Ep533 - Lulu Wang, Writer-Director ‘The Farewell’ & ‘Expats’

Creative Principles

“I always knew that I wanted to write in some way. My mother is a writer and I kind of just grew up around writing and literature,” says Lulu Wang. “But, it felt like such a lonely art form, so when I got to college, that was the first time I thought about filmmaking as a career.” Like many viewers, she hadn’t thought much about the writer behind her favorite shows and movies. “I took a 101 class and that’s when I started to really understand how films and TV are made. We got to make a couple short films, I got to work with my friends, and it was wonderful to be able to create and re-create a story multiple times.” Wang has seven credits on IMDb including The Farewell and most recently, Expats. The Farewell stars Awkwafina, and it follows a Chinese family who discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live, but they decide to keep this from her and focus on scheduling a wedding before she dies. In Expats, Nicole Kidman stars as Margaret Woo, an expatriate living in Hong Kong when tragedy befalls her family. “I feel like my style is still evolving,” says Wang. “I’m still learning, but I think early on, the stuff I was drawn to were films that ask an interesting question. I’m just fascinated by people, the way they behave, and human psychology and sociology.” Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on hundreds of interviews here at Creative Principles. If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!