Could “Take Out Girl” be the next hit film based in Las Vegas?
The story revolves around the daughter of a Chinese restaurant owner who takes a side job delivering drugs to keep her family’s business afloat.
The film was shot mostly in Las Vegas, with a local cast and crew.
And after a busy year on the film festival circuit, it will be released May 18.
The film was a collaboration between Las Vegas resident and film director Hisonni Johnson and Los Angeles-based actress Hedy Wong. Wong wrote a first draft of the script based on experiences and people in her life. Johnson took that script and added his own experiences.
“I hope the story adds to the narrative that [Asian Americans] have, to the representation that we currently have and just adds another texture,” she said.
Wong said that Asians are at the worst seen as the “yellow peril” and at best often ignored by the general American culture. Both of those dehumanize Asian Americans, she said.
“By telling a story like ‘Take Out Girl,’ it shows that we’re not different from anybody else. We’re just like everybody else trying to find a way,” she said.
Johnson believes the film is relatable to everyone for a number of reasons.
“At its core, ‘Take Out Girl’ is a story about a child’s dedication to their mother," said Johnson. "It’s a love letter to mothers and that’s why everyone can walk in Tera’s shoes, and we use that universal connection to challenge the idea of criminality.”
He said the main character gets involved in drugs out of desperation, which is something a lot of people of varying backgrounds understand.
“Even though this film is very, very much Asian, it is very, very much Black, it’s brown, it’s white - anybody who has tasted desperation or discomfort as a result low funds will love this film,” he said.
The film takes place in Los Angeles but most of it was shot in Las Vegas.
“The range of locations you can shoot in Las Vegas is awesome, but it is a cost-effective thing,” Johnson said. “So, shooting here allowed me to stretch the dollars a little bit further.”
Johnson added that there were several positives to shooting in Las Vegas, from the range of talent that he could tap into to the relative ease of traffic compared with Southern California.
The film found a distributor and will be released on several streaming platforms, he said.
Wong said she feels blessed to have actually fulfilled her dream of creating this film. "I have no name. I’m not a celebrity. We really got it out from the bottom for a true, true indie film to reach this point. Me and Hisonni, we look at each other sometimes and are like, ‘Wow! We’ve come a long way.'"
Hisonni Johnson, director, co-writer, executive producer, "Take Out Girl";
Hedy Wong, actress, co-writer, "Take Out Girl"
