When filmmaker Jon M. Chu’s manager sent him a script for a sequel to a dance movie, straight to DVD, he hesitated.
But his mom reminded him, “If you’re a storyteller, you can tell stories anywhere.”
With resolve, he decided to make the best direct-to-DVD dance movie he could. Chu rewrote the script, pitched it to producers and two weeks later, the president of Disney greenlit the movie for a theatrical release with a $20 million budget.
The film, “Step Up 2: The Streets,” is “what started my career,” Chu told students during a Beyond the Conversation event presented by Cal State Fullerton’s Associated Students Inc. and the Division of Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Management. The series aims to empower students by inviting inspiring speakers to campus.
From making home videos as a child to directing Hollywood blockbusters, Chu has built a career on telling unforgettable stories. He is known for the global phenomenon “Crazy Rich Asians,” the first contemporary studio film in over 25 years to feature an all Asian cast.
Most recently, he directed the two-part “Wicked” films, the first of which garnered a 2025 Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and the second of which will be released in November 2025.
Chu remembers getting the call to direct the cinematic production of the beloved musical during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“My perspectives were changing: I had just had my second child, America was shut down. There were questions about our systems and structure. Everything was being upended,” he said.
“Reading those words from Elphaba — ‘Something has changed within me. Something is not the same’ — it hit me so hard,” he said. “I understood that this is not just a musical about the Wicked Witch of the West. This is about us: It’s a reexamination of the American dream and the idea that the Yellow Brick Road was made for all of us.”
Rather than follow a specific dream, Chu advised students to follow their curiosity. “It’s not about passion; you can love a lot of things,” he said. “It’s about that little piece of thread that’s pulling you to follow.”
He encouraged students to stay hopeful during challenging times: “Don’t give up your optimism. In fact, I love when someone says you can’t, because that’s the start of ‘Yes, I can.’”
Finally, Chu shared words from his daughter: “You don’t need to be brave. You only get courage after you do the scary thing. So do the scary thing.”
A Dream for a Cinema and Television Arts Major
Mercedes Avila, a CSUF cinema and television arts major, never dreamed she would be on stage with such a notable filmmaker.
With her eyes set on a career in the entertainment industry, Avila joined ASI as a programming coordinator who helps select speakers for the Beyond the Conversation series.
“Jon Chu is the first director we’ve brought to campus for this series, and we were really excited to hear his perspective as a storyteller,” said Avila, who was selected to sit on stage with Chu and moderate the presentation.
“I wanted to make sure each student walked out hearing what they needed to hear,” said Avila, who is inspired to continue learning more about the art of authentic storytelling.
“I just knew Cal State Fullerton was going to be the right school for me.”