwise be recognized. Films that are in a foreign language exclude Australia and the U.K., Right? So I actually understand why they took this approach to make this set of rules—but then here comes a film that challenges that.