The Palo Alto-born director had a lot to celebrate Thursday morning after his musical fantasy film scored a nomination for the top prize at the Academy Awards.
Director Jon M. Chu works with stars Cynthia Erivo, left. and Ariana Grande on the set of “Wicked.” In a pretty tight race, Palo Alto-born filmmaker Jon M. Chu did not get an Academy Award nomination for best director Thursday, but his blockbuster movie “Wicked” garnered an astounding 10 nominations for an array of awards, including the top prize of best picture.
Chu also paid tribute to “Wicked’s” two female stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who each scored nominations for best actress and best supporting actress, respectively, for playing future witches Elphaba and Glinda. Chu shared someone else’s post of side-by-side childhood photos of each of the women, saying, “Someone tell these little girls they’re nominated for an Oscar.”
Surrounded by Erivo, Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and other cast and crew members, Chu began his speech by mentioning his upbringing by Chinese immigrant parents in the South Bay. His parents, Lawrence and Ruth Chu, happen to be local icons who run the famous Chef Chu’s restaurant in Los Altos. For decades, Chef Chu’s has been a destination for Silicon’s Valley elite.
Chu also talked about his upbringing in his memoir, “Viewfinder,” which was published before “Wicked” was released into movie theaters in November In the book, he shares his somewhat unconventional journey from Silicon Valley to Hollywood. Chu said he grew up doing his homework or helping out in his family’s restaurant, absorbing his parents’ love of American pop culture as well as the spirit of entrepreneurship alive in some of his parents’ customers.
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