Always Be My Maybeis one Netflix original movie to watch.
After all, everyone loves a good rom-com.
They’re heartwarming, often uplifting, and sometimes they can make even the most cynical grumps believe inloveagain.
Fortunately,Always Be My Maybeis none of those things.
That should surprise no one (have youseenAli Wong’scomedyspecials, y’all?
), but it’s a relief to know that it turned out exactly as viewers had hoped.
So how did this gem of a movie come to see the light of day?
And what might you not know about the film even if you’ve already watched it?
Check out the untold truth ofAlways Be My Maybe.
At least, that’s how Wong recalls it.
Park, on the other hand, doesn’t remember their first meeting.
Fortunately, however, he completely trusts her judgment.
“She has a great memory,” he told the paper.
The two were also part of the LLC Theatre Company, a comedic performing arts group that Park co-founded.
The surreality of that was not lost on them, either.
“It’s really a trip being in Westwood,” Wong shared in an interview withVariety.
“We realized there was a demand for it.
That’s when we kind of hunkered down and started working.”
So Wong and Park got to writing the script, along with screenwriter Michael Golamco.
The rest, they say, is history!
“Like Eartha Kitt showing all this sexual prowess, Grace Jones as Strange, Tisha Campbell.
They were so unafraid to express what they wanted.”
Pretty impressive for 1992, fam!
“I found it very empowering,” she continued.
“They didn’t explain it and certainly didn’t apologize for it.
It just was what it was.”
“It makes me want to see more,” director Nahnatchka Khan gushed in an interview withVariety.
The same holds true forJordan Peele’sUs, a horror film predominantly starring black actors.
“Nobody would care and be like, ‘Oh hey guys, representation doesn’t matter.
Go away representation,'” Wong joked.
Fortunately, it was a win on both fronts.
That flies in the face of the stereotypical portrayal, which shows Asian mothers and fathers with thick accents.
It’s a refreshing thing indeed!
Why is Marcus’ band named Hello Peril?
One of the many hilarious and bitingly smart aspects of the film is Marcus' band, Hello Peril.
And yes, that is the famous Bay Area rapper Lyrics Born on stage with Marcus.
Plus Dan the Automator actually produced all of the Hello Peril songs, according toPitchfork.
We knew it had a ’90s hip-hop vibe!
You might not have caught it, but Park very deliberately named the band Hello Peril for a reason.
How clever can you get?
It gets better too, you guys.
Wong and Park were friends when the band was active, so she was familiar with their work.
We are soherefor this!
Fortunately, he was a seriously smooth operator.
They both have perfect teeth, amazing hair, and flawless skin.
Plus, they’re in amazing shape, and they both take a mighty fine close-up.
You did see what Park looked like when he took his shirt off, right?
Incredibly enough, Park apparently doesn’t understand what the fuss is all about.
Because you are, fool!"
Wong gushed in an interview with theLos Angeles Times.
“He’s a beautiful-a** man!”
Um, we wholeheartedly agree.
Even the director had to take Park to school about his god-given deliciousness.
“We were like, ‘You are a sexy leading man.
You are a snack out here on these streets.
People are going to come for you,'” she said.
Perhaps our favorite new leading man will finally get the memo?
Thank you for your candor indeed, Mr. Kim!
Plus he says he loved getting to play a jerk hilarious!
FYI, y’all, Wong knew what she was doing with this casting, too.
That’s akin to Judy pointing out that Koreans use scissors for everything.
“And Randall’s experience is different from Ali’s experience.
You don’t have to just choose one thing.”
They hired a chef as a food consultant
Kimchi stew.
And yes, even a monochrome burrito to go.
Lest we forget that Sasha is a chef and a very successful one at that!
“For me, food is so intertwined with memories.
That was a key part of the movie, too, because they did have that history together.”
Who’s hungry now?
The paintings in Marcus’ house?
Park’s mom painted those.
That really comes through.
Additionally, Parkliterallybrought aspects of his family onto the film set.
“We used her actual artwork in the house.”
All of that helped make things feel as genuine and close to the heart as possible for him.
Someone is cutting onions in here, y’all.
You guys,come on!
But much to their surprise, he did and he reportedly was a total blast to work with.
Oh Keanu, you are the light we needed right now.
Wong had some specific motives behind this casting, too.
Maybe other people didn’t know but I never forgot that."
What an absolute riot!
