- When I first saw Margaret Cho growing up,
I think I was like seven years old
and I'd never seen anything like it.
And in that way, she was a spectacle to me.
You know, if you don't have someone there as an initial
inspiration you really don't think anythings possible.
And that's why I think that it's extremely important for
the younger generations of Asian-Americans to see
people that look like them on screen
because it'll make it seem possible for them.
(robotic chiming)
(slow drumming)
- 16.5 million dollars (dramatic thud) in each of your
bank accounts (dramatic thud) five weeks from now.
- That's a lot.
As an actress, and you know,
one with kind of a limited resume at this point,
I never expected that I would shoot a movie in New York
let alone that I would be playing a native New Yorker.
And a couple things really resonated with me with Constance,
she's from Queens, she was picked, plucked from that park
which I used to go to when I was a young kid.
Also, it's like, you know that whole mentality like,
what would you do to get outta Queens?
What would you do, that hustle mentality,
that having that Awkwafina also really had for a long time.
I never knew that I would go into acting,
let alone that my music would ever be a career.
It wasn't really until I was actually been
doing Girl Code that I got an audition for Neighbors
and that was like my first time going on camera
and from there I think I noticed that comedy had always
played a really big role in
everything that I did in my music
and I always knew that I was a part it
and acting tapped into that in a different way.
I don't think I internalized the oh this is
the best year of your life as well as I should have.
I think it's also the stereotypical Asian
way of taking compliments, which I can't.
But you know, it doesn't induce a little bit of anxiety.
I don't want this to be the best year of my life,
I want another best year of my life at some point
but as of yet, this is probably the best year of my life.
But you know, I also think that fame in itself,
like moments, are subjective.
People have been saying I've had a
moment since My Vag had 500 views.
It's like it's all very subjective
and I really hope that throughout this
I can retain a grounded sense of self.
I don't think that I'm going to be like blown up
but you know I think that I'm really good at
having an out of body experience, looking down
and being like oh, you actually do suck
and your life is actually pretty funny.
And I think that I can make fun of myself in such a way.
I think that's what really fuels all that.
This kind of intense self-deprecation
that will never leave me.
That's why I'm in these dope movies
but I still am just like,
you still smell like scalp so don't worry about it.
Oddly, the acting and music, it's kinda like oil and water.
They tend to become very separate
and I think with movies, every movie I do is a blessing.
So every movie that I can be a part of,
like let's do it, I'm down.
I'm gonna lend myself to it, it's a collaboration.
Whereas music that's what I do
in my underwear at night, every night.
I'll never stop.
So it's like I'll make music until
no one wants to listen to it anymore.
That's just what I've always done,
that's like my passion, my hobby.
What's something that I'm very privileged to be able to do
but also with acting it's just different.
It's a different thing.
I'll do both as long as I can.
In terms of filtering myself or censoring myself,
as long as what I'm saying is right
and it's standing up for what's right, I'll say it.
But if what I'm saying is detrimental to people,
if it insults people for no reason,
which I used to do a lot on Twitter.
My Twitter was just a garbage pile
but now I think I am more wary of that
but in that way I think it's taught
me to grow up a little bit
and just see issues what I should fight for,
what I should stand up for.
I think the role model thing it's something
that I didn't wanna accept when I first came out.
It's something that like, who wants that burden?
It's like being Batman, who wants to be Batman, no one,
especially for Asian-Americans.
What I learned very quickly is that I will be by default.
I will influence and I will impact my community
and so that's just what's gonna happen
and what you do with that is that you have to understand
that they're gonna be with you when you're doing well
and they're unfortunately gonna be a
part of you when you're doing bad.
So you have to be wary of that
and what I want out of this is I wanna inspire people.
'Cause I want there to be more of us.
I don't wanna be the one.
I want there to be so many that
I don't even stick out anymore.
(robotic chiming)
(upbeat music}