‘Calling All Asians’ Not: ‘Luke And Emma’s’ Authentic Approach To American History

By Keith Walsh
From producer Lisa Hammer and director Levi Wilson comes a new film project based on Wilson’s childhood growing up in the Midwest as a bi-racial child. Titled Luke and Emma And A Gas Station On Franklin Ave, the project is a proof of concept for a full-length feature film, with a goal of shooting in 2023.

I asked Hammer, the executive producer and Wilson’s wife, about the comedy/drama film, and why its message is so timely. She told me: “Because nothing is changed and we think it has. So when we cast the Thai actress — because Levi’s mom is from Bangkok — she was Thai. He wanted to not just ‘call all Asians.’ He wanted to get a Thai actress and do something authentic because nobody ever does that.” Jazz Sunpanich was cast as Luke’s mother in the film.

The idea of ‘calling all Asians” is well known in Hollywood casting calls, where authentic ethnicity isn’t as important as appearances. Hammer explained: “’Calling all Asians’ is what we call it, he wants to be authentic. And when the actress got the part, she was almost crying, she said ‘I am from Bangkok. I’m Thai. And I never get cast as a Thai person because they don’t think I look and sound Thai.’”

Sunpanich has a “Stop Asian Hate” banner on her web site. “It’s happening more now than ever,” explains Hammer. “And so for her to get cast by somebody who wanted an authentic Thai person, who knows what they’re supposed to sound like, because it sounds like his mom, who knows what they’re supposed to look like –they don’t look Chinese and they don’t look Japanese. They have a distinct look. Yes, these cultures are very different.”

In Luke and Emma And A Gas Station On Franklin Ave, the character Luke, and his mom, receive unfair treatment from the community because of their ethnic heritage. As Hammer told me, Levi and his mom were taunted with Asian slurs as she raised him in Kentucky, and his childhood crush had a pastor father who forbid the relationship because he was against mixing races. Of Sunpanich, Hammer told me: “When she read Levi’s script, she said, ‘all of those microaggressions are happening to me right now.’”
Wilson explains “I want this story to be told. I don’t see stories about mixed Asian people growing up in the 80s.  We existed. And we’re American…I was really focused on authenticity.”

Wilson continues: “This is a proof of concept to make it into a long form feature film. This show was so important to me, we put a lot of effort and cost to make sure that we could hire the best people, to make sure that we have the same effort in post-production. With coloring, with sound design, and score, music licensing, everything else that’s required to make a movie look right.”

In the short film, Luke is played by Coulter Ibanez, Emma is played by Christina Gobes, and Noi, Luke’s mother, is played by Jazz Sunpunich. Please visit the link below to find out about how you can help fund this lovely film.

More About ‘Luke And Emma And A Gas Station On Franklin Ave.’
“Luke And Emma” On IMDB
Jazz Sunpanich dot com

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