The team behind the upcoming Disney sequel, Freakier Friday, including director Nisha Ganatra and star Manny Jacinto, have acknowledged that the 2003 film Freaky Friday contained “problematic” and “hurtful” portrayals of its Asian characters. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, they discussed the steps taken in the new movie, set to release on August 8th, to “make it right.”
The original Freaky Friday featured Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis as a mother and daughter who switch bodies after receiving a magical fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant. The characters of the restaurant owner, Pei-Pei (played by Rosalind Chao), and her mother (Lucille Soong) were central to this plot device.
Director Nisha Ganatra reflected on her initial viewing of the film, stating, “There were some stereotypes that were hurtful. I remember watching it and feeling torn, mostly about the Asian representation, and also the soundtrack that was being used. It was something I brought up right away when I had my first meetings with the producers. I had a moment of the presentation that was like, ‘Problematic Asian representation!'”
Manny Jacinto, who joins the sequel as Eric, the fiancé of Lohan’s character Anna, admitted to having reservations about the project due to the original film’s depiction of Asian individuals. “When I considered hopping on board, I remember watching the first Freaky Friday and being like, this did not age very well, regarding the diverse characters,” Jacinto explained to Entertainment Weekly.
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However, Jacinto expressed confidence in Ganatra’s awareness and handling of these issues. “Knowing Nisha and speaking to other people within our circles, I knew we had a captain who was very much aware of those archetypes, or those issues presented in the first one. I felt very well taken care of.”
Sequel Aims to “Make It Right”
Ganatra emphasized the team’s commitment to rectifying the past missteps. “I felt like we owed audiences to make it right on this one,” she said. Screenwriter Jordan Weiss collaborated to incorporate “little moments that don’t betray this movie, but were satisfying for people who found hurtful moments in the last one.”
While Chao and Soong reprise their roles in Freakier Friday, their involvement in the plot, particularly the body-swapping mechanism, has been altered. This time, a psychic character initiates the switch. Ganatra noted, “It was a different time and wasn’t done intentionally [in the 2003 film], but it’s a real thing. It’s something I, being Asian, was super conscious of.”
Jacinto lauded Ganatra’s approach, saying, “I don’t know if it would have been the same or had the same heart and charm if it was a different director. She keeps it very grounded and real, but also charming and fun. That’s a fine line to play, and she walks it really well.”
The sequel includes moments that subtly address cultural sensitivities, such as a line about braiding hair “in a non-culturally appropriative way.” Ganatra described these as “little moments that don’t betray this movie, but were satisfying for people who found hurtful moments in the last one.”
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Rosalind Chao, reflecting on her experience in the original film during a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, shared her initial hesitation about playing Pei-Pei, stating, “At first I thought, ‘Oh God, I don’t want to do you know, the whole Chinese [thing].'” However, she added, “I always try and flip the script, and I thought, ‘Wait, what am I talking about?’ I grew up in a Chinese restaurant. My dad really was that guy. ‘Oh, look. You so handsome. I haven’t seen you for a long time. You so big.’ He had an accent, but he thought he had no accent.”
Freakier Friday is scheduled to hit cinemas on August 8th.
