“Honestly, I absolutely cried myself to sleep because this is Monterey Park, California, like where I grew up, 626, San Gabriel Valley,” Coke said. “This is where my Buddhist temple is, you know? Like all the friends I grew up with, they were all born in Monterey Park. It’s this hometown that I’m proud to call mine.”
“Flaws” is the story of three friends They are Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) living in the Bay Area and finding themselves. Saturday night’s shoot left the cast — including Cola, Randall Park, Justin H. Min and Ally Maki — with the daunting task of mourning the victims as they talked about the film ahead of its Park City, Utah, premiere on Sunday.
A gunman killed 10 people Saturday night in Monterey Park, a city of about 60,000 on the eastern edge of Los Angeles that is largely made up of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans. The massacre disrupted Lunar New Year celebrations and sparked panic in Monterey Park and other nearby neighborhoods with large Asian-American populations.
Coke was still processing his emotions Sunday morning, with limited information available and the search for the shooter still ongoing.
“It’s just a reminder that celebrating the unapologetic, authentic AAPI voice in a different way as we premiere the film today is just a reminder that we still need to reclaim who we are as human beings in this country and in this industry recognition,” Coke said.
“We had a beautiful movie today, and we still want to, you know, talk about it,” Coke added. “I think by talking about it it’s moving the culture and the community forward. I think all we can do is show each other grace and support each other, you know?”
Parker, who directed the film, added: “Whatever message came out, it was so, so infuriating.”
In the nearby Sundance Lounge, a moment of silence was observed for the victims.
