Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Sex Appeal’s Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho is a multifaceted creative who has used her talent to pave the way for underrepresented communities. The celebrated icon has always been a champion for greater visibility and inclusivity, which are at the forefront of her latest project, Sex Appeal.

The coming-of-age film follows a book-smart teen who sets out on a journey to master her sexuality, employing her oldest friend as a test subject. During her studies, she discovers that there’s more to sex and love than just mechanics.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Margaret to chat about Sex Appeal, why comedy lends itself for this type of storytelling, and how the film redefines a beloved genre.

PC: Tell us about Sex Appeal and your character in the film.
Margaret: Sex Appeal is a great reimagining of the coming-of-age story. It’s a very important film. I grew up watching a lot of coming-of-age films by John Hughes, which are classics, but also have a lot of problems in them. Over many years of watching them, you realize that they don’t address a lot of things. They’re also difficult to watch now because of how they view race and gender.

We do need a way to talk about coming of age and the exploration of adulthood. But we need it from a very new perspective. This is a feminist reimagining of that. It’s a very queer reimagining of that and a very inclusive reimagining of that. I’m really excited to be part of this movie.

I play a mom who is parenting with her former partner. I’m a lesbian mother of a very smart, sophisticated, amazing young woman who’s trying to approach sexuality the same way she does all her academics. It’s not exactly the right way to go about it, but I don’t have as much knowledge about heterosexuality, so it’s hard for me to explain it to her too.

It’s a really fun take on family and parenting but also on gender roles and how we can go about things and try to explore them from a scientific point of view. But sometimes we really need to experience it.

PC: You’ve done it all throughout your career. What was it about this project that stood out to you?
Margaret: I loved the script. I thought it was a phenomenal piece of work. I also really enjoy working with Fortune [Feimster] and Rebecca [Henderson]. Rebecca and I have been on another show where we got married and celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary. It’s great to reunite with her as my second wife in this. Fortune and I have known each other for many, many years and worked together so many times. This is a great treat.

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve been an advocate for sex positivity. Why do you think the comedy genre lends itself to this type of storytelling?
Margaret: Sex is an awkward subject. People have a lot of embarrassment and awkwardness around it. That’s perfect for comedy. To talk about it from a queer and feminist perspective is really important. It’s a jumping-off point because there’s a lot of humanity involved in it. That’s what I think comedy is best at explaining.

PC: Like you were just saying, you’ve worked with some of these actors in the past. How beneficial was having those prior relationships when approaching this project, given that you filmed during a pandemic? How were you able to build that bond with the other cast members?
Margaret: We were so excited to work together. We made this movie about a year ago in the middle of the pandemic. It was one of the first projects that I got to do outside of doing shows online. It was really amazing to be able to get out there and be in this environment with this cast. Fortune and I have a relationship. Rebecca and I have a relationship. It was also very exciting to get to know all the other actors and Talia [Osteen] (our director).

PC: Without giving any spoilers, the ending is very unexpected. What was your initial reaction when you read it?
MMargaret: I thought it was very true to life. I really appreciated that it’s not this very cliched fairy tale of a happily ever after. It’s very true to life. I love that it’s focusing on these experiences and this moment in a young person’s life. That’s beautiful.

PC: There are so many relevant themes that this film tackles throughout the film. Is there one in particular that hit home for you?
Margaret: It’s the rethinking of this sex expert, who is Paris Jackson’s character. She’s an incredible actress and a very interesting person. I found her compelling as a character but also as a personality coming into this movie. I’d never seen her act before, so it was really special. She was really great.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away after they see it?
Margaret: I hope that they come away with this knowledge that we’re rethinking these traditional genres in film and looking towards a future that’s definitely brighter in terms of inclusion, visibility, feminism, and queerness. I feel like we’re going to be able to hold on to this legacy that genre filmmaking has given us, but we can actually move into the future with films like Sex Appeal.

PC: What’s next for you?
Margaret: I am going to hopefully be touring. Everything’s on pause because we’re not sure exactly what’s happening with the pandemic, but I have dates up for the rest of the year—hopefully, we’ll see. But people can find out about what I’m doing on MargaretCho.com. I’m on TikTok @TheMargaretCho, at Twitter @MargaretCho, and at Margaret_Cho on Instagram.

Watch Sex Appeal on Hulu today.

Photo Credit: Sergio Garcia