Jon M. Chu Honored at Gold House Gala: ‘We’re Striving to be the Greatest There Ever Was’

“Wicked” director Jon M. Chu was honored with the Legend award at the fourth annual Gold House Gold Gala on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Chu, a Gold House co-founder and progenitor of the history-making #GoldOpen movement, received the A1 in Entertainment and Media for his historic directorial accomplishments in “Wicked” and to celebrate its forthcoming sequel, “Wicked: For Good.”

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The filmmaker talked about how far Asian representation had come in the last ten years. Speaking to the audience that included H.E.R., “Moana 2” director Dana LeDoux Miller, Ang Lee and more, Chu said, “We’re not just guests at the table anymore. We built the damn house, and guess what? It’s made of gold, and we’ve got more work to do.” Chu added, “I’m ready, if you all are.”

Chu recalled being on the set of his 2013 film “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” and how he felt “nervous as hell.” It wasn’t until the film’s star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who plays Roadblock in the film, made a comment that resonated. Chu said, “He turns to me and says, ‘How lucky are we, a guy who looks like me, starring in a big ass movie directed by a guy that looks like you.’ He put his arm around me and he said, ‘I got you, brother.’

Chu admitted he hadn’t realized how much that moment meant to him. “I wasn’t quite ready to bring my full Asian self into the spotlight, but never underestimate the power of The Rock planting seed.”

Chu, who also directed “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights,” said it wasn’t until #OscarsSoWhite that he didn’t “feel alone anymore.” The filmmaker noted the shift in Asian representation and the huge success of Asian creatives and athletes across the board over the past decade, that success rippled down to the set of last year’s “Wicked.” He said. “I’m standing there with now Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh and ‘SNL’ superstar, Bowen Yang, and he says, ‘Oh, we’re gonna kill this shit.’ And Michelle turns to him and says, ‘Of course, we are.’ That’s the energy now, a new level of not just begging for representation, but striving to be the greatest there ever was.”

Ang Lee received the Gold Legend award. Lee’s whose films include “The Life of Pi,” “Brokeback Mountain” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” said it had never occurred to him that he’d be making films in America. “We always chase dreams…I thought I would just go back to Taiwan to make movies.” Lee went on to say, “I wasn’t thinking about anything else but to make movies.” Lee said he was an avid learner in filmmaking. “This is like people pay me to go to the best film school.” He added, “I look at you, I’m here, and I realize how far we’ve come…our voices are a wonderful thing.”

Gold House co-founder Bing Chen wrapped the evening with closing remarks. He encouraged the audience to focus on making a difference through small and meaningful contributions. “The good news is you don’t have to do everything, you can’t. Nobody can. You just have to do one thing. Each of you is the most important one in the world, because you are the first, and we just want you to know as well.”

The Gold Gala honored the 100 AAPI individuals who have impacted American culture and society in the last year.

Guests were treated to a dinner presented by OpenTable celebrating Filipino cuisine, with a menu by James Beard Award-winning Gold Gala executive chef Lord Maynard Llera and his team behind the critically acclaimed Kuya Lord in Los Angeles.

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