Pop-Culturalist.com

Sight, starring Greg Kinnear and Terry Chen, follows the inspiring true story of Ming Wang, an impoverished Chinese prodigy who flees Communist China to become a pioneering eye surgeon in America. When tasked with restoring the sight of an orphan who was blinded by her step mother, he must confront the trauma of living through the violent uprising in his youth, the Cultural Revolution.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Ming Wang and actor Terry Chen about Sight, how they both hope that the film inspires audiences to see beyond their challenges and circumstances and see the light, their collaboration, and more.

PC: Ming, it was really important to the creative team that you were on set to help bring that authenticity to the screen. What was it like getting to collaborate with the cast and everyone involved to bring your story to life in this visual medium?
Ming: It was an honor to see great artists such as Terry Chen and Greg Kinnear portraying my story with their superb artistry. It was a humbling experience to see 250 people on set, half crew, half cast, and witness their dedication to their artistry and their teamwork. It was a humbling honor.

PC: Terry, this is such a unique project where three actors bring Ming’s story to life. What was it like collaborating with Jayden [Zhang] and Ben [Wang]? How much of their performances influenced your own?
Terry: I thought the kids did an incredible job. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any scenes with them, so there wasn’t much interaction between us. I did have a conversation with Ben early on in the production about the accent because as Dr. Wang immigrates from China to America in the ’60s/’70s, his English had an evolution, and there were different parts of Ben’s performance that I thought were really spot on in terms of him learning the language and evolving his accent to the point where it is when I take over the story and represent the present day.

PC: Ming, you’ve brought this project to different communities, and it continues to resonate with so many, particularly the youth. This is more than a film, it’s a movement. What do you hope audiences take away after seeing your story? How can others get involved in spreading the word?
Ming: I want to be a part of creating a movement about seeing beyond. We’re living in a world full of challenges. People are at war. Countries are at war with each other. There are ethnic and racial tensions, environmental disasters, the opioid crisis, gang violence, poverty, education disparity, and health care issues. In a world full of challenges and many dark moments, I hope Sight, especially for young people, gives them the encouragement to see that above all, grit is the most important thing. Be tenacious. Have a vision. Stick with it. Bring hope to times of darkness. Sight is a message of hope, perseverance, appreciating what we have, and being more willing to work together.

PC: Terry, you’ve been a trailblazer for our community and spoken about the fact that as a minority in this industry, it’s rare that roles and opportunities like this come about. How do you hope this project continues to open doors for future Asian creatives who want to follow in your footsteps?
Terry: I hope that this project can move the needle in whichever small way possible. It’s so important to have these diverse stories being told, especially to the youth of America, because it may give them more insight into where they come from.

A film like this needs so much support from so many different people, Angel Studios being one of them. They’ve been a huge advocate for us. These messages of inspiration, determination, perseverance, triumph, and transformation fall to the wayside if nobody sees the film. So we’ve got incredible support coming from Angel Studios. We’re trying to amplify light and these messages of positivity in a world that’s bare of that right now. The fact that we’ve got 2,000 theaters during Memorial Day weekend is pretty incredible.

PC: Ming, there’s such a beautiful sentiment within the film about embracing our past and how it makes the present possible. What has it been like for you to see your story told before your eyes? Was there a scene that you were in awe of?
Ming: There were many scenes that I had the opportunity to relive that gave me a new appreciation, recognition, and understanding about life itself. The scene that is probably most memorable for me is the development of the technology that helped Kajal. I wanted to help her because she was living in darkness, and I used to live in darkness as well. To recognize that the way to help her was to do research, study how the fetus/unborn child can heal without scarring and without hurting the baby. That eventually led to the development of the Amniotic Membrane Contact Lens, which has now transformed the world and helped millions of patients restore their eyesight.

Sight is about that invention. But more than that, it’s about helping those who need the most help with these technologies, like blind orphaned children.

Terry: I just want to add that this technology is something that Dr. Wang developed on his own. He got a patent for it and then gave it away. His foundation, the Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration in Nashville, has done over 50,000 procedures pro bono. As the good doctor has mentioned, it’s helped millions of people around the world. This is a true story that I think people can find a lot of hope and inspiration in. The man’s life is tailor-made for a movie.

Make sure to follow Dr. Ming Wang (Instagram) and Terry (Instagram). Sight is out in select theaters now.