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\n\t\u201cWicked\u201d director Jon M. Chu<\/a> was honored with the Legend award at the fourth annual\u00a0Gold House Gold Gala<\/a>\u00a0on Saturday in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n \n\tChu, a Gold House co-founder and progenitor of the history-making #GoldOpen movement, received the A1 in Entertainment and Media for his historic directorial accomplishments in \u201cWicked\u201d and to celebrate its forthcoming sequel, \u201cWicked: For Good.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe filmmaker talked about how far Asian representation had come in the last ten years. Speaking to the audience, which included H.E.R., \u201cMoana 2\u201d director Dana LeDoux Miller, Ang Lee, Sandra Oh and Megan Thee Stallion, Chu said, \u201cWe\u2019re not just guests at the table anymore. We built the damn house, and guess what? It\u2019s made of gold, and we\u2019ve got more work to do.\u201d Chu added, \u201cI\u2019m ready, if you all are.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tChu recalled being on the set of his 2013 film \u201cG.I. Joe: Retaliation,\u201d and how he felt \u201cnervous as hell.\u201d It wasn\u2019t until the film\u2019s star, Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson, who plays Roadblock in the film, made a comment that resonated. Chu said, \u201cHe turns to me and says, \u2018How lucky are we, a guy who looks like me, starring in a big ass movie directed by a guy that looks like you.\u2019 He put his arm around me and he said, \u2018I got you, brother.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tChu admitted he hadn\u2019t realized how much that moment meant to him: \u201cI wasn\u2019t quite ready to bring my full Asian self into the spotlight, but never underestimate the power of The Rock planting seed.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tChu, who also directed \u201cCrazy Rich Asians\u201d and \u201cIn the Heights,\u201d said it wasn\u2019t until #OscarsSoWhite that he didn\u2019t \u201cfeel alone anymore.\u201d The filmmaker noted the shift in Asian representation and the huge success of Asian creatives and athletes across the board over the past decade, that success rippled down to the set of last year\u2019s \u201cWicked.\u201d He said. \u201cI\u2019m standing there with now Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh and \u2018SNL\u2019 superstar, Bowen Yang, and he says, \u2018Oh, we\u2019re gonna kill this shit.\u2019 And Michelle turns to him and says, \u2018Of course, we are.\u2019 That\u2019s the energy now, a new level of not just begging for representation, but striving to be the greatest there ever was.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLee received the Gold Legend award. Lee\u2019s whose films include \u201cThe Life of Pi,\u201d \u201cBrokeback Mountain\u201d and \u201cCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,\u201d said it had never occurred to him that he\u2019d be making films in America. \u201cWe always chase dreams\u2026I thought I would just go back to Taiwan to make movies.\u201d Lee went on to say, \u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking about anything else but to make movies.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tLee said he was an avid learner in filmmaking. \u201cThis is like people pay me to go to the best film school.\u201d He added, \u201cI look at you, I\u2019m here, and I realize how far we\u2019ve come\u2026our voices are a wonderful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tGold House co-founder Bing Chen wrapped the evening with closing remarks. He encouraged the audience to focus on making a difference through small and meaningful contributions. \u201cThe good news is you don\u2019t have to do everything, you can\u2019t. Nobody can. You just have to do one thing. Each of you is the most important one in the world, because you are the first, and we just want you to know as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t\tPopular on Variety\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n