Before you watch the interview with the lovely Li Jun Li of Babylon, let’s address the elephant in the room: Dino’s eyes during the interview.
Now, I know everyone thinks he is “high” off of the reefer in this picture but he is not. He had an allergic reaction to something the day before and I woke up with his eyes puffy, red and watery.
That’s why he looks a tad bit busted while he talks.
Nonetheless, Li Jun Li stars in Damien Chazelle‘s awards season epic Babylon as Lady Fay Zhu, an Anna Mae Wong/Marelene Dietrich hybrid of a character that is not only has the beauty, but is clever, smart and know how to navigate the industry. She is comfortable in her queerness during 1920s Hollywood — when the film takes place.
Li stars alongside a robust ensemble that includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, and Jovan Adepo in a story that follows these characters as Hollywood goes from silent films to talkies. While doing so, the industry — and its people try to adjust to the change during a time of great ambition and wild access. It’s quite the epic and Li talked to us how it was like playing a character like Lady Fay Zhu in a time when being queer, a woman and a person of color wasn’t exactly embraced (hell, it isn’t even that embraced in 2022). That said, the struggles in 1920s Hollywood aren’t that far off from the struggles today.
Watch the interview below.
