Meet Adele Lim, the genius co-writer behind Crazy Rich Asians and director of Joy Ride: 7 reasons we love the Malaysian-born Hollywood screenwriter, from pay equality campaigning to celebrity crushes
- Lim is best known for co-writing the screenplay for the wildly successful Crazy Rich Asians, especially the iconic scene where matriarch Michelle Yeoh and Constance Wu had a mahjong face-off
- She had a crush on Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat while growing up – and now she’s the director of hot upcoming flick Joy Ride, starring Ashley Park and Stephanie Hsu
From the streets of Malaysia to the heart of Hollywood, screenwriter Adele Lim is fast becoming a household name on her mission to put Asian experiences at the forefront of an industry sorely overdue for a fresh perspective.
She’s best known for co-writing the screenplay for Crazy Rich Asians – though her name appeared in headlines again when she publicly shared that she walked away from the film’s sequel, refusing to work for a fraction of what her white, male co-writers were being paid.
Here are our top reasons for loving Adele Lim.
1. Adele Lim’s authentic connection to her home and heritage
Lim was born in Petaling Jaya in Malaysia on the outskirts of cosmopolitan Kuala Lumpur. She was raised in a traditional, multigenerational home that included her grandparents. Plenty of extended family were always around, too. The writer told local media that the experience made her fiercely proud of her Malaysian roots – something that shines through in her work and storytelling to this day.
2. She’s still Adele from the block
She went to a prestigious all-girls’ school, SMKP Sri Aman, an alma mater to renowned Malaysian figures including the country’s first female pilot. Even though Lim lives a million miles away in Hollywood now, her Instagram shows that she still makes time for her secondary school besties. Fame and fortune clearly haven’t gone to her head.