Sharpe, who recently starred in the second season of hit HBO show The White Lotus, will direct the movie version of Michelle Zauner’s best-selling debut book.
The actor, writer and director’s involvement in the film adaption of the 2021 memoir – which began life as an essay covering topics like childhood, identity, Korean-American culture and grief, following the passing of Zauner’s mother – was announced this week. “There were lots of things that resonated with me as somebody who is half-Japanese, half-British, spent my childhood in Tokyo,” said Sharpe in a statement given to People. “Some of the descriptions of being jet-lagged in your family’s kitchen felt very familiar to me.”
Zauner, meanwhile, said: “It was a daunting task, to find someone I could trust with the retelling of such a personal story. Someone who could honour my mother’s character and respect the darkest days of grief, and still make the coming of age of a half-Korean artsy outsider in a small Pacific Northwest hippie town seem real and cool.”
“In that spirit, I am so relieved to have found Will Sharpe and am beyond delighted that he will be the director of Crying in H Mart. I believe his sensitivity, as a director and an actor, and his own personal experience, having grown up between two cultures, will be tremendous assets. His work on Flowers and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain speak to his ability to conjure lofty, vulnerable performances, to find humor and grace within the tragedy of the everyday. They are a precious collection of talents that make him the perfect fit for this film.”
Japanese Breakfast’s third album, Jubilee, was released in June 2021 – the same month that she unveiled plans to adapt the memoir. Revisit our review.