‘Crazy Rich Asians” Ronny Chieng Perfectly Sums Up Why Diversity is CRUCIAL in Film

Comedian Ronny Chieng voiced his thoughts on the value of diversity on the last day of filming Warner Bros.’ upcoming adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s “Crazy Rich Asians”, and he deserves a standing ovation for it.

The Malaysian actor wrote on Facebook:

“The point of showing different perspectives is not diversity for diversity’s sake, but when you tell authentic stories you show people that no matter how alien someone’s background might seem to you we all have shared common human experiences.”

Preach!

With its all-Asian cast, “Crazy Rich Asians” must indeed be memorable for “The Daily Show” correspondent, who has lived in “two worlds” for the most of his life.

“For most of my life I’ve lived between two worlds – America and Singapore/Malaysia. It is difficult to put into words what it means to be part of a culturally significant project that so specifically showcases the intersection between these two Asian diasporas in a hip, funny and elegant way,” he said.

Chieng’s comment is a breath of fresh air in these times of poor representation, when finding identities to resonate with proves confusing to the point of it being heartbreaking.

The fact that diversity actually brings more money to the box office may somehow break the whitewashing curse in Hollywood, but casting, for the rest of us moviegoers, is really a matter of guesswork.

Still, entertainment is best served when more people enjoy it, and that’s exactly Chieng’s point.

He ended his post: “I’ve made some friends for life with this talented cast and crew and I can’t wait for everyone to watch the movie.”

We can’t wait for “Crazy Rich Asians”, too!

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