Scrappy

I've always been scrappy.
I think it comes from being a short person. But also an Asian kid growing up in Ohio.
Short people will be told "no" more times in life than tall people Especially men. Add into the mix, "Asian" and it's an uphill battle.

That leads to the chip on my shoulder. And motivation to outdo what the social norm would be. In high school, I led a pretty rebellious group of people who did what they wanted...in a WASPY rich Mid-Western city. Went into places we were told not to go. Hung out with unsavory characters. And lived...hard. Rich kids always wanted to rebel. Since life was too easy for them. "Less Than Zero" actually portrays their lethargic world, full of apathy and finding ways to rebel (Andrew McCarthy was woefully casted). To me, they were conformist. Trying to fit in to the crowd by doing drugs or drinking or fucking. Breaking barriers, I suppose.

I rebelled against rebellion and then rebelled against that. In the motion picture world, it's that I hate mainstream movies. Hate them. They're poorly made and looks cheap with no stars. Go ahead name five. In the 30's-2000's you could name 20 easily. Stars...not actors...stars. There are no personalities anymore because they can't break molds. Dennis Hopper, for instance, never dealt with the status quo. And kept moving (regardless of his stint in "Speed"). He bent spoons and carnival barked. Not to say money is ever a factor. It isn't. It's going against what is expected.
Backtracking a bit, a friend asked me why people shit on Hollywood if they want to work in it. I don't think it's shitting on Hollywood, as much as figuring a way to live this bohemian life while not conforming to cookie cutter children's movies. YES, they are cookie cutter. And they are comfortable. And they say nothing. But that's commerce.

I'll argue to the death about this point, films should mean more. Otherwise, you're wasting your time.

Scrappy.

I think what's made me less interested in the Hollywood system now is that it's even more a system. The single studio wasn't a bad idea, and yielded incredible movies. They're sort of going towards that again. I mean, how else would we know who Kevin Feige is?

I love being scrappy. I am grateful to have grown up with a sense of fight. I think most of White America love to live in...steady. But that gets boring fast.
I thought about the glass ceiling in Hollywood for the people of color. And most White folk are thinking "dude, give it to the person who is the best for the part" I agree. But allow more stories to be told from the perspective of different people. James Wan can direct an "Aquaman" movie. Men can tell female stories. The problem is when the studios announce a female director or Asian female director or (insert new virtue signal ethnic group) to helm a project. To me, that is the studio using it to promote their phony awareness. It's not to make society change. And, if any of these people took these "handouts" I'm sure they've got a twinge of shame. If they had any pride.
The lesson here is that most of the time, "earning" a position has NOTHING to do with how you make it here. But, if you're scrappy, it's all you got.