Maitreyi Ramakrishnan & Amelie Zilber | Slanted: What Happens When You Change Your Ethnicity to Become White?
About this episode
Dr. Stephanie J. Wong discusses the film 'Slanted' with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Amelie Zilber, exploring themes of beauty standards and identity.
Dr. Stephanie J. Wong talks with stars of Slante d , Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) and Amelie Zilber about the thought-provoking movie that uses sci-fi horror to examine beauty standards, assimilation and the cost of belonging. The film follows Joan Huang (Shirley Chen), a high school outsider who idolizes the popular girls and dreams of becoming prom queen, but fears the only way to win is to look like every past queen whose portraits line the school halls. When she discovers Ethnos, a mysterious cosmetic surgery clinic that turns people White, Joan undergoes the procedure and wakes up as a blonde girl (Mckenna Grace) seemingly destined for the crown. As her transformation brings popularity and power, it also exposes the disturbing personal and cultural cost of erasing one's identity. Highlights of the interview: Dr. Wong asking Maitreyi about the powerful line she added to the script, asking her best friend if she thinks she's ugly, too? Amelie's methods for playing a multi-faceted character The trio laughing in agreement about a specific scene (watch and listen to find out)! Slanted is hands-down the #1 must-see movie of the year, premiering in theaters on March…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Stephanie J. Wong
Guests: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Amelie Zilber
Topics covered
- beauty standards
- assimilation
- identity
- mental health
- sci-fi horror
Keywords
- Slanted
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
- Amelie Zilber
- beauty standards
- identity
- sci-fi horror
- cosmetic surgery
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Slanted, Never Have I Ever
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