Yes, I did, Wang says, laughing. Wang first revealed the lie about her grandmother on public radio. That was the most beautiful part of this. This story contains spoilers forThe Farewelland also real life. So I can hang out with you?' Wang revealed at the Golden Globes Foreign Language Symposium, held at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre on Sunday that her grandmother "just found out" that the film is based on her (via Slate): "It's very traumatic that it's coming out in China. Awkwafina as Billi and Zhao Shuzhen as Nai Nai. The experience of working with This American Life had been so amazing and so pure. Is this evidence that there's some truth to the line in the film, "People dont die of the cancer, they die of the fear"? She knew she had a film in the personal tale of her Chinese familys quest to keep her aging grandmother in the dark about her cancer diagnosis. She knew it was about the family that was obvious. Her grandmother was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in 2013. The Farewell, Wangs dramedy about her experience, turns her misadventure into a funny, bittersweet story about a Chinese-American woman named Billi (Crazy Rich Asians Awkwafina) caught between maintaining a shiny, happy deception and the painful process of saying goodbye to a loved one. THE FAREWELL director Lulu Wang tells the harrowing tale about how she kept the content of her film about her grandmother a secret from her grandmother while shooting it right under her nose in her grandmothers neighborhood in China. Filming there allowed her to spend a lot more time with her grandmother (NPR). Shes like, Well just tell her that movies are fiction and none of it actually happened. "[8], The film was primarily shot in Changchun, China, over the course of 24 days in June 2018. "I'm saying it now, getting really emotional. Wang maintained the secrecy on set and her great-aunt, who played herself in the film, didn't tell Wang's grandmother the details of the story. Director Lulu Wang's films are built on secrets and lies. Dramatic Competition section at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival[4] and was theatrically released in the United States on July 12, 2019, by A24. I didnt feel as alone. Chinese or American audiences? She made a film, "The Farewell," based on the story of her real-life grandmother. Because "The Farewell" has yet to come out in China Wang said the Chinese distributor is eyeing a spring release, spurred by the film's success in the U.S. her grandmother still hasn . Her Nai Nai was played by 75-year-old veteran Chinese star Shuzhen Zhao. When it came time to cast her parents, Wang chose Chinese-Australian actress Diana Lin to play her fictional mother and Hong Kong-born Tzi Ma, a prolific character actor whos worked on everything from Rush Hour to Arrival, L.A. Law to Silicon Valley episodes, to play her dad. Billi intercepts Nai Nai's medical test results from the hospital and has it altered to reflect a clean bill of health, helping to maintain the lie. "They wanted it to be my big, fat Chinese wedding," says Wang of her Sundance smash The Farewell, starring Awkwafina. I just knew her music videos, because my brother was a fan. "[30] Brian Lowry of CNN.com described it as a "small, melancholy movie that explores cultural differences and dealing with death in an utterly charming, understated manner. Well, she remembers telling him, there was this one thing about my grandmother. Related "She gave me gifts and treated me like family and was so energetic and so full of life that you could not tell she has any kind of illness, period.". Wang, who was born in Beijing but emigrated to the United States with her parents when she was six, says that she had never heard of withholding a prognosis from a family member. Lulu Wang's Grandmother Has Just Learned That 'The Farewell' Is About Her. The Farewell true story reveals that Awkwafina's character in the movie, Billi, is based on writer/director Lulu Wang herself. This news won't be shocking to anyone who listened to Wang'sThis American Lifeepisode from 2016 about the same subject, but it nevertheless acts as a welcome surprise given that the conclusion otherwise felt tragically cathartic. Later, she sees a similar bird resting on the windowsill of her Chinese hotel room. With A $21M Opening", "Keira Knightley in 'Official Secrets' and Molly Ivins Doc 'Raise Hell' Lead New Openers", "Awkwafina Proves She's More Than a Comedian in The Farewell", "Is The Farewell the olive branch the US-China culture war needs? A script began to make the rounds. In the beginning of Lulu Wang's film, she establishes the affectionate relationship between Billi Wang (Awkwafina) and her grandmother, who is usually called "Nai Nai" (Zhao Shuzhen).Although she has lived with her parents for more than 25 years in the U.S. since they left their hometown Changchun, China, Billi still remains close to her grandmother, and their mutual affection is apparent. Making of 'The Farewell': How Lulu Wang Captured Grief and Love With a "Six years after her diagnosis, Nai Nai is still with us," reads a caption at the end of the movie. And she kept asking us, Why do you want me in your movie? The Farewellopens with a title card declaring that the film is based on an actual lie from director Lulu Wangs own life. first Asian American actress to win a Golden Globe, 89-year-old Chinese American great-grandmother dies one year after being attacked, CNBC uses up VC Geoff Yang's photo for presidential candidate Andrew Yang, Awkwafina says she was blown away by Shang-Chis Asian representation, Peik Lin needs a man! Awkwafina on her character in Crazy Rich Asians sequel, WATCH: The First Trailer For Crazy Rich Asians Has Arrived, Ronny Chieng slams People Magazine for misidentifying Crazy Rich Asians stars, Awkwafina thanks Lucy Liu in SNL monologue for helping Asian Americans, Awards are a beauty pageant: Tzi Ma talks The Farewell Oscar snub and Mulan, BTS, Awkwafina, John M Chu and Sandra Oh honored on Gold Houses A100 Most Influential Asians, Nicole Kidman chased The Farewell director Lulu Wang to work on The Expatriates. is nai nai from the farewell still alive The Farewell: Lulu Wang reveals that her grandmother has figured out Why Lulu Wang keeps her film a secret | Inquirer Entertainment The lie has allowed me to spend so much time with my grandmother in China, shooting a movieall kinds of scenarios that I never dreamed possible, said Wang, who has made peace with her familys orchestrated deception. She's always felt like an outsider. And making this film brought joy to all of us." Advertise with us (Opens in new window) The Farewell became 2019's little indie movie that could, earning acclaim out of the gate at Sundance last January and going on to garner awards buzz for its phenomenal cast and, last night, a Golden Globe award for breakout starAwkwafina, who made history as the first Asian actress to win Best Actress at the Golden Globes. The lightly fictionalized film finds Awkwafina's character Billi in the same situation, grappling with her own impending loss and frustration with the cultural practice of secrecy. Theres a second part to this anecdote, Wang points out with a smile, one that she swears is 100-percent authentic. "[6], Wang later created an episode titled What You Don't Know for This American Life in April, 2016 based on her family's story. Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 2. All rights reserved. I got to share the American part of my life with my family in China and the Chinese part of my life with my colleagues. I felt like if people dont get it, but I made the film I set out to make, then I could be proud of it. [15] A fully Mandarin-subtitled version of the film played in select theaters on September 8, 2019. And so you just felt very torn. But at the same time, when I talked to her like we might shoot in a neighboring town she was like, 'What the hell, you're going to come back in town and shoot a movie and not even do it here? A writer and classical pianist by trade, Wang, who was born in Beijing and immigrated to Miami when she was six, first told her absurdist family drama as a short story and then as a podcast, in collaboration with This American Life and producer Neil Drumming. So I feel like in a way, I now have an adult relationship with China, with the city.". As much as The Farewell is about confronting loss, it's also distinctly about place. She really became all our grandmas. This caught the attention of producer Chris Weitz who helped secure financing for the film. We kept asking ourselves, is it ethical to make her go through this traumatic experience again, take after take? [1] In its opening weekend the film made $355,662 from four theaters for an average of $88,916 per venue; at the time, it was the best average of 2019, besting Avengers: Endgame's $76,601. Nobody wants to tell my story. National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. "I got to see the city in a different way because I think when you look back on places that youre from or the places where you spent a lot of time as a child, you are viewing it through a romantic lens and a nostalgic lens," she says. So making this film became part of the lie. Its already been dubbed a bona fide indie blockbuster success, and it doesnt even go into national release until August 2nd. The Farewell thoughtfully explores that moment where grief and sadness collide with comedy . Its really rare when you can think, Oh, this would make a perfect movie. But look, it says in the newspaper its called Dont Tell Her, and thats why you didnt tell me, because I am the her of the dont tell her., But we havent talked about it, so Ill see what happens when I see her.. The then 33-year-old director already had one movie under her belt, 2014s Posthumous, and another she was burning to make. Spend more than a few minutes in Wangs company, and you realize that she has zero interest in anything even close to pandering. Wang and her family would have liked to keep it that way, but due to Chinese-language reviews published ahead ofThe Farewell's upcomingrelease in China, Wang's grandmother found out the truth. But while Wang's family's story has been broadcast on This American Life and on theater screens nationwide, The Farewell still hasn't hit China, and per IndieWire, the real Nai Naiwho is still alive despite the three-month prognosis given to her in 2013still hasn't seen it nor been told what exactly the movie is all about, though she does know it's "loosely based" on the family. The only caveat: Nobody could tell Nai Nai the truth. [16], The Farewell grossed $17.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $5.4 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $23.1 million,[2] against a production budget of $3 million. The film was screened in the U.S. Theres just one tiny bit of information shes not getting. On the first day of shooting, Nai Nai wanted to bless the set, causing Lulu to run around and confiscate dozens of crew shirts bearing the productions Nai Nai LLC logo. 'The Farewell': Lulu Wang's Truth, Lies, and the Long Goodbye We want to hear it. I was like, 'What?' I just didnt know what the tone would be until later.. (After that, it was, You did this once already and youre so young Ang Lee didnt make his first movie until he was in his thirties and he was supported by his wife. That was always their reference point.) But Wang didnt relish the idea of repeating that disappointment or selling out. Credit: AP "My goal is to leave people talking about the film, or talking about their own lives and their own family, or calling their grandma . If someone tells you theres this crazy set up where you cant tell your grandma and theres a wedding, you expect there will be a moment of reconciliation and catharsis the things that you see in the movies. Lulu Wang's Nai Nai was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2013. Released in July, The Farewell centers on a family telling a big lie in order to keep an even bigger secret. It will be an all-Asian cast, I want to shoot in my grandmothers town, and my number one market is not the Chinese market the minute we try to change it to fit both sides of the equation, were sunk. And they just said, OK, well try to aim for it being a Sundance film then. They knew what the sweet spot was. Both Big Beach and Weitzs production company Depth of Field ended up coming on board. Why would they?, Did constructing another lie to make the movie she told her Nai Nai the film was about her family, but for obvious reasons wasnt specific on the details make it feel as if she was going through the same process again? The problem was no one else did. I have to admit I read that and I was like, Go mom, laughs Clea Newman Soderlund, speaking about her fathers posthumous memoir, Dakota Johnson on Family, Sexual AgencyAnd the Psychotic Making of, The 42 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, We take stock of the best rom-coms everfrom, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, Paul Newman Says Wife Joanne Woodward Turned Him Into a Sexual Creature in Posthumous Memoir. She says that "life is not about what things one does, but more so about how one goes about doing them". Lulu Wang's Nai Nai did join the Chinese Army at age 14 to escape an arranged marriage. To Wang, her story was nothing like that. But we haven't talked about it, so I'll see what happens when I see her. The night it aired, Wangs friend took her to a sushi bar to celebrate. Things that we don't see. After receiving a rejection letter for a Guggenheim Fellowship, Billi discovers from her parents, Haiyan and Jian, that Nai Nai has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and is predicted to have only a few months left to live. Hed seen her movie, loved her voice, was interested in working with her on something. The Farewell (2019) - IMDb Director Lulu Wang On 'The Farewell' And How We Break Bad News - NPR Billi keeps her promise to maintain the lie. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. [28] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair wrote, "Wang movingly tells not just a story about the negotiations of familial love, but also of the immigrant experience, of revisiting one's homeland to, in some senses, say goodbye to it. Talking about "The Farewell" - Boston College It was a little nerve-racking having her so close to the production, she admits. Wang had been here before; she assumed most of the sit-downs would start off well before the inevitable Yes, but what if shoe dropped. Her grandmother was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in 2013. [12], The film had its premiere in the U.S. 'The Farewell's Lulu Wang Talks Bringing Humor To Grief - Deadline When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married. To spare Nai Nai from the stress of knowing her condition, the family flies to China and stages an elaborate fake wedding in order to see her one last time. She explored the possibility of turning her life into a film, but when she couldnt secure enough funding, she insteadtold her storyon an episode ofThis American Life,which featured interviews with the other members of her family minus the real Nai Nai, whowas still alive, andstillclueless about her fatal diagnosis. Weve been able to stall her by telling her were not allowed to send it over. Yes. http://www.youtube.com/GoldenGlobes\r\rCONNECT WITH US\rWEB: http://www.goldenglobes.com\rFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/GoldenGlobes\rTwitter: http://twitter.com/goldenglobes\rInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/goldenglobes/ And after opening in New York and Los Angeles last weekend, it had, according to Variety, the best per-screen average of 2019 to date. Then shed she ask, But what about the family, whats the story? Journey deeper into the true story behind The Farewell by watching an interview with writer/director Lulu Wang, whose family's story provided the basis for the movie. Lulu Wang's Grandmother Has Just Learned That 'The Farewell' Is About "I imagine once the movie comes out, she will have to find some kind of way to still put up this front. Then she made a movie about it' so it went through the entire history of our family, and my grandma read it. The Farewell screens at the Glasgow Youth Film Festival on 13 September and goes on nationwide release on 20 September. Based on Wangs own life, the film centres on a Chinese American womans family refusal to tell the grandmother that she has cancer. That dialogue was inspired by a conversation Wang had with a friend who is American-born Chinese, unlike Wang who was born in China. But theres a line in the movie that people dont die of the cancer, they die of the fear. By making that movie, Im bringing people, were cooking, were eating together. There was no fear while we were there. Guilt-ridden, Billi expresses conflicted thoughts with her parents over the Chinese cultural beliefs that result in a family refusing to disclose a life-threatening disease. Producer Chris Weitz (About a Boy), who along with his brother, Paul, runs Depth of Field, the production company behind such films as Nick and Norahs Infinite Playlist and A Single Man, was driving down the 10 freeway in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Mercedes Martinez, when the two happened upon Wangs story. April 2, 2020. Little Nainai is certain her big sister is still alive because of her decision to lie to her, because we gave Nainai joy instead of . Aspiring Chinese-American writer Billi maintains a close relationship with Nai Nai (paternal grandmother) who lives in Changchun, China. The family, however, told Nai Nai that she was just fine, that the doctor had given her a clean bill of health. Maybe she could get it published in The New Yorker, she thought. Lulu Wang on lying to her grandmother for her new film The Farewell [11] In an interview with Filmmaker, cinematographer Anna Franquesa Solano stated that the references for the film included Force Majeure and Still Walking. never to see her grandma again, the fade to black blooms into footage of the real Nai Nai still alive and zesty six years later. "While this process was unfolding, [Lulu Wang] was constantly reminding us, 'Dont leak this,'" Shuzhen said. Coronation Street actress Barbara Young dies aged 92, Nurses strike continues: Major disruption for NHS services in England, Additional flight to evacuate Britons from Sudan today, Ryanair cancels 220 flights over May 1 bank holiday due to strikes, Hardcore coronation fans already camped outside Buckingham Palace, One dead and seven injured in Cornwall nightclub knife attack. -NPR. Wang's own "Nai Nai," or grandmother in Chinese, was diagnosed with cancer and her family decided to keep the diagnosis from her. She resisted. That was the added bonus, to get to spend time with her." Her family threw a fake wedding for her cousin from Japan and her grandmother didn't know. 3 Is Yet Another Big Marvel Movie Misstep, Rachel Weisz Doubles Down in Dead Ringers, To Love Tupac Was to Fight With Tupac: Why Allen Hughes Needed to Make Dear Mama, Academy Slaps Down New Rules After Andrea Riseborough, Tom Cruise, Michelle Yeoh Controversies, Here's Where to Watch 'Scream 6' (and All the 'Scream' Movies) Online, Ryan Murphy Sets Sights on Menndez Brothers for 'Monster' Season 2, White House Plumbers Gives Watergate the Veep Treatment and Misses Big, Roy Wood Jr. It's a little astonishing that Wang was able to keep that secret from her grandmother, through the shooting ofThe Farewelland as the film garnered praise at film festivals and award shows. Awkwafina, was asking to audition. Let's get back to my interview with Lulu Wang. When the movie went into production last year, not only did Wang cast her real aunt (who instigated the lie), she shot it two blocks from her grandmothers neighbourhood in Changchun and, let her visit the set.
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