You seem to do this in your films as well — tying it all up, giving the audience a satisfying ending. Should we expect the same from Mean?
I thought a lot about what The Wizard of Oz means. It’s an American fairy tale, to follow the yellow brick road. There’s someone who will give you what your heart desires in the end, but you have to prove yourself. And yet, neatly wrapped stories don’t really exist. Life just goes on. In my current work, I’m trying to almost dismantle the idea of elated endings. Especially in the case of Mean, which is all about how uncomfortable change is for a place like Oz, which is all about being elated. Sometimes the anger that Elphaba brings — the frustration, the sadness — is necessary for fresh things to grow. Expressing how others have hurt us and how we may have hurt others is the only way. It was very personal for everyone on set. Elphaba says the words, “Something has changed in me. Something is not the same.” Those words made me realize that I had to make this movie now. Part 1 is the choice to rise up, and Part 2 is what happens when you rise up. It gets much more complicated.
[As Chu and I are talking, his mother appears in the banquet hall to kiss her son on the forehead. She’s a spry, slender woman with short, gray hair. Chu says, “Hi, Mom! Love you.” She turns to me and says, “Now, he won’t disappear. When you kiss your kids, they don’t disappear.” I choke up. Chu says to his mother, “We’re in the middle of a meeting. I was trying to stay focused here.” She waves off his concern and leaves as quickly as she appeared.]
I like that she came to kiss you.
She didn’t fix my hair. That’s good. Or she didn’t say I was fat.
I know, right? For Asian relatives, we are always fat, even if we are not. Are you a good cook?
No, I’m terrible.
But you grew up in a restaurant.
When people cook for you, when will you learn to cook? Although, when I cook, I think I could be good if I just focused. I tell my wife, “I think I’ll think of something.” She says, “No.” I absolutely love setting the table, inviting people over, and then bringing out each dish and talking about it. But no, I’m not a good cook.
Food is like a character in your movies. The street market scene in Crazy Affluent Asians made me want to go to Singapore. Of course I love your dance numbers, especially the choreography in On heightsThe scene where they dance along the side of the building, oh my.
I took tap classes, but I’m not a great dancer. You’d never see me and say, “That guy should keep doing that!” No, but I’ve been friends with some great dancers. I know what they’re trying to say. If a B-boy gets down and starts twirling, don’t twirl with him. Let him carry you. That’s not to say I don’t have a concept, but it’s often going to be driven by the dance.