The excitement, energy and vibes were at an all-time high at The Sun Is Also A Star premiere this past Monday night on May 13th. The event took place in front of Pacific Theatres at The Grove in Los Angeles. It was set up with a beautiful, sweeping blue carpet and large backdrops with the dreamy faces of Riverdale’s Charles Melton and Grownish’s Yara Shahidi. The venue was packed with excited fans, cameras and press all awaiting the stars’ arrivals. Her Campus was lucky enough to be a part of this exciting experience.
Based on a 2016 young adult novel by Nicola Yoon, The Sun is Also a Star follows the whirlwind romance of New York teens, Natasha Kingsley and Daniel Bae. Natasha, a Jamaican immigrant, and Daniel, a first generation Korean-American, prove an unlikely pairing. The two differ not only in ethnic background but also in temperament – Natasha is a realist with a devotion to the scientific method, while Daniel is a dreamer with a fondness for poetry. Yet despite these differences, neither can resist each other’s company and over the course of one day, the pair wander the city attempting to determine the true meaning of love.
The Sun is Also a Star features Yara Shahidi who plays Natasha, and Charles Melton who plays Daniel. An actress, activist and upcoming student at Harvard University, Yara is a black Iranian woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. Charles, on the other hand, is a half-Korean newcomer from the show Riverdale.
Although Yara and Charles do not exactly match the ethnicities of literary Natasha and Daniel, their casting still proves revolutionary! The Sun is Also a Star normalizes interracial love in an industry dominated by white narratives. In addition, the movie gives a voice to the immigrant experience, revealing what it is like to face both the heavy expectations of immigrant parents and the complicated (and often unfair!) American immigration system. The movie proves authentic, creating a space devoid of caricature for people of color to be represented in a way we most desperately need!
Before Yara and Charles made their appearances, the crowd and press got warmed up with the arrival of other stars like YouTubers Meg DeAngelis and Adelaine Morin, singer and actress Laura Marano, Grownish cast members Francia Raisa, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Riverdale cast members Camila Mendes, Ashleigh Murray, Marisol Nichols, Drew Tanner and Hayley Law, and many more. It was truly a star-studded night.
Not only did we have the pleasure to interact with the actors and actresses, but we also had the chance to interview Nicola Yoon, the author of The Sun Is Also A Star. She gave us insight into the inspiration behind her romantic masterpiece: “It was mostly Carl Sagan who lectured at Cornell where I went to school. He had a famous quote where he said, ‘In order to create an apple pie, you must first invent the whole wide world.’ So I wanted to tell a love story where you can see all the ingredients – all the people that were pushing them together and all the forces pulling them apart.”
Prior to being a best-selling author and a romance novel prodigy, Yoon worked on Wall Street as a financial analyst. She described the reason for her career switch and gave inspirational advice for aspiring writers that are hesitant to follow their dreams: “The career switch was because I really intensely hated my job. In terms of following your own dreams, it is so scary. I was so terrified because I am very risk averse. It’s also a scary thing to want something so badly because I really wanted to be a writer. Honestly, just jump in! Make the leap. You will never know if it’s going to work out. Your heart will be better for it.”
As for the main messages Yoon wants her viewers and readers to take away from the film, she says, “Embrace yourself. Immigrants are like everyone else. We all fall in love. It’s not just politics; it’s personal. They have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. Be open to love.”
After interviewing and taking pictures of all the beautiful stars, we went into the theatre to watch the movie. It was finally time! As we entered the theatre, we grabbed bags of popcorn, candy and drinks (which were all complimentary). Not wanting to spoil the movie for all you eager fans, all we will say is, The Sun Is Also A Star is absolutely 100% out of this world.
Make sure you get your tickets soon! The movie comes out in theatres on Friday May 17, 2019.