More than 30 years after the release of the beloved film The Joy Luck Club, its leading actresses Ming-Na Wen, Tamlyn Tomita, Rosalind Chao, and Lauren Tom shared their memories of making the movie and expressed disappointment over its lack of recognition by major award institutions.
The film, adapted from Amy Tan’s 1989 novel, tells the story of four Chinese-American daughters—June (played by Ming-Na Wen), Waverly (Tomita), Rose (Chao), and Lena (Tom)—and their complex relationships with their mothers, who regularly meet at a social club. Released in 1993 with an all-Asian cast, The Joy Luck Club earned over $32 million at the box office and received critical acclaim.
In an interview with NBC’s Today show on May 15, the actresses voiced frustration that the film was largely ignored during awards season. Ming-Na Wen emphasized, “It didn’t even get nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.” She added that, after all this time, “this issue needs to be addressed.”
Tamlyn Tomita noted that the cast has “heard so many stories and theories over the years.” Wen interjected, “But the adapted screenplay? Come on.” Rosalind Chao highlighted that the film also missed out on other major non-acting award categories, such as Best Director and Best Cinematography.
Lauren Tom expressed optimism about the current environment, saying, “But the times are different now,” to which Wen responded, “We are very grateful.”
The actresses also recalled being excluded from attending the Oscars ceremony. Chao recounted, “Not only were we not nominated, but we were also disinvited from the Oscars. One of us was on the phone when we suddenly heard, ‘Oh, we just got uninvited.’”
While the film opened doors for the core cast, Tamita reflected that it did not lead to a surge in Asian American-led movies. She pointed out that it took nearly 20 years for another all-Asian cast film, Crazy Rich Asians directed by Jon M. Chu, to be produced.
“We need to constantly remind our community, our country, and the film industry that our stories have always been box office hits, classics, and timeless,” Tamita said. “They deserve to be passed down because they are universal stories about mothers, family, and falling in love.”
Over the years, the four actresses have maintained close ties and reunited frequently. In December 2023, they shared a photo on Instagram recreating a scene from the film. Wen captioned the video, “Starting the holidays with my #JoyLuckClub sisters! Thanks to Lauren and Kurt Kaplan for hosting a great dinner for all of us! Thanks to Ollie for making this video—you’re a great Instagram/TikTok guy!”
Chao joked about their ongoing group chat, saying, “I had to mute them because they’re so active.” Wen added, “This is our first time together in this kind of setting, but we’ve been together for 30 years.”
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