We were joined on the Popternative show by Slanted writer-director Amy Wang and cast members Shirley Chen (Dìdi, Quiz Lady), Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever, Turning Red), and Amelie Zilber (Emily in Paris, Grown-ish) to discuss their new satirical body horror.
Released in theaters on March 13, Slanted tells the story of a self-conscious Chinese-American teenager Joan (Chen) who undergoes an experimental procedure to look white, aiming to win the prom queen crown and gain social acceptance. The film mixes satirical drama, body horror, and thriller elements to explore the heavy theme of white supremacy. Also starring is McKenna Grace (Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Regretting You) who plays Joan after her transformation into a white, blonde, and blue eye version of herself.
On getting to see her script come to life for her directorial feature debut, Amy says, “It was very visceral and strange, especially because the movie is so much about my life and growing and my family life. This is my first feature film ever and I’ve done short films before, but it’s just a different scale. I hope I never get over that feeling because it’s such an incredible feeling.”
Amelie notes the importance of support she received on-set: “The movie is very clearly an intense film and my character is a deeply problematic character. I think if I did not have the privilege of having a cast that was so loving, that I got along with so well, and a director who was so supportive and so much fun and kept things light-hearted and enjoyable, it would have been a very probably isolating experience.”
Watch the rest of the conversations below.
Slanted is now playing in theaters.
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