0:00:00.792,0:00:05.809
The Silicon Valley and the internet[br]gave me superpowers,

0:00:05.833,0:00:08.643
tools to go to battle with,

0:00:08.667,0:00:11.643
a suit to take bullets with

0:00:11.667,0:00:16.250
and a giant signal in the sky[br]that told me when it was time to fight.

0:00:17.125,0:00:20.684
Now, I can't actually prove any of this.

0:00:20.708,0:00:22.726
I am not a "scientist,"

0:00:22.750,0:00:24.208
I don't have "facts."

0:00:25.042,0:00:28.434
In fact, my Rotten Tomato score[br]is running around 50 percent right now,

0:00:28.458,0:00:30.226
so I'm not sure why they let me in.

0:00:30.250,0:00:31.476
(Laughter)

0:00:31.500,0:00:34.976
But if we're talking[br]about colliding with a power

0:00:35.000,0:00:36.601
that's bigger than us,

0:00:36.625,0:00:38.226
then I'm in the right place,

0:00:38.250,0:00:39.643
because this last year,

0:00:39.667,0:00:43.476
I had an interesting year with a movie[br]called "Crazy Rich Asians" that I did --

0:00:43.500,0:00:44.518
(Applause and cheers)

0:00:44.542,0:00:46.518
Thank you, thank you.

0:00:46.542,0:00:49.434
And if we're talking about[br]connection specifically today,

0:00:49.458,0:00:52.059
then I know my story is only possible

0:00:52.083,0:00:56.018
because of a collection of connections[br]that happened throughout my life,

0:00:56.042,0:00:58.726
and so hopefully by telling[br]a little bit of my story,

0:00:58.750,0:01:02.476
it will help someone else find their path[br]a little sooner than I did.

0:01:02.500,0:01:06.625
My story begins when I opened[br]the holy book for the first time ...

0:01:08.208,0:01:10.934
The holy book of gadgets,[br]of course, "Sharper Image."

0:01:10.958,0:01:12.184
(Laughter)

0:01:12.208,0:01:13.518
Yes, those who know.

0:01:13.542,0:01:16.976
It was a magical magazine of dreams

0:01:17.000,0:01:20.851
and had things in there[br]that you knew could not possibly exist,

0:01:20.875,0:01:22.143
but it was right there.

0:01:22.167,0:01:24.025
You could order it -- come in the mail.

0:01:24.049,0:01:26.684
And some things that probably[br]should have never existed,

0:01:26.708,0:01:29.934
like "Gregory," a lifelike,[br]portable mannequin

0:01:29.958,0:01:32.851
who deters crime by his strong,[br]masculine appearance.

0:01:32.875,0:01:34.143
This is a real --

0:01:34.167,0:01:35.184
(Laughter)

0:01:35.208,0:01:36.809
This is a real thing, by the way.

0:01:36.833,0:01:37.851
(Laughter)

0:01:37.875,0:01:41.601
But my eyes were set[br]on the Sima Video Ed/it 2.

0:01:41.625,0:01:44.476
This thing was so cool at the age of 10.

0:01:44.500,0:01:47.309
You could connect[br]all your VHS players together

0:01:47.333,0:01:48.684
and cut something together,

0:01:48.708,0:01:51.601
so I called my parents[br]and convinced them to buy this for me.

0:01:51.625,0:01:52.976
But before I get into that,

0:01:53.000,0:01:55.351
let me give you a little rundown[br]about my parents.

0:01:55.375,0:01:57.976
They came to the United States[br]when they were young,

0:01:58.000,0:01:59.684
they're from Taiwan and China

0:01:59.708,0:02:02.601
and they settled[br]in Los Altos, California --

0:02:02.625,0:02:04.976
the Silicon Valley[br]before the Silicon Valley --

0:02:05.000,0:02:08.601
and they started a restaurant[br]called Chef Chu's.

0:02:08.625,0:02:11.351
50 years later, today,[br]they still work at the restaurant,

0:02:11.375,0:02:12.643
they're still there,

0:02:12.667,0:02:14.518
and I grew up there, so it was great.

0:02:14.542,0:02:17.434
Talk about connection --[br]this place was a hub of connection.

0:02:17.458,0:02:21.893
People coming there to celebrate[br]birthdays, anniversaries, business deals,

0:02:21.917,0:02:23.184
eating, drinking --

0:02:23.208,0:02:24.476
connection.

0:02:24.500,0:02:26.476
And I got to grow up in that environment.

0:02:26.500,0:02:29.851
And my parents always said America[br]is the greatest place in the world.

0:02:29.875,0:02:31.143
You can --

0:02:31.167,0:02:35.018
if you love anything, you can work hard[br]and you can accomplish anything you want.

0:02:35.042,0:02:38.559
So, they raised five all-American kids.

0:02:38.583,0:02:39.893
I am the youngest --

0:02:39.917,0:02:43.309
you can see I'm the one[br]with the eyes closed there --

0:02:43.333,0:02:46.393
and they named actually my sister and I,[br]Jennifer and Jonathan,

0:02:46.417,0:02:49.684
after Jennifer and Jonathan Hart[br]from that TV show "Hart to Hart."

0:02:49.708,0:02:51.893
(Laughter)

0:02:51.917,0:02:55.018
So that's how much[br]they loved America, apparently.

0:02:55.042,0:02:57.434
And they thought[br]that we were The Kennedys --

0:02:57.458,0:02:58.726
my mom specifically --

0:02:58.750,0:03:01.101
so she dressed us up[br]all the time like each other

0:03:01.125,0:03:04.643
and she put us in etiquette classes[br]and ballroom dance classes,

0:03:04.667,0:03:08.559
made sure that we had[br]the right dental plan --

0:03:08.583,0:03:09.893
(Laughter)

0:03:09.917,0:03:12.226
This is a real picture of me.[br]That is not fake.

0:03:12.250,0:03:13.708
Thank God for that one.

0:03:14.500,0:03:17.976
And I was in charge of the video camera[br]every time we went on vacations,

0:03:18.000,0:03:21.143
so I would collect all these videos[br]and had nothing to do with it.

0:03:21.167,0:03:24.393
Thus, the Sima Video Ed/it 2.

0:03:24.417,0:03:26.101
I convinced them to get it for me,

0:03:26.125,0:03:29.393
and I spent all night[br]trying to wrangle all the VCRs

0:03:29.417,0:03:31.976
from my brother's and sister's room,[br]tangled in wires,

0:03:32.000,0:03:33.809
and now I had something to show them.

0:03:33.833,0:03:36.143
So I brought them[br]into the living room one night,

0:03:36.167,0:03:38.309
it was probably 1991,[br]somewhere around there,

0:03:38.333,0:03:40.351
and I sit them down in the living room --

0:03:40.375,0:03:42.726
my heart was pounding,[br]my breaths were deep --

0:03:42.750,0:03:44.268
sort of like right now --

0:03:44.292,0:03:45.768
and I pressed play

0:03:45.792,0:03:49.684
and something extraordinary[br]happened actually.

0:03:49.708,0:03:50.958
They cried.

0:03:51.583,0:03:52.851
And cried.

0:03:52.875,0:03:56.226
They cried not because it was[br]the most amazing home video edit ever --

0:03:56.250,0:03:57.768
although it was pretty good --

0:03:57.792,0:03:58.768
(Laughter)

0:03:58.792,0:04:04.226
but because they saw our family[br]as a normal family that fit in

0:04:04.250,0:04:06.393
and belonged on the screen[br]in front of them,

0:04:06.417,0:04:11.351
just like the movies that they worshipped[br]and the TV shows that they named us after.

0:04:11.375,0:04:13.726
I remember as the youngest[br]of these five kids

0:04:13.750,0:04:15.726
feeling heard for the first time.

0:04:15.750,0:04:18.351
There was this place[br]where all these things in my head

0:04:18.375,0:04:21.934
could go into the great, electric[br]somewhere-out-there and exist and escape,

0:04:21.958,0:04:23.518
and I knew from this moment on,

0:04:23.542,0:04:25.684
I wanted to do this[br]for the rest of my life,

0:04:25.708,0:04:27.893
whether I was going[br]to get paid for it or not.

0:04:27.917,0:04:30.309
So I had this passion[br]and now I needed some tools,

0:04:30.333,0:04:31.601
and my dad went to work.

0:04:31.625,0:04:34.976
He continued to brag[br]about my home video editing skills

0:04:35.000,0:04:36.934
to the customers at Chef Chu's,

0:04:36.958,0:04:39.101
and luckily this is the Silicon Valley,

0:04:39.125,0:04:41.976
so they're working on stuff,[br]hardware and software --

0:04:42.000,0:04:43.351
these are all engineers.

0:04:43.375,0:04:47.268
And they offered to give me things[br]for digital video editing.

0:04:47.292,0:04:49.934
This is like the mid-'90s, early '90's,

0:04:49.958,0:04:52.768
where this stuff didn't exist[br]for kids like me.

0:04:52.792,0:04:57.101
So I'd get this beta software[br]and hardware from places like HP and Sun

0:04:57.125,0:05:00.018
and Russell Brown at Adobe.

0:05:00.042,0:05:01.726
And I had no manual,

0:05:01.750,0:05:04.559
so I'd figure it out[br]and I fell in love with it even more.

0:05:04.583,0:05:08.268
I went to USC School of Cinematic Arts[br]and started to go there,

0:05:08.292,0:05:12.476
and my mom and dad would always[br]call me randomly and remind me

0:05:12.500,0:05:16.643
that I've got to do movies[br]about my Chinese heritage.

0:05:16.667,0:05:19.976
That China was going to be[br]a huge market for movies one day.

0:05:20.000,0:05:21.684
I was like, "Yeah right, guys".

0:05:21.708,0:05:23.143
(Laughter)

0:05:23.167,0:05:24.684
Always listen to your parents.

0:05:24.708,0:05:27.934
(Laughter)

0:05:27.958,0:05:30.768
I wanted to be Zemeckis,[br]Lucas and Spielberg.

0:05:30.792,0:05:34.018
The last thing I wanted to talk about[br]was my own cultural identity,

0:05:34.042,0:05:35.684
my ethnicity.

0:05:35.708,0:05:37.726
And honestly, I had no one else to talk --

0:05:37.750,0:05:40.559
there was no one at school[br]that I could really open up to,

0:05:40.583,0:05:42.583
and even if I did, like, what would I say?

0:05:42.607,0:05:44.851
So I ignored it[br]and I moved on with my life.

0:05:44.875,0:05:46.893
Cut to 15 years later,

0:05:46.917,0:05:48.184
I made it in Hollywood.

0:05:48.208,0:05:49.851
I got discovered by Spielberg,

0:05:49.875,0:05:53.518
I worked with The Rock[br]and Bruce Willis and Justin Bieber.

0:05:53.542,0:05:58.018
I even came to the TED stage[br]to present my dance company LXD,

0:05:58.042,0:05:59.518
and it was great.

0:05:59.542,0:06:00.934
And then a couple years ago,

0:06:00.958,0:06:03.000
I felt a little bit lost, creatively.

0:06:04.000,0:06:05.893
The engine was going down a little bit,

0:06:05.917,0:06:07.292
and I got a sign ...

0:06:08.417,0:06:10.292
I heard from voices from the sky ...

0:06:11.417,0:06:13.268
or more it was like, birds.

0:06:13.292,0:06:14.601
OK, fine, it was Twitter.

0:06:14.625,0:06:15.893
And Twitter --

0:06:15.917,0:06:17.184
(Laughter)

0:06:17.208,0:06:18.685
It was Constance Wu on Twitter,

0:06:18.709,0:06:20.643
it was Daniel Dae Kim,

0:06:20.667,0:06:22.976
it was Jenny Yang, who's here today,

0:06:23.000,0:06:24.268
it was Alan Yang --

0:06:24.292,0:06:27.601
all of these people[br]who were writing their frustrations

0:06:27.625,0:06:30.351
with representation in Hollywood.

0:06:30.375,0:06:31.726
And it really hit me.

0:06:31.750,0:06:34.309
I thought these things[br]but never really registered --

0:06:34.333,0:06:35.643
I was really focused on --

0:06:35.667,0:06:37.226
and I felt lucky to be working,

0:06:37.250,0:06:38.643
and so then I realized --

0:06:38.667,0:06:40.393
yeah, what is wrong with Hollywood?

0:06:40.417,0:06:41.768
Why aren't they doing this?

0:06:41.792,0:06:45.726
And then I looked at myself in the mirror[br]and realized I am Hollywood.

0:06:45.750,0:06:47.018
I literally --

0:06:47.042,0:06:49.101
I popped my collar before I came out here,

0:06:49.125,0:06:50.434
that's how Hollywood I am.

0:06:50.458,0:06:51.476
(Laughter)

0:06:51.500,0:06:53.476
Is it still up? OK, good.

0:06:53.500,0:06:55.000
(Applause)

0:06:56.292,0:06:59.101
For all these years I felt[br]I had been given so much,

0:06:59.125,0:07:03.393
and what was I giving back[br]to the film business that I loved?

0:07:03.417,0:07:04.726
I felt lucky to be here,

0:07:04.750,0:07:07.976
but at this moment, I realized[br]that I was not just lucky to be here,

0:07:08.000,0:07:09.601
I had the right to be here.

0:07:09.625,0:07:11.309
No, I earned the right to be here.

0:07:11.333,0:07:14.518
All those sleepless nights,[br]all those parties I missed on Fridays,

0:07:14.542,0:07:18.059
every friend and girlfriend I lost[br]because I was editing --

0:07:18.083,0:07:21.934
I earned the right to be here not just[br]to have a voice but to say something,

0:07:21.958,0:07:23.351
and say something important,

0:07:23.375,0:07:25.393
and I had, actually, the power --

0:07:25.417,0:07:29.375
the superpower to change things[br]if I really, really wanted to.

0:07:30.375,0:07:33.434
When you try to tell[br]stories about yourself

0:07:33.458,0:07:36.143
and people who look like you[br]and look like your family,

0:07:36.167,0:07:37.434
it can be scary,

0:07:37.458,0:07:39.809
and all those feelings[br]of being alone came back.

0:07:39.833,0:07:41.559
But the internet is what told me --

0:07:41.583,0:07:44.851
sent the sign that there was going[br]to be a whole army waiting for me

0:07:44.875,0:07:46.934
to support me and to love me for it.

0:07:46.958,0:07:51.226
And so I found Kevin Kwan's[br]amazing novel "Crazy Rich Asians,"

0:07:51.250,0:07:52.518
and we went to work.

0:07:52.542,0:07:54.726
We put this movie together.

0:07:54.750,0:07:56.018
All-Asian cast --

0:07:56.042,0:07:59.101
the first all-Asian cast in 25 years[br]with a contemporary story --

0:07:59.125,0:08:02.268
(Applause and cheers)

0:08:02.292,0:08:07.143
But when we started[br]it was not a guarantee at all.

0:08:07.167,0:08:10.143
There was no comp for this kind of movie.

0:08:10.167,0:08:11.934
Every time we did surveys and stuff,

0:08:11.958,0:08:13.851
the audiences weren't going to show up.

0:08:13.875,0:08:15.643
In fact, even in our test screenings

0:08:15.667,0:08:18.809
where you give free tickets to people[br]to watch your movie,

0:08:18.833,0:08:20.851
we had a one to 25 ratio,

0:08:20.875,0:08:23.226
meaning after 25 asks,[br]only one person said yes,

0:08:23.250,0:08:25.393
which is super low[br]for these types of things.

0:08:25.417,0:08:28.393
Asian people who knew the book[br]didn't trust Hollywood at all,

0:08:28.417,0:08:31.934
Asian people who didn't know the book[br]thought the title was offensive

0:08:31.958,0:08:36.268
and other people who weren't Asian[br]just didn't think it was for them.

0:08:36.292,0:08:38.809
So we were pretty screwed.

0:08:38.833,0:08:41.351
Luckily, Warner Brothers[br]didn't turn away from us.

0:08:41.375,0:08:43.893
But then the electric[br]somewhere struck again,

0:08:43.917,0:08:49.643
and this army of Asian-American[br]writers, reporters, bloggers,

0:08:49.667,0:08:54.768
who over the years had worked their way up[br]through their respective publications,

0:08:54.792,0:08:56.851
went to work, unbeknownst to me.

0:08:56.875,0:08:58.476
And they started to post things.

0:08:58.500,0:09:01.976
Also, some tech founders out here[br]started to post stuff on social media,

0:09:02.000,0:09:05.768
write stuff about us[br]in articles in the "LA Times,"

0:09:05.792,0:09:08.518
in "The Hollywood Reporter"[br]and "Entertainment Weekly."

0:09:08.542,0:09:14.601
It was like this grassroots uprising[br]of making ourselves news.

0:09:14.625,0:09:16.250
What an amazing thing to witness.

0:09:17.250,0:09:23.226
And the swell of support[br]turned into this conversation online

0:09:23.250,0:09:25.143
between all these Asian Americans

0:09:25.167,0:09:27.309
where we could actually debate and discuss

0:09:27.333,0:09:28.810
what stories we wanted to tell,

0:09:28.834,0:09:30.559
what stories should be told or not,

0:09:30.583,0:09:31.851
what kind of --

0:09:31.875,0:09:33.809
are we allowed to make fun of ourselves?

0:09:33.833,0:09:36.059
What about casting?[br]What are we allowed to do?

0:09:36.083,0:09:38.809
And we didn't agree -- and we still don't,

0:09:38.833,0:09:40.393
but that wasn't the point.

0:09:40.417,0:09:43.143
The point was the conversation[br]was happening.

0:09:43.167,0:09:47.018
And this conversation stream[br]became an infrastructure.

0:09:47.042,0:09:50.726
It took all these different groups[br]that were trying to achieve the same thing

0:09:50.750,0:09:54.768
and put us all together[br]in this connective tissue.

0:09:54.792,0:09:56.101
And again, not perfect,

0:09:56.125,0:10:00.333
but the start of how we determine[br]our own representation on the big screen.

0:10:01.667,0:10:04.768
It became more physical[br]when I went to the movie theater.

0:10:04.792,0:10:07.476
I'll never forget going --[br]opening weekend,

0:10:07.500,0:10:10.143
and I went into the theater,[br]and it's not just Asians --

0:10:10.167,0:10:11.434
all types of people --

0:10:11.458,0:10:12.768
and I go in and sit down,

0:10:12.792,0:10:15.375
and people laughed, people cried,

0:10:16.333,0:10:18.976
and when I went into the lobby,

0:10:19.000,0:10:20.250
people stayed.

0:10:20.750,0:10:22.643
It's like they didn't want to leave.

0:10:22.667,0:10:24.476
They just hugged each other,

0:10:24.500,0:10:26.226
high-fived each other, took selfies,

0:10:26.250,0:10:28.351
they debated it, they laughed about it.

0:10:28.375,0:10:30.268
All these different things.

0:10:30.292,0:10:33.601
I had such an intimate[br]relationship with this movie,

0:10:33.625,0:10:36.726
but I didn't understand[br]when we were making it

0:10:36.750,0:10:39.768
what we were making[br]until it was happening --

0:10:39.792,0:10:44.768
that it was the same thing that my parents[br]felt when they watched our family videos

0:10:44.792,0:10:46.643
in that living room that day.

0:10:46.667,0:10:50.059
Seeing us on the screen has a power to it,

0:10:50.083,0:10:52.893
and the only way I can[br]describe it is pride.

0:10:52.917,0:10:56.351
I have always understood[br]this word intellectually --

0:10:56.375,0:10:58.643
I've probably talked about this word,

0:10:58.667,0:11:00.476
but to actually feel pride --

0:11:00.500,0:11:02.518
and those of you who have felt it know --

0:11:02.542,0:11:06.851
it's like you just want to like,[br]touch everybody and grab and run around.

0:11:06.875,0:11:08.351
It's like a very --

0:11:08.375,0:11:09.643
I can't explain --

0:11:09.667,0:11:11.351
it's just a very physical feeling,

0:11:11.375,0:11:15.292
all because of[br]a long pattern of connection.

0:11:16.500,0:11:18.726
Film was a gift given to me,

0:11:18.750,0:11:21.434
and through the years[br]I've learned a lot of things.

0:11:21.458,0:11:24.601
You can plan, you can write scripts,[br]you can do your storyboards,

0:11:24.625,0:11:26.851
but at a certain point,

0:11:26.875,0:11:29.018
your movie will speak back to you,

0:11:29.042,0:11:31.208
and it's your job to listen.

0:11:31.667,0:11:34.393
It's this living organism[br]and it sort of presents itself,

0:11:34.417,0:11:37.184
so you better catch it[br]before it slips through your hands,

0:11:37.208,0:11:39.768
and that's the most exciting part[br]about making movies.

0:11:39.792,0:11:42.351
When I look at life,[br]it's not that different actually.

0:11:42.375,0:11:46.351
I've been led through these[br]sort of breadcrumbs of connections

0:11:46.375,0:11:48.809
through people, through circumstances,

0:11:48.833,0:11:50.393
through luck.

0:11:50.417,0:11:54.976
And it changed when I realized[br]that once you start listening

0:11:55.000,0:11:57.518
to the silent beats[br]and the messy noises around you,

0:11:57.542,0:12:01.768
you realize that there's this beautiful[br]symphony already written for you.

0:12:01.792,0:12:04.042
A direct line to your destiny.

0:12:04.667,0:12:06.226
Your superpower.

0:12:06.250,0:12:09.083
Now, film was a gift given to me,

0:12:10.417,0:12:15.434
sort of spurred on by my parents[br]and supported by my community.

0:12:15.458,0:12:18.833
I got to be who I wanted to be[br]when I needed to be it.

0:12:19.625,0:12:22.018
My mom posted something[br]on Facebook the other day,

0:12:22.042,0:12:24.625
which is usually a really bad[br]thing to say out loud --

0:12:25.958,0:12:28.143
scary, she should not[br]have a Facebook, but --

0:12:28.167,0:12:29.518
(Laughter)

0:12:29.542,0:12:31.518
She posted this thing, and it was a meme,

0:12:31.542,0:12:33.309
you know, one of those funny things,

0:12:33.333,0:12:36.518
and it said, "You can't change[br]someone who doesn't want to change,

0:12:36.542,0:12:39.143
but never underestimate[br]the power of planting a seed."

0:12:39.167,0:12:41.768
And as I was doing[br]the finishing touches on this talk,

0:12:41.792,0:12:44.559
I realized that all the powerful[br]connections in my life

0:12:44.583,0:12:51.018
were through generosity and kindness[br]and love and hope.

0:12:51.042,0:12:54.434
So when I think about my movies[br]"Crazy Rich Asians" and "In the Heights"

0:12:54.458,0:12:56.101
which I'm working on right now --

0:12:56.125,0:12:57.434
(Applause and cheers)

0:12:57.458,0:12:59.351
Yes, it's a good one.

0:12:59.375,0:13:03.809
All I want to do[br]is show joy and hope in them,

0:13:03.833,0:13:07.476
because I refuse to believe[br]that our best days are behind us,

0:13:07.500,0:13:09.893
but in fact, around the corner.

0:13:09.917,0:13:11.184
Because you see love --

0:13:11.208,0:13:14.143
love is the superpower[br]that was given to me.

0:13:14.167,0:13:18.893
Love is the superpower[br]that was passed onto me.

0:13:18.917,0:13:23.143
Love is the only thing[br]that can stop a speeding bullet

0:13:23.167,0:13:24.809
before it even exits the chamber.

0:13:24.833,0:13:27.351
Love is the only thing[br]that can leap over a building

0:13:27.375,0:13:29.958
and have a whole community[br]look up into the sky,

0:13:30.958,0:13:32.309
join hands,

0:13:32.333,0:13:36.167
and have the courage to face something[br]that's impossibly bigger than themselves.

0:13:36.792,0:13:39.726
So I have a challenge for myself[br]and for anyone here.

0:13:39.750,0:13:42.184
As you're working on your thing,

0:13:42.208,0:13:43.518
on your company,

0:13:43.542,0:13:47.851
and you're forging this thing to life,[br]and you're making the impossible possible,

0:13:47.875,0:13:50.958
let's just not forget[br]to be kind to each other,

0:13:51.750,0:13:55.059
because I believe that is[br]the most powerful form of connection

0:13:55.083,0:13:56.601
we can give to this planet.

0:13:56.625,0:13:59.893
In fact, our future depends on it.

0:13:59.917,0:14:01.184
Thank you.

0:14:01.208,0:14:03.518
(Applause and cheers)

0:14:03.542,0:14:04.976
Thank you.

0:14:05.000,0:14:07.292
(Applause)