Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan speaks to Hypable about wrapping up his trilogy, adapting the book for the big screen, and what’s next on his docket.
Crazy Rich Asians comes out on August 15, and the reviews have me even more excited than I was before (something I didn’t even know was possible). We had the opportunity to speak with author Kevin Kwan about the movie, the series as a whole, and what he hopes people get out of both of them.
Between being named one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2018 and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ being one of the most anticipated summer movies, it’s been such an amazing year for you! So first — congrats! Second — what’s been the most gratifying or uplifting or just overall best part of this whole process of writing the trilogy?
Thank you! When I began working on the first novel, Crazy Rich Asians, I didn’t even expect it to ever get published, so everything since then has been a total blessing. The most gratifying thing is seeing how the books have affected my readers.
I get amazing letters from fans all over the world telling me, for instance, that my books were the only thing that got them through heartbreak, losing a loved one, or twelve weeks of chemotherapy. One lady in San Francisco said to me, “Thank you for writing the first books that have made me proud of who I am.” I was absolutely floored by that statement.
You have so many fabulous characters who go through these wonderful and sometimes ridiculous journeys through the books (I especially love Astrid with my whole heart and soul). I know you’d always planned on a trilogy, but did you also have a set plan in mind for all the characters or did any of their journeys surprise you in some way?
Hope I’m not disappointing anyone by admitting that I had it all planned out from day one! Of course, as I began to write each of the characters’ stories, they would often speak to me and make me change the path of their journey. Astrid was particularly vocal — I found myself taking her character through unexpected twists and turns. She really challenged me, and made me go deeper with her story than I ever intended, but the destination remained the same because I always knew where I wanted her story to go at the end of Rich People Problems.
What I love about these books is that while they’re about the lavishness of this high-class life, they’re also about how absurd levels of wealth have sort of negatively impacted these characters’ lives. Can you talk a little bit about balancing those two things in this book and in your series?
Thank you for noticing this — it was an important theme throughout my books, to show not just the fun side of wealth, but the dark side. What I’ve found in my experience of (occasionally) being around the ultra wealthy is that they are often the unhappiest, most stressed out people. They may be living in these sumptuous paradises, enjoying the best of everything that money can buy, but they can’t buy happiness.
The vast wealth, the excess of it all, often complicates their lives tremendously, because they end up being ruled by it. The characters Eddie Cheng, Kitty Pong, and even Eleanor Young fall victim to this. And Astrid is the ultimate example — most of the tragedies that befall her happen because she happened to be born into this world with too much money.
What’s been your favorite thing about writing this series? What are you looking forward to now that it’s over?
My favorite thing was the journey itself — being immersed in writing about this world, summoning so many lost memories of my youth in Asia, and inhabiting the lives of all my characters. And now that it’s over — honestly, I have been going so non-stop for the past few years that what I really am looking forward to is a vacation. Someplace extremely remote with a view of the sea, with no WiFi or cell service please!
What do you hope people take away from the series as a whole?
I would say that ultimately, I wrote these books to bring people joy, and hopefully many good laughs.
I was 5 years old when ‘The Joy Luck Club’ came out in theaters, so even just seeing previews of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ — which looks so incredibly amazing — makes me slightly weepy. As executive producer for the movie, what are you most excited about in terms of bringing your story to the big screen?
I can’t wait for audiences around the world to discover Asia in a whole new light, and for them to fall in love with the group of actors that have given their all for this film. Henry Golding, Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh are absolutely brilliant, of course, but I also hope audiences will go crazy for our supporting actors as well — like Awkwafina, Jimmy O. Yang, Chris Pang, Sonoya Mizuno, and Jing Lusi, just to name a few. And I want casting agents and directors to take note of their talent and cast them in their movies! I know some of them are already on their way to becoming superstars and I’m so thrilled for them.
You mentioned about a year back that you were writing a scripted drama series but couldn’t talk too much about it. Is there any more news you can share with us now?
I wish I could tell you more! We are at a very exciting point in developing the series — the studio will be making some big announcements regarding the show very soon, but until then my lips are sealed.
Other than that, what else is on your horizon (other than a well-deserved vacation!)?
Yes, aside from the escape to paradise, I am developing several new projects that I can’t talk about yet. It will all hopefully be a nice surprise for my fans.
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