The Meaning of Magic: Carlos López Estrada and Kelly Marie Tran on Summertime | Interviews

KMT: That was so beautiful. [laughs] I agree. Something Carlos touched on there is that we’re trying to highlight voices that have historically been ignored. I think the throughline through everything I want to do is that I ask myself this question: “Does this play, film, or TV show move us in the direction of what the world is supposed to be like?” Art lets us live in imagined realities, but intrinsically all of us know that there’s something really wrong with the way the world is right now. 

There’s this far-away, magical world we all want to live in, where everyone is equally represented and where we don’t have to have these conversations, because it’s intrinsically in the world. If our art can push the world in that direction, then we’re doing something right. “Summertime” is such a beautiful example of that. And these young artists, I’m incapable of describing the power they have within them. I’m really excited for the world to see, feel, laugh, and cry with them the way I have. 

Throughout your careers, what have you observed about how the internal attitudes of film studios are moving (or need to be pushed) forward in terms of representation—both major conglomerates like Disney and smaller, independent studios? 

CLE: Things have been done similarly for a very long time. Film has been around for over a century, and not until very recently did people take these issues of representation, diversity, and inclusion seriously. We’re part of a new era of storytelling, of cinema, where you simply cannot get away with willing ignorance anymore. You just can’t. Kelly and I are a part of this generation of artists and filmmakers demanded to be very thoughtful and deliberate about our work, our place in the world, and the stories we want to support. 

Whether it’s through Disney or independently, we’re in the place of radical awareness. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable existing in the world and creating art that will be seen by other people without a sense of responsibility and empathy. The conversations Kelly and I were having about “Raya” are not that dissimilar to the ones we’re having about “Summertime.” Obviously, the vehicle pushing the conversations is as different as it could be, on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of what a movie can be, but we feel so lucky that both of those universes have allowed us to pursue the stories and people we feel most passionate about.