In a moment where Asian American storytelling continues to evolve beyond familiar narratives, Shirley Chen is quickly emerging as one of the most compelling young voices to watch. Still early in her career, Chen has already demonstrated a rare ability to move between tones and genres, from the grounded intimacy of “DiDi” to the sharper, more confrontational identity work of “Slanted.” Her performances carry a specificity that feels lived-in, often rooted in questions of belonging, self-perception, and the tension between how we see ourselves and how the world sees us.
Directed by Amy Wang and fresh off its Grand Jury Prize at 2025’s SXSW, “Slanted” follows Joan, a Chinese American high school student growing up in a predominantly white town, whose singular goal is to become prom queen. For Joan, popularity is validation, belonging, and a distorted version of the American dream. When a mysterious company offers her the opportunity to transform her life, the film begins to spiral into something far more unsettling, blurring the line between reinvention and self-erasure.
What makes “Slanted” so striking is not just its premise, but its execution. Anchored by co-star Mckenna Grace and Chen’s performance, and supported by a cast that includes Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Vivian Wu, the film operates as both satire and psychological descent. It carries the tonal DNA of films like “Mean Girls” and “The Substance,” yet refracts those influences through a distinctly Asian American lens, one that interrogates assimilation, internalized bias, and the quiet violence of wanting to disappear into someone else’s idea of perfection.
At its core, “Slanted” is about empathy, particularly for those who have grown up feeling like they exist just outside the boundaries of acceptance. As Chen puts it, “what does it look like if you just hate all of it? Like you literally want no part of your identity.” It is a question that feels both extreme and deeply familiar, speaking to the very real experience of growing up wanting to fit into a version of beauty and identity that was never designed for you.
In that way, “Slanted” arrives at a time when AAPI storytelling is beginning to embrace more complicated, even uncomfortable truths. Where earlier milestones helped establish visibility and pride, films like this push the conversation forward, allowing space for contradiction, insecurity, and even self-rejection. It is a reminder that representation is not just about celebration, but about honesty.
For Chen, the role of Joan feels like a natural extension of the work she has been building toward, performances that resist easy categorization and instead lean into complexity. There is a vulnerability in her portrayal, but also a quiet intensity that suggests something deeper beneath the surface, a tension that ultimately drives the film’s more unsettling turns.
On our sister podcast “United By Rice”, Chen spoke about her journey to “Slanted,” the personal truths she brought to the role, and how embracing the less polished parts of herself has unlocked new dimensions in her work. The below transcript is adapted for written feature purposes from the original podcast.
Awards Focus: I’m very excited to finally talk about “Slanted.” I saw it at SXSW almost a year ago, and the film has really stuck with me. To start, can you give us a quick logline of the film and your character?
Shirley Chen: “Slanted” follows my character Joan, who’s on the cusp of prom at her high school. She comes from one of those small towns that are quite homogenous, mostly white, and it’s her dream to be prom queen. Her parents immigrated from China, so it really symbolizes the pinnacle of the American dream.
Then this company called Ethnos, with maybe mysterious intentions, comes along and seemingly presents the perfect opportunity to change your life.
AF: And how did you become involved with the project? When you read the script, how much of it did you relate to?
Chen: It came to me as an audition like any other, around two years ago. But I remember reading the script and thinking it was so exciting because of the body horror elements and the gore. What really excited me was the opportunity to be incredibly honest about maybe disliking yourself or disliking the community or culture you come from.
For me, I grew up in a very small town in Washington state. There weren’t that many Asian American kids, and I remember all I wanted was to be distinct and separate from the few that were there and fit in with my friends. I always joke that I thought when I turned sixteen, I would become blonde with blue eyes. I didn’t really know what race was, but I knew that meant beautiful and desirable.
So there’s this kernel of truth that I can relate to with Joan. But at the same time, I moved to LA to act when I was ten and went to an arts high school, and those experiences really taught me to lean into who I was. I got to explore different roles and identities in a way that wasn’t always available professionally. So I relate to Joan, but I’m also proud that I got to grow beyond that narrow perspective.
AF: Timing-wise, when did this come into your life? Was it just after “DiDi”?
Chen: There was a bit of a gap. “DiDi” filmed in summer 2023 during the strikes. I had just graduated college and moved to New York, and suddenly everything felt uncertain. I was like, how do I structure my life now?
Then “DiDi” came along, and it felt like I had community again. After that, there were still a few months during the strike, and then I got the audition for “Slanted” around May 2024.
I remember reading your interview with Amy and realizing she had thought of me for the role the whole time. That was such a treat to find out.
AF: A lot of your recent work, “DiDi,” now “Slanted,” are very much Asian American stories. How intentional has that been?
Chen: It’s a bit of both. My first feature, “Beast Beast,” was an open casting call. At the time, I didn’t think of it as an Asian American story. I connected to it because she was a theater kid.
But filmmakers like Sean Wang and Amy Wang saw that work while exploring their own identities, and it became this perfect intersection. They were inspired by what I did, and I was inspired by what they were doing.
So I think it comes down to trying to do meaningful work. Whether it’s about identity, adolescence, or something else, I try to be as empathetic as possible and live a life that gives me perspective. So it is intentional, but it’s also not.
AF: You mentioned the idea of moving between indie films and bigger projects. How do you think about that?
Chen: I don’t really see it as coming back to indie. Indie filmmaking is my community. It raised me. All my best friends are indie filmmakers. When I go off to do something like a Netflix show, I’m still calling them all the time. That’s my home base. I don’t like to think of these experiences as fragmented. I want them to influence each other. I feel most content when I’m just living my life, working, tutoring, doing normal things, and then bringing that into my work.
AF: Without getting into spoilers, how did you approach the body horror elements?
Chen: Amy referenced films like “Sorry to Bother You” and “Black Swan,” which really clicked for me. For Joan, I focused on her fear and her need to belong. I wanted to make her desires very clear so that when everything escalates later, it feels grounded. I really wanted to connect with her relationships, especially her parents, and build that foundation.
AF: You’ve mentioned wanting to show more range. How do you tap into that “beast” within you?
Chen: That really shifted for me around “Slanted.” After graduating, I was in a darker headspace. I started questioning everything, my career, my choices, what success meant.
For most of my life, I felt like I had to be the best version of myself. But once I became comfortable with the parts of myself I didn’t like, anger, insecurity, self-doubt, it opened everything up. That’s where the “beast” comes from now. Being okay with the messy parts of yourself. Because those feelings exist in everyone.
AF: One thing we talked about with Amy is how the film explores identity in a way we don’t always see. How do you think about that?
Chen: I think what’s really exciting about “Slanted” is asking, what does it look like if you just hate all of it? Like you literally want no part of your identity. That’s very real for some people. Everybody has a moment like that. And you don’t have to act like you love it all the time.
AF: Let’s talk about “DiDi” for a second. That film really grew in a big way. Did you anticipate that response?
Chen: It was a gift just to get it, especially during the strike. I knew there was something special about the script and Sean’s voice. But what surprised me was the reach. Seeing people from all different backgrounds connect with it, and seeing filmmakers I admire engage with it, that was really special.
AF: Shirley, thank you so much for your time.