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Mckenna Grace explains why she played Chinese girl in Slanted as film clip goes viral

The plot is actually wild

Oreoluwa Adeyoola
23rd March 2026, 15:55
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A clip from the indie film Slanted has gone viral on both X and TikTok, so here’s Mckenna Grace’s actual explanation on why she decided to play the Chinese role.

Slanted is a body-horror film by first-time feature director Amy Wang that came out last year. It follows Joan, a Chinese-American high schooler who undergoes surgery to become white, as she wants to be prom queen and thinks that looking like previous prom queens is the way to get there. Branded as the “race swap” version of The Substance, it has mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 67% rating.

An out-of-context clip from the film, where Mckenna Grace, who plays the white version of Joan, sings to her Chinese parents so they recognise her, has been shared across TikTok and X. It has millions of views across both platforms as people try to figure out exactly what’s going on in this wild scene.

In a red-carpet interview with Sneak Peek, Mckenna explains why she chose the controversial role, and it’s actually really sweet.

“When I originally got sent the role and description of the film, it scared me, and it still scares me,” she said. “I just wanted to be a part of Amy’s vision and her story and to be able to bring this character to life for her.”

Sh continued: “It’s important to do things that bring you out of your comfort zone and that scare you – it definitely did.

In another interview with The Direct Extras, she explained the mindset behind her performance in the role.

“I think that you can never go too far in your performance. I think that you’ve just got to go for it,” the 19-year-old said.

“The good thing about working with a director like Amy is having somebody there to fall back on and you feel safe to go far and crazy with your performance and do these wild things and body horror stuff.”

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Featured image via YouTube