The actor and first-time director is weighing in on why 'Barbie's $1 billion haul doesn't mean people want more movies about toys.
Randall Park feels Hollywood execs are missing the important takeaway from the wild success of the Barbie movie.
The Fresh Off the Boat alum recently spoke with Rolling Stone amid the theatrical release of his directorial debut, Shortcomings, and reflected on representation, diversity and how it's often hard for the head honchos in Hollywood to see the big picture.
"I feel like, just in general, this industry is taking the wrong lessons," Park said. "For example, Barbie is this massive blockbuster, and the idea is: Make more movies about toys! No. Make more movies by and about women!
Park pointed out that the take-away from Barbie's $1 billion box-office haul isn't due to some widespread outcry for film adaptations of toys, rather, "It's [director] Greta Gerwig!"
Park's own film is currently competing with the unstoppable hype of the so-called "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, but the filmmaker says it's not something he's worrying about.
"I can’t control any of that stuff, so it doesn't affect me too much. I am genuinely happy that we got acquired by a great company like Sony Pictures Classics and are out into the world," he shared. "It's such a challenging time for our movie on numerous levels, but I do feel confident that we’ll find our audience eventually."
Amid his interview, Park also revealed that he came very close to getting out of showbusiness all together, after a string of disappointing auditions and a lack of diverse rolls.
"There were times when I did try to quit," Park said. "There was a period where I decided, 'I’m going to quit. I’ve always wanted to become an architect. I need to take some prerequisites at the community college, and I’ll go into architecture.'"
"I enrolled in Santa Monica College, took a basic physics class, could not pass the class -- because I was so out of practice -- and ended right back auditioning again," Park added. "Fate always brought me back to acting."
Park's directorial debut, Shortcomings, is in theaters now.
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