The director of Freakier Friday revealed that they are correcting "hurtful" Asian stereotypes from the original in the upcoming sequel.
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are returning to star in the highly anticipated follow-up to the beloved Disney film, more than 20 years after the first installment was released.
Freakier Friday Will Change 'Hurtful' Asian Stereotypes from Original
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Nisha Ganatra opened up about the Asian stereotypes that they are correcting from the original in Freakier Friday.
She explained that the portrayal of Pei-Pei and her mother from the original is a "complicated" one "because the first movie is so beloved," but "there were some stereotypes that were hurtful."
As fans may remember, in the first film, the body swap between Anna and Tess happened after being served with a fortune cookie in Pei-Pei's restaurant.
"I remember watching it and feeling torn, mostly about the Asian representation, and also the soundtrack that was being used," Ganatra said.
"It was something I brought up right away when I had my first meetings with the producers. I had a moment of the presentation that was like, 'problematic Asian representation!'"
Manny Jacinto revealed that he also had the same concern when he was in talks to join the film.
"When I considered hopping on board, I remember watching the first Freaky Friday and being like, this did not age very well, regarding the diverse characters," he said.
"Knowing Nisha and speaking to other people within our circles, I knew we had a captain who was very much aware of those archetypes, or those issues presented in the first one. I felt very well taken care of."
How Will Freakier Friday Solve the Asian Stereotypes Issue?
Ganatra felt like "we owed audiences to make it right on this one." As a result, she invited Rosalind Chao and Lucille Soong back, and this time around, their characters have different involvement.
In the sequel, the body swap will no longer happen as a result of fortune cookies. Instead, it will be caused by a psychic character played by Vanessa Bayer.
Ganatra also revealed that they "some really fun moments in there" involving Pei-Pei and her mother, and explained that these "little moments that don't betray this movie, but were satisfying for people who found hurtful moments in the last one."
"It was a different time and wasn’t done intentionally [in the 2003 film], but it’s a real thing. It's something I, being Asian, was super conscious of," she said.
Jacinto added, "I don’t know if it would have been the same or had the same heart and charm if it was a different director. She keeps it very grounded and real, but also charming and fun. That’s a fine line to play, and she walks it really well."
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