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- [Voiceover] We are recreating blockbuster movie posters
with Asians.
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- Maggie and I are going to be recreating
the cover of Mr. And Mrs. Smith.
There aren't many movie posters
with Asians on them
and even if they are,
usually they're accompanied by other people.
- You know I just really wanted to see Asians
being represented as the people that I know in real life
who are a) bad ass,
b) like super smart,
show that by recreating movie posters
where we are the heroes for once
instead of the sidekick.
- I've never been described as sexy,
never been described as suave before.
People call me cute,
friendly, and funny
but like never sexy.
The male lead and the romantic interest.
- Angelina Jolie embodies this perfect human being.
She's sexy, she's smart, she kicks butt.
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- Brad Pitt like to think I could even
like share the same space with him
was absurd to me growing up
but I'm gonna do it now
and I'm gonna kill it.
- Brangelina, we're coming for you.
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- So today I'm doing the movie poster
for Jurassic World.
You know growing up you sort of
look at the media and you can relate to other people
who don't necessarily look like you
but to wake up every morning
and look in the mirror
and just know you look one way
and to look at the world around you
and realize oh I don't look like anyone else.
Then that can be very isolating.
It would have been nice for me to sort of know that
okay I'm not alone.
I do have more aspirations.
I can look outward
and I can see that there are so many different things
that I could do or could done.
It would have just allowed me to dream larger
and there's a lot of perceptions tied to
what it means to be an Asian
that are not seen as desirable
as leading person material.
But we have Asian Americans who are not
necessarily being written in
based on assumptions about what an Asian is or is not.
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We just need roles that are human
and are written to be human.
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- Today I'm going to be Harry Potter
in the Deathly Hollows Part two movie poster.
When I was told I would do that,
I was like oh do you want me to be Ronald Weasley
and then I was told no you're gonna be the lead.
- Seeing three Asian like leads
in a film is so cool.
- I am a huge Harry Potter fan.
There are two Indian characters
that I remember in Harry Potter.
I mean I loved reading about them in the books
and I loved that they existed.
I obviously related to other characters
in the book as well
but they definitely stick to me
as two that I really remember.
- Growing up there was never kind of that role model
feeling in Hollywood
because we look up to everybody that we see in the media.
- The only Asians I saw growing up
was Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
Even now there aren't any blockbuster movies
starring a Asian lead.
It changes the perception of a certain community
to the rest of the world too.
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- It's not like oh I only like them
because they look like me,
but it does kind of make you feel like
oh like maybe I could do that.
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- Today I'm doing the Mockingjay poster
which I'm a little bit nervous about.
Like thinking about how
a Singaporian Chinese American immigrant like me
could one day be some sort of Katniss Everdeen figure
was impossible.
It's not just about putting people of color
in situations where they aren't normally.
It's about bringing a diversity of perspective
of culture of background to every role in Hollywood.
The culture that you grow up in
it informs every decision that you make
and as creative people,
it informs all of our creative decisions as well.
As for mainstream American media,
the lack of Asian identity
is not just missing out on a whole perspective
and culture of people who are willing to add
to the conversation,
it's doing a real injustice to younger audiences
who feel like that's something that they
can never attain.
When simply that's just not true.
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Whatever they see on their screen,
they can accomplish.
They are interesting enough,
they are talented enough.
All we have to do is keep trying.
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- Really it isn't that we necessarily
need more of one thing.
It's that we need more roles
that are written in a multi-layered,
multi-dimensional way.
- I think I'm as sexy as Angelina Jolie
and I believe it.
- It's super important for us to
encourage future generations.
You're capable of doing great things.
You are capable of doing this or that
and you're worth it.
- We might not be the Katniss Everdeens today
but it's going to happen.
- You done?
- Yes.
(laughter)
- All right ya'll.
Well I'll see you tomorrow.
Oh God.
(laughter)