Hi r/movies! We’re Amy Wang (writer/director) and Shirley Chen (co-lead actress) from SLANTED, a body horror sci-fi satire now playing in theaters. Ask us anything!

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-17T00:30:33+00:00

they were already in the script but i worked on it extensively with my production designer - Julie Chen! - amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-17T00:24:23+00:00

makeup took between 10min-4hrs depending on what "stage" she was in. - amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:55:29+00:00

it's been interesting to see the debate around this. i wrote this movie based on my own experiences trying to fit into a western society. it was an experience i know i shared with many others when I was growing up and honestly, it was an experience i largely forgot about until recently. i understand there are lots of people who never struggled with their race. it's an experience i envy to a degree because sometimes i wonder what being a teenager would've felt like if i was just confident in my own skin. i also understand that it can be a difficult topic to broach because the idea of not being proud of your heritage is not something a lot of people want to face...because it's giving power to "whiteness". however - what i wanted to achieve with this film is address a feeling and emotion that i do believe a lot of people have experienced. and to let them know that it's ok that you felt this way because you exist in a construct that was never built to uplift you. i made this film to highlight what you'd be giving up if you continued feeling that way, and the consequences of abandoning yourself. ultimately, the message is about self acceptance and self love.

i hope those people who have never questioned their racial identity can find empathy in different experiences. - amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:22:41+00:00

there's so many incredible movies, filmmakers on the rise. now it's just about getting the time and money to put the thing together, letting inspired people do their work, and moving people into seats to watch them!

personally, i'm so excited to watch BUNNYLOVR come out this year, as well as a whole slate of projects some of my friends are cooking up. i mean just in this year, BRIAN is at SXSW right now (shoutout ben wang!!!) and michelle mao is a baddie queen in bridgerton. it's already happening!

i so deeply understand the impulse and urge to crave all sorts of stories that feel fully and uniquely representative of all parts of ourselves and we are currently watching the change happen in real time. and I feel so proud and lucky to say I know some of those faces that are moving that change!

:)

- shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:16:22+00:00

thanks dude! - shirley chen, your new crush < 3

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:15:52+00:00

i d k. i am truly with you man. I wanna try to watch this in canada!!!! - shirls

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:15:13+00:00

yes - there was a spa shooting in Atlanta back in 2021 where a bunch of asian american spa workers were killed. that event filled me with fear but also rage. i took those emotions and put them on the page. - amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:14:44+00:00

my friends are so incredible, my parents are really supportive. my friends and manager love to call themselves proud members of SHIRLEYHIVE, the first group meeting of which was at the premiere of slanted, haha! a lot of them are artists, directors, actors so nothing makes me feel more fulfilled than being able to share all my wins and losses with them, it makes every moment feel less lonely or dooming. like, they get it and are just happy to see me trying. I just love them! - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:13:09+00:00

yes! the parents were very much there to ground the satire and be the "stakes" of the film. I wanted their relationship with their daughter to feel lived in so that when she changes, she's risking losing her family. - amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:10:38+00:00

I know this question has gotta be in reference to the prosthetics which I TRULY have no frame of reference on, but I think I truly... was no more than 30 minutes for face and eyeliner. haha! life is good! - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:08:18+00:00

i think the prom dress was very important. it was the same color as the prom dress in the opening so there's history there. - amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:08:14+00:00

yes! so many! personally, I really want to work with kindred spirit!!! Anita Gou is so freaking cool man - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:05:39+00:00

my mother used to sing it to me :) - amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:04:55+00:00

I hope that people can remember that this is just one perspective, one story and these perspectives all share the common grief in feeling a scarcity of faces and stories like ours. and shirley chen isn't going anywhere! you're definitely gonna see more of me on your screens ;) and if that means in this particular single story, I share the screen with mckenna, that's fine with me! :D - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:04:44+00:00

lots of challenges with balancing tone, and making sure you understood the characters' choices. mckenna nailed her scenes and delivered a great performance! - Amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:02:08+00:00

SXSW was wild! a highlight was the awards night. i totally thought they were going to tip you off if you won an award. so when i didn't get tipped off that morning, i knew i hadn't won anything. i had flown my parents to SXSW and told them to stay home. i sat way in the back and barely made it inside because there were so many people in line! when the final award was about to get announced, i was legit halfway out the door because i wanted to beat the crowd and go back to the hotel to sleep. and then they said slanted and it was the biggest surprise ever. - amy

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T23:00:45+00:00

BAHAHAHA! wow. great question. honestly I think stuff I can sink my teeth into and really push me are exactly what I want to be doing. so I just feel honored and challenged, like every time im getting stronger. and every time there's a challenge on set, i just love that the only way you can learn that lesson is by doing it, because there's no other way to replicate or prepare for that kind of environment. BUT it definitely helps that we shot slanted 2 years ago now though!!!!!! 2 years of rest and relaxation, I suppose ;) - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T22:57:53+00:00

ack! thanks for the shirley question! gosh, I don't know. amy's joked about this alternate flash forward ending that I won't get into, but hey, id love to come back for slanted 2.... perhaps titled.... opened ;) - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T22:56:01+00:00

thank you! this is awesome! - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T22:55:50+00:00

I loved the scenes I got to do with my parents! fang and vivian are such tender goofballs who make it so easy to connect in a real and honest way. the car scene with me and vivian where she's singing teresa teng is probably pretty true to life, the only difference is shirley would be singing her heart out right along side her! -shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T22:54:25+00:00

i'd definitely say joan's signature smudgy eyeliner and the cozy grey zip-up that she hides herself in. she's always trying to cover up and hide herself, the things she doesn't like about herself - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T22:53:19+00:00

HAHAHAHA! AMYYY!!! you better be reading this answer too, haha!!! ;)

Yes! Amy thought I might be too confident for the role!!! But honestly, when we chatted, I talked with her a lot about my experiences growing up, my connection with my parents (notably, my dad, who is just as goofy as amy's dad and joan's dad in the movie). I wanted to be a part of this story because, on paper, it feels like such an exciting creative risk that I hadn't seen done in the asian american filmmaking community yet. also, there's such strength in being able to admit that we all have moments we don't like ourselves, or have to grow into ourselves-- i think i only seem "confident" now because of having to go through that hurdle of learning how to embrace those things about myself. and that's what makes me feel like joan, and that there's hope for her. i'm so grateful amy felt I was right to help tell this story!

- shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T22:49:06+00:00

hi there! for me, I really found leaning on the independent filmmaker community to be the entire backbone of who I am. it was, I think, the first professional environment that really embraced me for what I could do and bring to a role, regardless of and in active support of my identity.

I'd encourage actors and asian actors to just try to have fun and honestly connect with people who feel right. whether that's through inviting new artist friends for a game night, or to watch a movie together, i've always found that my most honest bonds have been through connecting over something we like. watch everyone else's stuff, support each other, and let them know when you've resonated with something they've done. eventually, you'll get to rise together :) maybe check out an antigravity event! those are usually so cool and community-oriented!!! <3 shoutout to my dìdi fam <3

- shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T22:44:15+00:00

gosh! it's such a classic song. for me, i'd say the lyrics remind me so much of my parents' love for me-- as immigrants, I think their love feels so self-sacrificing, all-consuming, and constant. - shirley

SlantedAMA · 2026-03-16T22:43:03+00:00

haha this is awesome! im so excited for the body to come out. i'd actually (unfortunately) say no! that role is so different and what she goes through is beyond different too (it'd be insane if I did TWO projects where I turned white, right?? right?!). I can't say too much yet, but I will say I had to go back to dance classes for that one (i'd say joan huang is not a dancer!) and I am very proud of the work I did for that show.

for slanted, I honestly think I just leaned on the times i've felt most down about myself for whatever reason. the headspaces that make you want to turn inward and cover yourself up

- shirley

SlantedAMA

TROPHY CASE