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Upon the release of Michael Mann’s film “Heat” in 1995, cinephiles rejoiced at watching acting legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino share the screen together for the first time. One can’t help but get that same feeling when seeing legends Youn Yuh-jung and Joan Chen share the screen as their characters bond over a dinner table in “The Wedding Banquet.”Youn is the legendary South Korean actor whose first American film, “Minari,” landed her an Academy Award for supporting actress. Chen is the Chinese-American actor and director who achieved superstardom in China before starring in 1987’s “The Last Emperor,” which won nine Academy Awards. Since then, she has maintained a busy career not only in Hollywood, but internationally.
In “The Wedding Banquet,” the two are presented as very different parental figures. Youn is the grandmother of Min (played by newcomer Han Gi-Chan), a gay man in love with Chris (Bowen Yang) who proposes a green card marriage to his lesbian friend Angela (Kelly Marie Tran). Coming from a reserved Korean family, Min’s sexuality has never been discussed with his grandparents. Chen, on the other hand, plays Angela’s mother May, an extrovert who is a little too proud of her gay daughter — or just really loves the attention she receives from being so visibly supportive.
How much do you both relate to these characters? Joan, even though your character needs to be the center of attention, I find her so endearing.
Director Andrew Ahn adapted the screenplay with producer James Schamus from Ang Lee’s 1993 rom-com — a movie that Chen at one point was going to star in. Chen and Youn, who goes by YJ, spoke to Variety about relating to their characters, how filmmaking differs around the world and finally working together.
Joan Chen: We’re both mothers and I know how even with the best intentions, you can inadvertently hurt your children. So in that sense, I could relate to her. But my own personality is not at all like her — and that’s what’s so fun to play. But she’s a total diva, everything is about her, her, her.
YJ, I heard you were originally supposed to play the mother of the groom but you requested the character be made his grandmother.
Youn Yuh-jung: When I first got the script, the casting for the boy was older than 30 so I felt I could be his mother. But when they cast the [Han], I said to Andrew, “No, no, no I’m too old to be his mother, let’s change me to the grandmother. It gives even more deep history between our family.” I think it worked out well.
I’ve also heard you say you related to this character because of your son, who is gay, and that Korea is not really open about such issues.
Youn: They are not open about it at all. Korea is very conservative country. So yes, it is very personal to me. I spoke to Andrew about it and my line to my grandson [in the movie] was something we wrote together after I shared my personal experience with him. My character tells him that [whoever he is], “You are my grandson.” We put that real-life line in the movie. I hope it helped.
Chen: I kept telling YJ after I saw the film that she’s so wonderful. She brings the dramatic gravitas, the authenticity. From an actor to an actor, I just want to say it’s so beautifully done.
Youn: Joan, you did a wonderful job. I appreciate your acting with your daughter and in the scene between you and me, you were a great help. So thank you.
I want to talk about that moment because while your characters interact in group scenes together, you get a beautiful one-on-one moment with a dinner scene near the end — what was that like to shoot?
Chen: We didn’t get to do many scenes together, so I was very much looking forward to this scene. We shot it as the last scene at the end of a long day and we were both a bit tired. YJ has this very quirky sense of humor. After every take, Andrew would say, “That was lovely, can we do it again?” And YJ sometimes said to him, “If it’s lovely, then you wouldn’t be doing it again!”Youn: So many takes. But we had a great time together. Though we hadn’t met before this movie, I’ve been watching Joan since “The Last Emperor” so in some ways, she felt familiar to me.
You said Joan helped you in that scene; was that just by being an amazing partner?
Youn: I’m sure Joan will be agree with me but I see it like a scale. I’m only a B student but if I have some collaboration with an A-plus student, then I could be like, a B-plus. She can elevate me.
Chen: It’s always the most important thing to have a good scene partner and to have one like YJ, I couldn’t be happier. Or more flattered that she feels the same way. I’ve had people say to me, “Can we have a whole movie of that dinner?” I hope there will be a future opportunity for us together.
Youn: But we better hurry because I’m much older than you, I’m dying very soon.
I also love your work with the rest of this cast. How did that chemistry and family history — fraught as it may be — develop? What was it like working with this exciting new generation of actors?
Chen: I hadn’t met Kelly before but like YJ said, when you’ve seen someone’s work, they don’t feel unfamiliar. From the start, I felt we were in good hands. One of our first scenes together, Kelly got very emotional and tears started pouring out. Andrew is a very gentle director but for some reason that scene was shot many times and even after seven takes, she was still giving it her all. I was so impressed.
That’s a lot of takes.
Youn: And he would always say they were “lovely!”
Han Gi-Chan, who plays your grandson, is just a joy. But this was his first movie, do you think he was intimidated?
Youn: First meeting, I’m sure he was scared of me because I’m much older than him and I was testing him. He came to meet me before shooting and I didn’t have any knowledge of him, he’s a very new actor. As soon as he got in my apartment I said, “Let’s read the script.” I’m sure he was very scared. My son was there.(Youn gestures to her son and manager, Nuel Cho, to elaborate.)Cho: I was there on site and as soon as he walked in the door, she was like, “Let’s go.” But he did such a good job on the reading. He passed the test.
Youn: And I told him after seeing the film he did a wonderful job. Just wonderful.
The cast and crew of “The Wedding Banquet” (L-R) Youn Yuh-jung, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, Andrew Ahn, Kim Yutani, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang and Bobo Le.
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Did Bowen speak to either of you about hosting or being on “Saturday Night Live”?
Youn: My first son is a huge fan. He sent me some tapes and was very happy I was playing with Bowen.Cho: She wants to know if Bowen asked if you would host “SNL.”
Youn: No! I couldn’t!Cho: She’s a senior citizen, it goes a little late.
Chen: Bowen is always so great. My daughter is a fan, and she goes to NYU and this month she’s going to see a taping of the show. She couldn’t be more excited.
What do you find to be the biggest difference or change in making movies in the U.S. versus other countries?
Youn: In Korea I worked maybe 60 years in the industry and everyone knows me and I was kind of spoiled — they know what I like and what I don’t like. I don’t like to do too many takes. I don’t like to do more than three. I told [“Minari” producer] Douglas Seok to tell his friend, “Your friend is killing me.”
Did he keep it to three after that?
Youn: Yes, he did, and he brought me some nice Korean rice cake to say sorry to me.
Chen: I started working in China when I was 14 and I’ve never stopped, even when I work in Hollywood. In the very beginning it was different because film stock was extremely expensive so honestly you had to get things in one take. And they were chopped very short, you were often just shooting reactions, not having the person do their lines opposite you. So originally I preferred the U.S. way. But over the years they’ve become a lot more similar. Though the parts that I get are different. I think there’s a better understanding of the characters I can play in China. But overall, I’m just so thrilled we can work in such vastly different cultures. It’s just a blessing.
