Kevin Kwan didn't set out to write a novel. “Crazy Rich Asians” started as a change of pace.
“I was coming to Chicago from New York every week and spending a lot of time in hotel rooms and airport lounges,” Kwan says. “I just started writing this fun little story of memories and stories I've heard,” and [I] I just wanted to get something down on paper. ”
The memories were from Kwan's childhood in Singapore. From the late 1970s to his early 1980s, the country was becoming a financial powerhouse. Kwan's family wasn't super wealthy, but they were active in such circles. His encounters with wealthy people left a big impression on him.
“I remember going to a friend’s house. [an] “There was a huge pond in the middle of the living room,” he says. “They had baby sharks swimming in the pond. So, you know, [an] Kids as young as 8 or 9 will feel like they're in a James Bond villain's house. ”
Kwan's family left Singapore when he was 11 years old. He grew up in the United States but returned frequently to visit his friends and family. He noticed that they were becoming more and more prosperous.
“I just noticed that every time I visited Hong Kong, there were different levels of upgrades,” Kwan says. “First they pick you up in a Toyota. A few years later it becomes a Bentley. Then after a few years they stop picking you up. They send a van with a maid to pick up your luggage. I was kind of intrigued by what was going on on the other side of the world. And no one else was talking about it. No one was writing about it. That's why I felt that now was the time.”
So the book “Crazy Rich Asians'' was born. And Kwan's family wasn't entirely satisfied with the outcome.
“They were very concerned that the title of the book was offensive,” he says. “And I said, 'You know, this isn't meant to be offensive, it's meant to be provocative.'” And if it hadn't been for that title, it would have gotten so much attention and attention. I don't think I ever collected them. ”
And “Crazy Rich Asians” attracted attention. This book and its two sequels have sold more than 4 million copies of her in the United States and have been translated into more than 30 languages.
The novel tells the story of Rachel, an economics professor, and her history professor boyfriend, Nick, who live in New York City. When Nick invites Rachel to her best friend's wedding in Singapore, she accepts, not knowing that his family is one of the richest in the country and that she will be considered an intruder. Ta. Kwan said the story resonated with many readers.
“I meet a lot of Rachels who fall in love with Asian men and Asian women, but they find out they're from a very rich dynasty. How can they fit into that family?” he says. or not? Many relationships have failed, often due to cultural differences and the gap between rich and poor. ”
Readers will have the opportunity to see the wealth gap between Rachel and Nick played out on screen in Crazy Rich Asians, which was made into a movie five years after the book was published. . But Kwan says the film got off to a rocky start.
“In the beginning, one of the first people who was interested in buying the rights to this movie said, 'This is a great story, but you have to make the heroine white, or it won't work.' says Kwan. Well, that's not going to happen so I'll have to find someone else to do it with me. ”
But in the end, Kwan got what he wanted. The majority of the cast in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians'' were Asian. It's something Hollywood has only done once or twice in the past 25 years. However, due to the rarity of this event, the film became the subject of much scrutiny. Casting decisions were made under the microscope. For example, Henry Golding, who stars as Nick, is half British and half Malaysian, and caused a stir on social media.
Golding appeared on The View in 2018 and said, “I'm half British, so there was some kind of protest against whitewashing, but I don't hate it. I think it's a conversation that should be watched, because it just shows the studio that we're looking at.”
Kwan said: We felt like we were under a petri dish. But if you look at the big picture, what we were trying to do was portray something in an honest, sincere, sympathetic way. And after watching this movie, I think a lot of things have been forgiven. ”
I was truly forgiven. “Crazy Rich Asians'' became a huge hit in the summer of 2018, grossing approximately $240 million at the worldwide box office.
“Kevin Kwan definitely deserves praise for raising the profile of Asians in the United States,” said Yunte Huang, a professor at the University of Southern California, Santa Barbara, who writes about Asian American culture. I think it should be celebrated.”
Fans praise Kwan's accomplishments, but say the story ignores questions of class.
In the first scene of the film, which is based on the book, Nick's mother Eleanor, played by Michelle Yeoh, tries to get a wealthy family to stay in a luxury hotel in London. But even though she made a reservation, she was quickly turned away. The manager suggests to her family that they should go to Chinatown. Eleanor deals with disrespect with just a phone call. Her family buys a hotel.
As Huang points out, “not everyone can afford to do that to fight racism.”
The film's success was inspiring and life-changing for audiences. Child actor Ke Huy Quang, who appeared in films such as “The Goonies'' and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,'' began to lose his acting opportunities as he grew older. So Quan quit his acting career.
Then along came “Crazy Rich Asians.''
“I remember seeing it three times in the theater and crying three times,” Quan says. I wanted to be on set with my fellow Asian actors. That's when the idea of returning to my original world began to grow. ”
And that idea led to Quan's incredible performance in the blockbuster hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar last March.
“Crazy Rich Asians'' ushered in a wave of other films with predominantly Asian casts, including 2019's “The Farewell'' and 2020's “Minari.'' So in a way, Kwan helped open the door for Hollywood to expand its portrayal of Asians.
The phrase “Crazy Rich Asians” (CRA) entered the cultural lexicon, even though his family initially objected to the title.
“I remember going to Hong Kong a few years after my book came out, and people were saying, “You know what? [acronym] “I didn't even know what they were referring to,” Kwan says. “Someone says, 'Oh, he's a CRA,' and I'm like, 'What?' And they're like, 'Crazy Rich Asians.'”
Kwan went on to tell the stories of Asians outside of Asia. First, my 2020 book “Sex and Vanity.” My next book, Lies and Weddings, will be released next May. Both build on the success of “Crazy Rich Asians.”
And despite his multiple bestsellers, that success still surprises Kwan.
“The word that always comes back to me is gratitude. I never imagined I would be able to make a living telling stories and writing books…It was beyond my wildest dreams,” he says. .
Happy 10th birthday to “Crazy Rich Asians”!
