>>> WELCOME BACK. AWKWAFINA WENT FROM RAPPER TO
ACTOR WHEN SHE TOOK ON COMEDIC
ROLES IN BLOCKBUSTER FILMS LIKE
"OCEANS 8" AND "CRAZY RICH
ASIANS."
ASIANS." FOR HER NEXT ROLE, SHE’S TAKING
A DRAMATIC TURN IN "IF FARE" FAR
IT IS ABOUT A GRANDMOTHER WHO
HAS WEEKS TO LIVE, AND THE
DECISION NOT TO TELL GRANDMA
HERSELF.
HERSELF. >> I DON’T UNDERSTAND.
SHE DOESN’T HAVE A LOT OF TIME
LEFT.
LEFT. SHE SHOULD KNOW, RIGHT?
>> THERE’S NOTHING THEY CAN DO.
EVERYONE DECIDED IT IS BETTER
NOT TO TELL HER.
>> WHY IS THAT BETTER?
>> WHEN PEOPLE GET CANCER, THEY
DIE.
DIE. IT IS NOT THE CANCER THAT KILLS
THEM, IT’S THE FEAR.
>> AWKWAFINA, GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> IN A LOT OF WAYS, THIS IS A
HEAVY TOPIC, ALTHOUGH THE WAY IT
IS TREATED, IT CERTAINLY HAS A
LOT OF HUMOR AND A LOT OF HEART.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS
TRADITION IN CHINESE CULTURE,
THAT SOMETIMES IF AN ELDERLY
MEMBER OF THE FAMILY IS FACING A
DIAGNOSIS LIKE CANCER, NOBODY
TELLS?
TELLS? >> NOBODY TELLS.
THAT’S PER THE DOCTOR’S
INSTRUCTIONS A LOT OF THE TIME.
I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT IT EITHER.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> WHEN I READ THE SCRIPT, I WAS
LIKE, WHAT?
LIKE, WHAT? YOU KNOW, I THINK IT REALLY TOOK
GOING OVER THERE TO UNDERSTAND
WHERE THAT REASONING COMES FROM.
I CAN SAY THAT AFTER FILMING THE
MOVIE, I’M NOT IN THE DARK ABOUT
IT.
IT. I UNDERSTAND IT.
>> I GUESS THE NOTION IS A LOT
OF PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THE MINUTE
YOU HEAR THAT WORD, YOU HEAR THE
NEWS, THAT’S WHEN YOU REALLY
START TO FEEL SICK.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. IT’S THE SAYING, WHAT YOU DON’T
KNOW WON’T KILL YOU.
>> WELL, THIS ROLE SEEMS TO BE
MADE FOR YOU IN SO MANY WAYS.
THERE IS THE YOUNG GIRL WHO
IS -- HAS CHINESE CULTURE.
OBVIOUSLY, THAT’S HER
BACKGROUND.
BACKGROUND. ALSO IS RAISED AMERICAN.
IT IS KIND OF NAVIGATING THESE
TWO WORLDS.
TWO WORLDS. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> IT CENTERS AROUND A BELOVED
GRANDMA.
GRANDMA. OF COURSE, YOU’RE VERY CLOSE TO
YOUR GRANDMA.
YOUR GRANDMA. >> YES, I’M VERY, VERY CLOSE TO
MY GRANDMA.
MY GRANDMA. I THINK THAT EVERYONE KIND OF IS
FAMILIAR WITH THAT LOVE.
WE KNEW THIS WAS A VERY SPECIFIC
STORY.
STORY. IT CENTERS AROUND A VERY
SPECIFIC KIND OF A FAMILY AND
CULTURE.
CULTURE. EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IT IS LIKE
TO EXPERIENCE LOSS.
EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IT IS LIKE
TO HAVE A GRANDMA AND LOVE THEIR
GRANDMA.
GRANDMA. >> YOU HAD TO BRUSH UP ON YOUR
MANDARIN, AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> YOU WEREN’T STARTING
COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH, BUT YOU
HAD A LOT TO LEARN.
>> I HAD A LOT TO LEARN.
I PRETTY MUCH HEARD CHINESE
YELLED AROUND ME AS A KID.
I NEVER SPOKE IT.
YEAH, I LEARNED IT.
I’M NOT THE MOST SECURE ABOUT IT
BUT, YOU KNOW --
>> WHAT DOES YOUR GRANDMA SAY?
>> SHE WAS LIKE, EH.
>> HIGH PHRASERAISE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> YOUR FATHER WROTE THE CUTEST
TEXT MESSAGE YOU POSTED ABOUT
THIS MOVIE.
THIS MOVIE. HI, THE MAUVEOVIE IS STILL ON MY
MIND.
MIND. YOU DID A GREAT JOB.
IMAGINE SEEING A MOVIE WITH
PEOPLE LAUGHING AND CRYING, AND
IT’S MY DAUGHTER UP THERE.
THAT MUST HAVE MEANT SO MUCH TO
YOU.
YOU. >> IT DID.
IT DID.
IT DID. I WAS LIKE, DAD, YOU TEXT?
THAT WAS FUN.
>> YOUR DAD HAS BEEN ON THE
WHOLE JOURNEY OF AWKWAFINA.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> I’M NOT GOING TO SAY WHAT IT
IS, BUT THE RAP VIDEO THAT
BROUGHT YOU TO STARDOM, YOUR DAD
WAS NOT SURE THIS WAS THE PROPER
ROLE FOR HIS LITTLE GIRL.
>> HE WAS NOT SURE.
IT WASN’T UNTIL IT WENT VIRAL
THAT HE BECAME MY TOUR MANAGER.
I’M LIKE, DAD, I DON’T NEED YOU,
YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW. YOU’RE SENDING ME -- I’M TAKING
THREE FLIGHTS FROM NEW YORK TO
PHILADELPHIA.
PHILADELPHIA. FORGET IT.
FORGET IT. HE IS VERY SUPPORTIVE NOW, YEAH.
>> DID YOU HAVE ANY TREPIDATION
ABOUT TAKING ON A DRAMATIC ROLE?
IT ISN’T A COMEDY ROLE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> YOU HAD TO KIND OF TAKE OFF
ALL THAT FUNNY, KRA I SYCRAZY, A
PERSONA WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE.
>> TAKE OFF THE WIG.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> I KNEW I CONNECTED WITH THE
MATERIAL.
MATERIAL. THAT’S THE ONE THING THAT I
KNEW.
KNEW. I KNEW I CONNECTED WITH THE
JOURNEY THAT BILL LEEIE MAKES FR
AMERICA TO CHINA.
I CONNECTED TO THE GRANDMA
ASPECT OF IT, AND I FELT HER
PAIN.
PAIN. I COULD FEEL THAT.
I DIDN’T KNOW IF I COULD
REALLY -- I DIDN’T KNOW, YOU
KNOW, ACTOR WISE, IF THAT WOULD
COME ACROSS.
COME ACROSS. IT TOOK GOING TO CHINA,
UNDERSTANDING THE WEIGHT OF THE
MATERIAL, AND KNOWING THAT
THAT’S HOW REAL IT IS.
>> YOU PULL IT OFF.
YOU’RE SUCH A SUPERSTAR.
>> THANK YOU.
>> I REMEMBER WE MET WHEN YOU
WERE DOING --
>> I WAS SO NERVOUS TO MEET YOU.
>> I WAS NERVOUS.
I WAS SITTING THERE, AND I WAS
SO IMPRESSED WITH YOU.
WE WERE WITH ALL OF THE STARS OF
"OCEANS 8."
"OCEANS 8." SANDRA BULLOCK, RIHANNA.
THEY’RE ALL THERE.
AWKWAFINA, YOU HELD YOUR OWN.
THAT WAS YOUR FIRST BREAKOUT
ROLE, AND THERE YOU WERE, LIKE
YOU WERE OWNING THE PLACE.
I WAS IMPRESSED BY YOU.
>> THAT’S AWESOME.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. >> NOW, ARE YOU USED TO IT?
YOU’RE LIKE, I’M KANDIND OF A BI
DEAL?
DEAL? >> NEW YORK CITYO, I’M NOT.
RIGHT NOW, I’M A HUGE SAVANNAH
GUTHRIE FAN.
GUTHRIE FAN. I’M HAPPY TO BE HERE.
>> I FEEL THE SAME FOR YOU.
I’M HAPPY FOR YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WHEN PEOPLE SEE HOW YOU
STRETCH, THEY THINK THEY KNOW
WHAT YOU CAN DO, BUT YOU’RE JUST
GETTING STARTED.
GETTING STARTED. >> THANK YOU.
>> THE MOVIE IS CALLED "THE
FAREWELL."
FAREWELL." IT IS IN SELECT THEATERS NOW AND