3 days Ago
For years now, there's been conversation about the power of seeing one's self in the media. That includes LGBTQ+ representation, and discourse surrounding authentic characters played by queer actors . But this type of feeling also extends to the crew members, with The Wedding Banquet 's Bowen Yang and Kelly Marie Tran recalling the power of chosen queer family while on set.
The Wedding Banquet was a hit at Sundance , and it'll be getting its wide release shortly on April 18th. The upcoming comedy is a remake of Ang Lee's 1993 film of the same name and follows two gay couples, Chris and Min (Yang and Han Gi-chan) and Angela and Lee (Tran and Lily Gladstone ), who stage a fake wedding in hopes of getting a green card and money for IVF respectively. It's a project crafted by LGBTQ+ talent in front and behind the camera, something that the cast and crew took note of.
In an interview with Los Angeles Times , Kelly Marie Tran revealed the feedback she heard from folks on the set, offering: I remember constantly having different crew members come up to us and just say how special it was to be on a queer set, because so many of them were queer as well and had never worked on anything that was primarily queer in its cast and its crew. It was just this contagious feeling on set — it just felt really magical. That sounds truly affirming.
Although perhaps it shouldn't be all that surprising; director/writer Andrew Ahn also was behind the underrated rom-com Fire Island , which also told a refreshingly authentic (while still hilarious) story about a group of friends on the titular gay vacation spot. Those who want a re-watch can currently stream it with a Hulu subscription . Both Fire Island and The Wedding Banquet star Emmy-nominated SNL star Bowen Yang, who spoke to the themes of the romantic comedy, and how they highlight the power of forming a chosen family with in the LGBTQ+ community.
The faux wedding is born out of these two couples actively trying to help each other, as he shared: It was just so natural and organic to have kindness be the binding agent for these four people. And I feel like that is what chosen family, especially queer chosen family, is built on. This sentiment combined with the comments by Kelly Marie Tran, make it seem like the cast and crew of The Wedding Banquet might have formed their own chosen family throughout filming Andrew Ahn's project.
I have to assume that will translate into the film itself, which has the potential to be one of the best rom-coms in recent memory. Luckily for moviegoers, the wait for this project is nearly over. The Wedding Banquet hits theaters on April 18th as part of the 2025 movie premiere list , and looks like it's going to have equal parts comedy and heart.
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