Viewers across the country will be stunned by “Boogie,” the cross-cultural story of a young man’s dream to become a professional basketball player in a one-sided world.
Taylor Takahashi plays the title role. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime to play something that is very relevant and real to me and to show that and share that with the world alongside some really good deep culture and a New York City hip hop/immigrant story. There are so many attachment points we all felt and saw in the script. Now it’s playing out on camera and people are finally going to see it and attach to it.”
Through Boogie’s athletic journey, he falls for “Eleanor,” a gorgeous yet modern city girl. Taylour Paige says it’s important to showcase a different take on the typical love interest. “These women exist. We didn’t all come to be homogenous, we came to bring variety. There’s so much diversity in our own community,” she explains, “She’s a 17-year-old girl in Queens, there’s a lot of inspiration around.”
The film came to life through Fresh Off the Boat’s Eddie Huang who is also making his directorial debut. Huang relied on many of his own experiences to bring “Boogie” to life. “The most powerful source for artists is your actual life and your actual emotions and I try to pour as much of that in as possible.”
Huang’s work has often reflected the complex American experience, something he hopes viewers take away from this film.
“I’m curious about what it means to be an immigrant, Taiwanese, Chinese, but most importantly American. This is the most interesting experiment going on in the world. Race, identity and while all of these labels and social things going on are what’s going to draw people to the film, it’s the humanity of the characters, these whole, complex, dynamic characters, that’s going to keep people interested in this film.”
Through it all, Huang and the cast, including Taylor Takahashi, hope viewers learn to relate to Boogie’s story regardless of their background.
“Everyone has their own version of Boogie,” Taylor explains, “I’m hoping as an Asian-American we can break out of the stereotypical role of doctor, kung fu, nerd. Breaking down out of those things and breaking down those barriers and just understanding that we are real people just like everyone else.”
You can stream “Boogie” and watch it in theaters March 5th.
