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Actress Joan Chen has received great praise for her work in “Didi”.
Extra’s Adam Weissler interviewed Joan, who plays an immigrant mother raising several children in the United States in Sean Wan’s film.
The praise Joan has been receiving for her role in the film has been “surprising” to her. She explained: This is a little movie made in Sean’s backyard and the backyard of Sean’s mother’s friend. It was in these two houses that we worked. The staff were very young and energetic, but very lean. We knew we were making something good, but it’s a tiny little movie, so we didn’t know where it was going to go… It was really surprising when we actually won at Sundance. That was a pleasant surprise. Then Focus features picked it up and the reviews were great. All of this was a pleasant surprise – I wasn’t expecting it. ”
Joan has been appearing on red carpets to promote the film, but said she has been “away from training” for a while. she said: “I live in the Bay Area, I don’t live in Los Angeles. This movie has brought me back to Los Angeles many times… I’d rather go visit my parents in Shanghai than come to Los Angeles. There are a lot more.”
Chen said it was “amazing” to be back in Los Angeles, where she had lived since moving to the United States. “It brought back a lot of memories from my youth,” she said.
Despite all the praise, Joan emphasized that the “creative process” is what brings her the most joy. She said: “When you pull off a good scene, it was real happiness. You’re very satisfied.”
She emphasized, “I hope the red carpet brings me such joy.”
As for the possibility of being nominated for an Oscar, Joan said she doesn’t want to think about it too much, “That’s outside of my control.”
“I’m living my life and I think the most important thing right now, in times of uncertainty, conflict and division, is life itself,” Joan commented. “You focus on the things you can touch, the people you can love, and the parts of yourself that you can live well and enjoy.”
While “Diddy” is a “culturally specific” film, Chen believes it evokes “universal emotions.”
“It’s a coming-of-age story, a story about an awkward teenager trying to fit in,” Joan elaborated. “America is made up of this myriad of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. To me, the most beautiful thing about America is that we have such a diverse range of people… America is a nation of immigrants, but our common humanity is even stronger. It’s important…we have much more in common than we are different.”
