![]() ![]() "It's understanding that I have all the tools available to me in life. "It's a coming-of-age story within the film for Boogie, but I also came of age in that process," Takahashi said. Now, "Boogie" has opened up other acting opportunities. When he and Huang met, he was working as a personal trainer and a yakitori chef. He had played basketball since he was 2, but a fractured ankle in college killed his dreams of playing professionally. Before "Boogie," he said, he didn't have a clear direction in life. ![]() The film has been a coming-of-age experience for Takahashi, as well. Can we have more accurate representations or just different representations that aren't like that?" "Our culture is like, if we're showing this to the outside world, it's got to be perfect, it's got to be no flaws. "People want to make these works that represent all of us and are, like, correct - no mistakes," he said. "They just put another ceiling over my head. While he wanted to write, direct and have some creative control over the show based on his life, the studio wouldn't allow it. "I thought that when I wrote 'Fresh Off the Boat,' I had really busted this ceiling, not just for myself, but also for immigrants and Asian Americans," he said. Huang has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the sitcom. He started writing it in 2016, after the premiere of "Fresh Off the Boat" on ABC, which was based on his memoir. "Boogie" is also a personal film for Huang, who minored in film in college. It's a very intersectional film." Taylor Takahashi as Alfred "Boogie" Chin and Taylour Paige as Eleanor in director Eddie Huang’s "Boogie." "It's also as much, if not more, Black American culture, downtown New York culture, street culture, hip-hop culture, all of those things. "This film is difficult, because it's not just an Asian American film," Huang said. He had auditioned other actors, but when Takahashi submitted his tape, it was no contest: Huang had wanted someone who could authentically portray Boogie, a lower-middle-class kid living in Queens, New York. "There are very few Asian people that play basketball as well as Taylor, who's age-appropriate for this role," Huang said. Takahashi may never have acted before, but Huang always believed his teammate could play the lead role in "Boogie," which is also the first feature film Huang has directed. "Boogie" will be released in theaters Friday. Taylor Takahashi as Boogie and Pop Smoke as Monk in a scene from "Boogie." David Giesbrecht / Focus Features "By that next Monday, you know, I was Boogie," he said. Takahashi spent three hours preparing a scene and recorded it the same day for his screen test. And getting to audition for "Boogie" was the film equivalent of a free throw. He and Huang play for the same team, the Mofufus, in San Gabriel, California. There was only one problem: Takahashi had never acted before, and he hadn't planned on being an actor. ![]()
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