Conference Presentation, Fireside Chat
Author Talk: Kevin Kwan, "Lies and Weddings" | Global Conference 2025
- Kevin Kwan returns to the Milken Institute Global Conference for a second time, six years after his 2019 appearance focused on wealth inequality and the "Crazy Rich Asians" phenomenon.
- Current Book Release: His latest novel, Lies in Weddings, is described as a blend of Succession, Downton Abbey, and White Lotus, focusing on a biracial family in England that has lost its dynastic fortune.
- Thematic Intent: Kwan explicitly designs his fiction to serve as social commentary on intergenerational wealth, inequality, and race, using entertaining "James Bond-style" narratives to make these heavy topics accessible.
- Writing Process & Research:
- Lies in Weddings took three years to complete, involving a period of writer's block followed by a productive six-week sprint in Hawaii.
- Characters are amalgams of real people, including biracial cousins and friends, rather than direct portraits of specific individuals to avoid exposing family secrets.
- Kwan intentionally writes to break stereotypes by creating multifaceted characters, aiming to replace narrow tropes (e.g., the engineer) with complex human stories.
- He emphasizes that his work covers Asian experiences both within Asia and in the West, contrasting his first trilogy (Asians in Asia) with the new "Lies in Weddings" and Sex and Vanity (Asians in the West).
- Technology in Fiction:
- Modern technology, including drones and wireless microphones, serves as a plot device for chaos and "James Bond gadgets" in his stories.
- Kwan utilized ChatGPT for a single footnote in a previous book, finding the AI's attempt to mimic his voice "scary" and noting its evolution since its early stages.
- "Crazy Rich Asians" Franchise Status:
- Delays: The sequel film was stalled due to corporate instability (Warner Brothers' acquisition by AT&T, then Discovery) and the pandemic/writers' strike.
- TV Series: An HBO Max limited series based on the original trilogy is in development with the original cast returning; it promises a longer narrative scope than the film.
- Broadway Musical: A musical adaptation has been in development for six years; John Chu is directing, and the project is in the final stages of lyric and music completion, with a likely opening in the next few years.
- New Projects: A standalone film adaptation of Sex and Vanity is in active development with Sony, while a film adaptation of Lies in Weddings has been sold to a major studio.
- Industry Insights & Investment:
- Kwan advocates that the key to sustaining diverse storytelling is financing production companies owned by underrepresented creators rather than relying on traditional studio approval for individual projects.
- He notes that while studios often fund "safe" follow-ups to successes, they are risk-averse regarding new, diverse concepts; therefore, visionary investors must support the infrastructure of diversity.
- The Crazy Rich Asians venture was structured as a startup, with Kwan taking a deferred fee (effectively $1) to align incentives, relying on the belief that the project's success would yield future returns.
- Cultural Impact:
- Kwan cites the film Sinners (featuring a primarily Black cast and Asian characters) as evidence of audience demand for diverse, non-$400M blockbusters, which performed for four weeks at the box office.
- He highlights the global reach of his work, noting translations into 50+ languages and the book remaining a top selection on airplane screens worldwide.
- Future Work:
- Kwan is currently producing an original screenplay set in the Philippines with producer Lawrence Bender, gaining firsthand experience in movie financing and production.
- He is developing a new, "radically different" book idea, possibly set in the South (Indian subcontinent or Central Asia), contingent on collaborating with authentic cultural insiders.
- Personal Anecdotes:
- Kwan mentions his aunt, Lisa Liu (98), who received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star recently, noting her career spans from 1959 to Crazy Rich Asians.
- He cites Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald (Credit Suisse history by Duncan MacLeod) and the film Sinners as recent influences.
- Kwan identifies Hokkien chami noodles as his preferred comfort food, distinguishing specific regional varieties like Klang Valley bakute.