I feel like there's this need that the Asian-American community has to feel like people. It's something that Asians in Asia do not understand about us.

What was exciting to me in talking to Kogonada was I was just very convinced that he was a very real and pure artist. He was so uninterested in the commercial game.

Whenever I'm on my way to a premiere or something, I always have a good laugh in the car... because it's all so absurd - I'm one generation removed from starvation.

I've thought for years, sometimes against my will, about what kind of son I'm supposed to be, what's expected. Being Korean, that's a particularly charged question. Is your duty to your culture or to your parent? Is your life your own, or the second half of your parents' life? Who owns your life?

The biggest boss has the clearest desk.

Even though there's a lot of horror from Asia in the American cinematic tradition, I hadn't seen Asians at the center of it.

'Sesame Street' early on and then 'Little House on the Prairie' was a big deal in our house. I always identified with 'Little House' because they were wanderers, and there was something about being an immigrant.

I grew up speaking Korean, but my dad spoke English very well. I learned a lot of how to speak English by watching television.

Isn't it funny - why is it called a tennis bracelet? It doesn't seem very tennis, does it?

I come from the theater, and there is a real collaborative history there.

I've always liked a good joke that everybody can laugh at.

Doing 'Hedwig' totally contributed to my acceptance of myself.

London is the English-speaking theatre capital.

Drag is a little scary, especially for a gay man who's not comfortable with his feminine side.

I don't regret anything, because I feel better every year, and if I'd done something different, maybe I wouldn't. I'm more of a whole person, the older I get.

You can make serious pop, you know? There was a time when the best movies were the most popular, and I keep thinking that can happen again.

I remember being afraid of doing drag when I was younger because I didn't really like my feminine side - most gay guys at some point are told that that's the worst part of you, so that becomes a negative thing.

I think it helped me like myself more, playing Hedwig.

The people that were most interesting were always questioning the status quo.

My mom was a little weepy. My dad was very logical about it. Once they realized you can't change, they wanted to know that you can be happy and be gay. Once they realized that, they were very cool about it.

Obviously, when you get into larger budgets, you have less of that freedom, and I just - I'm not a person that tends to make stories for those larger budgets. To me, it's not much fun to have that kind of pressure.

There are a lot of silly projects out there.

I'm not interested in replicating 'Hedwig' like a virus.

'Hedwig' is not autobiographical, but what she goes through is clearly a big metaphor. She doesn't want to be what she is, but she comes to an understanding that what happened to her has actually made her whole.