‘Freakier Friday’ director says original movie had “problematic Asian representation”
The team behind Freakier Friday, Disney’s upcoming sequel to 2003’s Freaky Friday, has said that the original made “hurtful” choices regarding the Asian characters. They’ve promised that the new release will “make it right.”
Director Nisha Ganatra told Entertainment Weekly that “there were some stereotypes that were hurtful”. Ganatra continued, “I remember watching it and feeling torn, mostly about the Asian representation.”
In the beloved 2003 comedy, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis play a mother and daughter whose complex relationship is further befuddled when they swap bodies. Ganatra might be referring to a scene in which they get into a loud argument at a Chinese restaurant.
In the scene, restaurant owner Pei-Pei (Rosalind Chao) tells her mother (Lucille Soong) to stay out of it. Still, Soong’s character intervenes, offering Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) fortune cookies. Pei-Pei’s mother insists, before speaking in hurried Chinese. To shut her up, Tess and Anna take the cookies. Within them is the magic that leads to their body switch.
Ganatra revealed, “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!’”
She believed that she “owed audiences to make it right on this one,” reportedly imbuing the movie with “little moments” that will be “satisfying for people who found hurtful moments in the last one.” One such moment may be when Chao and Soong return for the sequel for “some really fun” episodes, but Ganatra ensured they aren’t involved in the body swapping.
Though the director stresses that it wasn’t “done intentionally” in the original, she still carries a stark awareness with her. “It’s something I, being Asian, was super conscious of,” she commented.
Before Manny Jacinto, a Canadian actor born in the Philippines, joined the new cast, he commented that he had “concerns” for the very same reasons. He commented, “This did not age very well regarding the diverse characters.” However, Jacinto highlighted how Gantra navigated the complexity incredibly.
“I don’t know if it would have been the same or had the same heart and charm if it was a different director,” he said. “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.”
Freakier Friday will be released on August 8th, 2025.
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