We Can Thank Jon M. Chu’s Parents and ‘E.T.’
“I remember the shift of how the world looked to me in the lens.
I was invited into spaces more.
Image via Universal Pictures
It was something that I felt like I could speak through.”
Drawing from his childhood, Chu recalls how the first film that affected him wasSteven Spielberg’sE.T.
It had a profound effect on me theJohn Williamsscore, the editing, the cinematography.
Image via 20th Century Studios
It felt like what a book felt like, if that makes sense."
that is what is unique for Chu about film.
We have this medium that actually forces you to put down your phone and give something space."
Image via Walt Disney
How Chu Weaves Worldly Romanticism Into His Work
Chu is no stranger to musicals.
And Chu paints that sort of romanticism in all aspects of his life.
“Then we would hear their stories about their lives,” Chu continues.
Image via Warner Bros
“Being surrounded by that was storytelling atalltimes.
Even the pictures on the wall of the different stars that came into the restaurant over the years.
Growing up in my own parents' Chinese restaurant, it was easy to relate to Chu.
They normally don’t want them to be artists.
So, there was that pressure in a different way.
Thats definitely still around.”
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
“The fact is, you’re becoming astoryteller,” he emphasizes.
“Directing is a very specific job.
And that idea of keeping your antennas up certainly did reflect early in his career when he first started.
Image via Universal Pictures
Directing is a very specific job.
But not one that included the leads of the originalStep Upfilm.
It was the kick in the butt he needed to get involved.
Committing to the film allowed him to overcome his fears.
That’s how he viewed every one of his projects; there was always something valuable to take away.
“During all those times, it was basically my grad school.
I got to learn how to maneuver the levers of not just independent movies; these are studio movies.
Each project became a stepping stone to the next, no matter how small or insignificant they seemed.
Was he taking the safe route with his movie choices?
Or was he challenging himself?
I’m not doingG.I.
I’m not doingNow You See Me 3.
I am going to figure out my own voice, and I’m ready for that.
“The way in when I readCrazy Rich Asianswas Rachel Chu,” he explains.
I just loved that that’s what we were going to do for our audience.”
The first film grossed $240 million worldwide.
Now I hadMyron Kerstein, our editor, who I’d met onCrazy Rich Asians.
So we got to make this.
To us, it wasLa La Landin New York.
“Musicals, to me, don’t feel like a layer of performance on top of a story.
It feels so organically a part of it that it emerges from the words of the dialogue.
The Yellow Brick Road to ‘Wicked’ Involved His ‘G.I.
Joe’ Sequel
Surprisingly, another influential film in Chu’s repertoire is his take on theG.I.
“There’s a lot to balance,” Chu confesses.
“Everyone’s offering you 120% of what they’re giving you.
I still love the movie, but I definitely felt underwater a lot of the time.”
And if Chu was a fan of G.I.
Joe, then he was a superfan of the musicalWicked.
“I’ve been waiting for this movie for 20 years, too.
However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a vision for the film.
As a result, every scene and every line was analyzed.
Dots need to be connected.
One of those protective layers came with the casting of Elphaba and Galinda.
‘Does this actually make sense?
Yes, on paper, but in person, are they evoking something new?
Are they making me curious?
Are they making me interested in what they’re doing?'”
“Every time I saw it, I was like, ‘I knowWicked, and this isWicked.
“‘Something is not the same,'” he exclaims about the initial sentiment.
“I’ve never feltthat.
“We were in it,” Chu says.
We were unsure of ourselves already, so now, we’re building back up.
That is a process that we were going through while making the movie.
We’re going to picture every scenario, and it’s not going to be great.
When you’re worrying about that, then you’re not focusing on the creation.
We had to redirect that imagination to creation.
That’s what we would do every day,” he says.
“We had to build it together.
Could they save the musical movie?
Could they ruin Grande’s career?
What about Erivo’s?
There was a major responsibility to making sure everything was done right.
“We were in it.
All of it felt urgent.”
“I love that we have the diversity inWicked, but it’s not thethingaboutWicked.
It’s just normalized.
As for Chu’s portfolio,Wickedbelongs in a sort of spiritual trilogy alongsideCrazy Rich AsiansandIn the Heights.
Wickedis in theaters or available now on VOD.
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