Since i'm having long unrequited one sided crushes for both actors, I just wanna say i'm freaking excited and unapologetically happy for Riz Ahmed and Steven Yeun! Riz, not just for being smart, well-spoken oxford graduate, incredible rapper (check out his songs!), but also a true story teller. Steven, not just working his ass off from being that nice guy from a famous zombie tv show, flying US-South Korea back and forth to not be type casted, and finally having the platform to show his ability as a true thespian. Both could happily settle for Hollywood demands, one as a terrorist the other as a kung fu master, as Riz said, but even they took quite some time, they made it.
Both landed as first Asian and Muslim nominee respectively. And of course we're gonna see more from them.
Oh, i almost forgot, here's them just casually face timing talking about the challenges they faced when playing the characters
you start off with that stage one of representation which is the stereotype, i get asked to play terrorist, you get asked to play kung fu master, then second stage acknowledging the character has specific culture, its own story telling, but it's subverting stereotype, it's overturning some of those dominant narratives. At some point you also do want to get to the promised land, this characters aren't defined by that, they're just people - Riz ahmed
I think perhaps the way thaf we could see each other comes when I don't exist without you, i'm connected to you, your well being is my well being - steven yeun
This is why representation matters, you connect more, you see your reflection on screen, you value your background more, you realize you matter.
And also mad respect for the effort from academy awards for the diversity of the nominations, although i must admit Mads Mikkelsen should be nominated though for another round. He was soo good in it i'm totally brokenhearted by just watching; and the Glenn Close hillbilly elegy which was reviled besides having an a list ensemble cast, but that's a whole different thing i guess.
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