Directed by Domee Shi, the forthcoming Turning Red (2022) is about eighth-grader Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang) as she navigates growing up. There’s the joy of her time with a tight-knit group of girlfriends and the challenges of an evolving relationship with her overbearing mother Ming (voice of Sandra Oh). All with the added stress of a new discovery: any time she feels a large emotion, she transforms into a giant red panda. Last week, Chiang and Oh, alongside castmates Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Hyein Park who play Mei’s best friends, held a press conference moderated by People editor Melody Chiu to discuss and reflect on Turning Red.
While the five women have worked together over the past few years of production, the combination of voiceover recording and pandemic protocols means it’s the first time they’re all in a room together. “To finally see the bodies that belong to the voices is exciting,” says Oh. “I think we’re all buzzing.” Her comment gets to the protracted reality of filming an animated movie, a process that can extend for years. In Chiang’s case, the week of the press conference comes close to “four years” from the time that she was first cast to play Mei.
Nonetheless, time and distance from each other have done nothing to dampen the “exciting” and “relatable” experience they all had connecting to the characters they embodied. For Morse, her role as Mei’s no-nonsense bestie Miriam reflects a great deal of her current lived reality. “I’m currently a high school student, and everybody is just growing and changing together. It can be very stressful and dark at times,” she says. “But, at the same time, it’s kind of a beautiful thing because everybody’s in it together, and just kind of, [putting] it all into living their lives the best they can.”
The cast also agreed on the importance of the film focusing on, as Chiu put it, “good portrayals of female friends for the younger generation.” Park notes that “when we finally got the chance to [portray] this female friendship, it was very important that it was authentic.” Connecting the on-screen rendering to the layered reality of female friendships, Ramakrishnan adds that they’re vital because “you get to be your goofy self” but also “have those crying moments where it’s like, hey, I really need support.”
Of course, the cast couldn’t help but have some fun thinking about the film’s high-level concept. When Chiu asked them what animal they would transform into while “stressed or sad like Mei,” they delivered a variety of answers. Chiang opted for an “armadillo,” while Oh went straight for the maxim that it needed to be “something fuzzy,” drawing agreement from her costars. Morse then confidently stated “I’d want to be like a sloth. ‘Cause, like, they just get to kinda, like, chill.” While Park initially opted for a “sea cucumber,” Morse’s suggestion inspired her to change her mind, suggesting “we’ll be sloth buddies.”
Turning specifically to Oh, Chiu asked her if she had any real-life experiences that helped her build Ming’s “tiger-mom” energy. With a laugh, Oh started talking about her mother. “Oh, my whole life,” she started, drawing laughter from the crowd. “I happen to have a really good relationship with my mom, and I know not everyone does…I [also]can’t stop her from being herself,” she continues. “I’m not gonna stop her, and I’m gonna enjoy her. I’m not gonna do what she wants me to do because that’s just not me. Within that is that pull that we are always having, I think, with our mothers and with our Asian mothers.”
Before wrapping up, Chiu posed a final question to the cast; “why should girls look up to Mei?” Park immediately suggests her “ability to be vulnerable…to actually own up to mistakes,” while Ramakrishnan turns to Mei’s “kind heart.” Ramakrishnan sees that Mei “always wants to do the right thing” and how “she’s just trying to be who she is. You know, choose herself and be there for friends, be there for her mom.” Chiang, who has spent years bringing Mei to life, hopes young girls will grasp Mei’s “drive.” “Once she sets her mind on something, she goes for it….she doesn’t half-ass it,” she says.
Turning Red debuts exclusively on Disney+ on Friday, March 11. Stay tuned for further coverage and our upcoming review of the film.
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Devin McGrath-Conwell holds a B.A. in Film / English from Middlebury College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting from Emerson College. His obsessions include all things horror, David Lynch, the darkest of satires, and Billy Joel. Devin’s writing has also appeared in publications such as Filmhounds Magazine, Film Cred, Horror Homeroom, and Cinema Scholars.