The cast of the upcoming film Slanted, which premiered at SXSW, explains why now is the perfect time for the movie—and the tricky act of balancing its serious topic with satire comedy.
Slanted is a satirical comedy that follows a Chinese-American teenager who undergoes an experimental surgery in order to appear white—all in an effort to get the prom queen title and feel accepted by her classmates.
On the red carpet at SXSW, The Direct spoke with the talent behind the film, including McKenna Grace (Jo Hunt), Shirley Chen (Joan Huang), Amelie Wilber (Olivia Hammond), Amy Wang (Director & Writer), Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Brindha), Katy Wilson (Nancy), Sarah Kopkin (Greta), Nicholas Myers (Nash), Shirley Song (Composer), and Michelle J. Li (Costume Designer).
The Cast of Slanted on Why Now Is the Perfect Time for This Movie
"I Think Any Time Is the Perfect Time to Watch a Movie That Makes You Think.."
- The Direct: "Why do you think now is the perfect time for audiences to experience a story like this?"
McKenna Grace: I mean, I don't know if it's the perfect time. I think any time is the perfect time to watch a movie that makes you think or gives you a different perspective on life. I think that it's an important time right now, just because it's the time that it's coming out... I think that it's important to watch and to get a movie that makes you start thinking and having conversations that you wouldn't normally have.
Shirley Chen: I think it blends a lot of really cool genres. It speaks to this satire movement, about talking about race in a smart and funny and clever way. So I'm really excited because I think we have a lot of cool precedents for it, but we haven't really seen that in the Asian American community yet. So, I'm super stoked.
Amelie Wilber: I mean, the climate lends itself to this movie being really important. This movie is all about social hierarchies and who gets accepted, and why do they get accepted, and privilege that goes unchecked, and the lack of accountability and entitlement. This movie is important all the time, but this movie is really important right now.
Amy Wang: When I came up with the concept it was during the pandemic, there was a shooting in Atlanta that happened to six Asian American women in a spa. And that kind of started the concept.
And I feel like since then, this concept of belonging has always been kind of the main reason why I wanted to do a story like this. What does it mean to be Asian Australian, which is who I am? What does it mean to feel like you don't belong in a country because of the way you look? And so I think, yeah, that's why now is the perfect time.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: I mean, I think it's a perfect time because it's a movie that should have been made many years ago. It's only increased in its relevance and its importance. So it's more like, yeah, now, time's been ticking. We're kind of overdue in that way...
But you're totally right. There are so many messages and meetings in the film, and I'm very excited for audiences to see it because there are, like, you know, the main theme of it all with Shirley Chen's character, Joan, but there are so many other themes and perspectives and conversations that can be like had because of this movie. And I'm so excited for that.
I'm so excited to see the online debate of people's experience when it comes to having a background as an ethnic minority, right, in a westernized, white, dominant world. So I'm excited. I'm excited for people to have some debates and arguments because it's going to go down. I'm ready.
Katy Wilson: I think first up, the script is so brilliant because it's an interesting story from the start. It doesn't feel like it's preaching at you at all. It's it's like you've invested so much in her story.
And it's this universal moment of when you're in high school, all you want to do is be the popular girl. I feel like everyone knows that feeling. I'm so honored to be a part of it. And I've been saying this, but at the table read, we were just blown away by Amy's words. I mean, it's just really special.
Sarah Kopkin: Well, I think it's the perfect time because we just want to encourage everybody to be using their voice, to be able to tell stories that maybe necessarily wouldn't have been told previously.
And I just think that's really incredible, honestly, and that everyone can relate to this message of inclusion and making sure that everybody has their place in this world.
Nicholas Myers: In the time we're in, it's good to, you know, have people connect to something personal. I think it's good just to have something that people can latch onto, especially now and in this time of, you know, there are lots of sequels and different remakes and other things.
So, to have something completely original and raw and just crazy on so many levels, I think that's super important, especially in the film climate we're in today. So I'm just super stoked for people to see something fresh and original, and it's gonna knock their socks off, for sure.
Shirley Song: I think despite it being a transracial kind of story, she goes through transracial surgery; I think the essence of it is, I think it's a very universal message in the sense that, I think we've all been gone through moments where we haven't really loved ourselves, or we felt like we didn't fit into a societal mold, of sorts.
So, I think this film should resonate with everyone that has been through that, whether you're going through it or you've sort of overcome it.
Michelle J. Li: I'm not gonna spoil anything, but this project is daring. It has a lot of political influence. And I think, given the current state of our country, you'll understand why this is the story that needs to be told right now in the way that we are telling it without a filter. And I'm really, really excited to see what the reaction is going to be like.
Slanted Cast on Balancing The Film's Serious Topic With Satire
"I Think That You Can Never Go Far Enough In Your Performance
- The Direct: "The topic at hand is tricky to address, but it is a satire film. So for you, how was it like finding that balance of maybe never going too far in a moment and getting it in just the right spot for this story?"
McKenna Grace: I don't know if it's about finding the balance of never going too far. I think that you can never go far enough in your performance. I think that you just have to go for it.
And I think that the great thing about working with a director like Amy is having somebody there to fall back on and make sure that you feel safe to go far and crazy in your performance and do these wild things and this body horror stuff and all sorts of insane topics and surgeries and crazy stuff.
I'm always trying not to give away too much whenever I give an interview... It's also about the balance of delicately handling a subject, even though it's a satire. So I think truly, at the end of the day, I just wanted to show up and give my most heartfelt performance and help bring to life a story that Amy has so beautifully created.
Shirley Chen: I think for me and a lot of the cast as well. It's speaking to the authentic, true voice of, maybe I don't like myself, or maybe I feel insecure about the way I look, and that's a universal feeling, regardless of race or gender or the community you come from, right?
I think some everybody has had a moment in their life where they felt that way, and so I think being really honest about how that feels, whether it's a heightened moment that feels silly or something that feels tender and vulnerable, it's always rooted in that true feeling. And I think that's why I hope it works and people resonate with it.
Amelie Wilber: I mean, my job as an actor is to commit to the role 100%, and it was deeply uncomfortable. And because it was so uncomfortable, it caused me to reflect a lot.
And I think that's the beauty of a film like this, which is that it uses satire to blend darkness, and it makes it a watch that isn't just painful. It makes it a watch that you can sit with your friends and watch and then have conversations afterward.
But yeah, any movie that is uncomfortable is a great step for reflection and for creating conversations.
Amy Wang: What I wanted when I wrote the movie was I wanted people to think the movie was the 'Mean Girls,' and then to slowly realize it was a nightmare. And so I hope I've achieved that.
And I think it was definitely tough at times to balance all the different tones because it's a family drama, it's a satire, and it's body horror. So it definitely was tough at times to balance all three, but I'm so proud of where we landed.
Katy Wilson: Especially because I play someone who definitely has had the surgery, I play the receptionist for the doctor who does all the surgery. So I think playing with the balance on set with Amy [who] was very invested in improv, and I think that helped us find the balance.
Like, we would do some takes where we would really go for it and maybe go a little bit bigger with our choices. And then sometimes she's like, okay, let's pull it back. And then that way, in the edit, they can decide what's best for the tone of the film. Because it's so easy in the moment to be like, I don't know. Amy was integral in that she did so much for us in that way.
Sarah Kopkin: It was definitely a balance that I have to give all the credit in the world to our director, Amy. She was just so incredible with exactly running through every single feeling, every single beat with us before we would shoot.
And so, I mean, I feel I'm so proud of all the stuff that we got, and I feel like we definitely wanted to make sure that we were not going swaying too far, one way or the other. But I think we met in the middle.
Nicholas Myers: It's all moderation. It's all how people take it. So, one moment could be super crazy for someone, and then not as much as the next person, and it's all in the creative writing process. It's all in Amy's choices and her writing, and it's done so tastefully and not super over the top. And I think that people will be able to see that for sure.
The full interviews can be watched below:
Slanted does not currently have a release window.
