“Expats” Star Lulu Wang Says Her Mom 'Loved' the Show but Was Happier She Was 'Being Paid' (Exclusive)

"They didn't know why Hollywood was giving me money to tell the story," Wang said of her parents' initial reaction to the series. "They felt like, 'Well, this is just reality. It's not a story. It's not entertainment. It's not interesting'"

While her mother was proud of the accolades she's received for her work, LuLu Wang says she was just happy her art was reaping financial benefits.

Wang, 41, has received critical acclaim for telling Asian-American stories in projects like The Farewell (2019) and Expats (2024). Though the writer-director has increased AAPI visibility and representation in spades, she tells PEOPLE that her Chinese-born parents were initially "confused" when learning of the stories that the studios had green-lit.

"They didn't know why Hollywood was giving me money to tell the story," she recalls. "They felt like, 'Well, this is just reality. It's not a story. It's not entertainment. It's not interesting.'"

Related: How Nicole Kidman's 'Devastating' Experience of Seeing Her Father's Dead Body Informed Her Performance in Expats

The filmmaker attributes the "confusion" to two different theories. Asian stories represented in mainstream media were few and far between for most of their generation, and the subject matter may have hit too close to home.

"I think they were also self-conscious," Wang explains. "Sometimes when something is too close to your identity, you almost, you're much harsher on how you critique it and all of the things that it gets wrong. And so I think it was just hard for them."

She also believes that her parents "are not so interested in identity," adding, "First of all, they're like, 'Well, are you able to pay rent? Well, that's good.' They just wanted to know that you're being paid for your work."

Related: Expats' Sarayu Blue Admits 'It Does Get to Me' When People Butcher Her Name: 'I Am a Sensitive Soul' (Exclusive)

Telling an "interesting story" may be more of a priority, and Wang reveals that her mother "really loved Expats" and the "intrigue" and the "questions" that arose from within the plot.

"She doesn't talk to me so much about like, 'Wow, this is the first time this is being shown or that's being shown,'" she continues. "I'm not sure if they feel the same sense of pride around representation, because I guess also because they're more Chinese than the hyphenate."

"So they've never really felt a lack of representation in terms of their own lives because there are a lot of Chinese movies," she adds.

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Expats, which is based on author Janice Y. K. Lee's 2016 novel The Expatriates, takes place in Hong Kong in 2014 and "centers on three American women whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy," according to a plot synopsis. 

Along with direction and writing from Wang, the series stars Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo, Sarayu Blue, Brian Tee and Jack Huston.

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Read the original article on People.