We all have different aspects of ourselves, and who we are to different people in our lives, at different stages of our lives.

Lulu Wang

Categorized in : Different People Who People Different

I grew up in Beijing and Beijing roast duck is my favorite. My mom makes it every year for Christmas Eve. How crispy the skin is is how good a duck restaurant is.

restaurant good christmas mom

There have been moments where I laughed at my own family's culture, though it's hard to separate out whether something funny is cultural, or just my grandma specifically.

family moments funny culture

In China there is a holiday around the death of your ancestors where everyone goes to the cemetery. It's a celebratory thing. It's very colorful.

your colorful holiday death

My grandma, Nai Nai, has had the clothes she wants to be buried prepared since she was like 60. I guess there is an openness to discussing. It's part of life. It's part of the every day.

every-day day clothes life

Whereas in America we are so fearful of mortality, we don't want to talk about it, we don't think about it, and in many ways we treat elderly people as invisible because they are a constant reminder of our own mortality. We put them away and put them in retirement homes so we don't want to deal with that.

treat own think people

And that meant so much to me to have my parents' support. I don't think I could have continued to push through with the first feature and the many shorts that I did without their support.

parents think me support

Americans always talk about family love being unconditional, and I realized that I didn't feel that way.

feel family love way

Sometimes America is so great because it brings all of us together, but sometimes it can be so limiting because it puts labels on things.

great together sometimes america

In some ways, every character we write, especially the protagonist, is some version of ourselves, as a writer/director, even if they aren't the same gender.

write some gender character

So whatever decision you make, you're going to be able to find stories or signs to say 'I did the right thing,' because we have to believe we did the right thing in order to survive.

survive you decision believe

I immigrated when I was six so I had to learn English and I was always an outsider from a young age, and so I think my drive was that I wanted to fit in.

drive think always age

I'm comfortable, culturally I'm American, my perspectives are American, but from an aesthetic perspective do other people look at me and think that I'm American?

look me perspective people

Because if Asian American content is seen as a trend, the way that like leggings are in, then that's not true representation or inclusion. The mainstream doesn't have to worry about that.

true inclusion worry way

As long as I'm making something from my voice, from my perspective there will be Asian American content because I am the storyteller.

i-am perspective voice long

I don't think there's ever an inappropriate time to laugh! I'm a curious person. So if someone laughs, I want to know why.

laugh someone think time

My father's a diplomat. He speaks Russian.

diplomat speaks he father

Who does get to claim Americanness? You know, my brother was born in this country. And is he seen as American? So, I mean, it brings up a lot of interesting questions.

you born brother country

There's so little representation of people who look like me behind the camera that it makes you want to say yes to any opportunity out of desperation. It puts you in a situation where you can't make your best work. Diversity for cheap.

best me you work

I didn't see myself in Jia Jhangke or Wong Kar-Wai films. Those are Asian filmmakers, and I very much am an American filmmaker.

american see myself asian

My mother and my father are both very funny people, and they're both artistic in their own right. Oftentimes, we get very dramatic about things, but we also laugh really hard.

mother funny father people