Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros. Pictures(NEW YORK) — Crazy Rich Asians has proven to be crazy popular with moviegoers. The romantic comedy was the number one film at the box office this weekend and a sequel is already in the works. Comic actor Ken Jeong — who plays Wye Mun Goh, the eccentric father of Awkwafina’s character in the film — tells ABC Radio he’s so happy to see the movie turning into a phenomenon.
“We’re so grateful to the fans for really turning out in droves this weekend and that’s the end game,” he says. “We just really want it to keep going. Right now, word of mouth is good. At its core, it’s just a great movie and I’m honored to be a part of this.”
The movie is the first studio film set in modern times to feature an all-Asian cast since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club. Jeong, who was a fan of Kevin Kwan’s novel on which the movie is based, says the project was something he knew he needed to be a part of from the start.
“Even if I wasn’t in it, I would’ve [supported it],” he says. “You know, I firmly believe in it. It’s not a movie, it’s a movement. So it’s an honor.”
Crazy Rich Asians, also starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding, is in theaters now. A sequel based on Kwan’s second book in the series, China Rich Girlfriend, is in development.
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