We had the unique opportunity to speak with both Director Michelle Krusiec and Production Designer Angran Li of Hulu’s Nian, the first episode of the latest season of the spooky hit series, ‘Bite Size Halloween.’ The two talented women took us ‘behind the mask’ of Nian, which portrays a unique take on culture, tradition, and mythology, while simultaneously tackling difficult subjects including oppression and racial prejudice.
With the dual perspectives of Angran and Michelle showcasing both the directorial side of the story and the minute details included in the set that bring the characters to life, Nian’s deeper meaning becomes even more evident. We had the chance to speak to them both about their connections to the mythological being, their unique career journeys, as well as what they hope audience’s will take away from the film.
Nian tells the story of a young Chinese-American girl who is bullied, and receives help facing her bullies from a child-eating creature called Nian. How did you each connect to the story?
Michelle Krusiec: Nian was a mythological creature that I had only learned about recently through my son’s Chinese school. I was fascinated by the context of something I’d celebrated most of my life because I was familiar with the Chinese word “nian“ which means “Year”, but I had no clue that it also represented a real animal/creature known as the Nian. My use for the short is metaphorical and figurative, it’s a modern depiction of what I felt we could pull off for the short. The most meaningful aspect of the story was that the culture this Chinese kid is getting attacked for is the very thing that will also save her.
Angran Li: I always love Mythological creatures from all kinds of cultures, though different from Michelle it might be because I’m born and raised in China. I've always known and fancy about those creatures & stories coming from my culture. When Michelle first reached out to me about Nian I felt very intrigued by the theme and her creation of the story, because I loved the idea and the way she was trying to bring Nian to life by mixing it with the concept of bullying within the school. I often think bullying can come from a variety of aspects from language, gestures, disrespect, etc. To me, it’s an interesting idea to tell this story from cultural and racial perspectives. I felt very honored to tell the story of Nian with Michelle, it felt like there’s potential from this unique concept to tell a story that mixed with the Mythological & Reality world we live in everyday life.
Michelle, you’ve previously acted in a number of shows including, Hollywood, Supergirl, and Hawaii 5-0. What made you want to transition to directing and writing? How has working on both sides of the industry given you an edge in the world of directorial work?
MK: I’ve always known I’d expand into directing. After writing my solo show Made in Taiwan, I don’t know if my writing had anything new to say. Many years later, work, motherhood and life experience has given me a deeper perspective on stories. So directing feels like a way to explore those perspectives. In terms of directorial work, actors have to lose themselves in the moment and directors have to catch them. It’s a great deal of trust that’s needed from both sides. Having walked a mile in the actor’s shoes, I feel like I have enough sensitivity and respect for the process that I’m able to communicate in ways that perhaps other directors may not be able to do. I’m also very practiced at being in my body when I work. You may not have the right answers when making decisions as a director, but you need to have your instincts on and that is a muscle I’ve been developing as an actor for over the last couple decades.
Angran, in the past, you have worked in live design for Broadway and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as well as have a background in interior design. How did these experiences inform your work as a production designer for film?
AL: Yes, I’d say it’s actually very long-term planning. There was a time period when I didn’t know what I was passionate about or good at. I was really just trying to hold on to something that makes me happy, so I realized that I spend a lot of time watching GrandDesigns, and Interior Renovation shows and looking at how designers make creations or small changeovers of items or space. And besides those types of shows, I also find it fun to watch behind the scenes of how a movie got made, because I love to watch some VFX and Technology complex projects, and one day when I was searching videos of movies, I found out most of the Movies’ that I love to watch have some real magicians behind the scenes which are the people who work in the model shop, the painters, the sculptors, constructions, special effects, matte paintings and the collaboration of technology towards visual effects. I just simply had thought about, ‘How can I be a part of that group, and is it even possible?’, which to me turned out to be the Art Department. So on my way to achieving my goal I just doing small adventures— anything that could possibly lead me to learn more skills that relate to the listed groups I mentioned above, I would dive into. This is why when I look at my resume now, it turned out a bit more diverse than I can ever imagine. I was working in theatres on Broadway Musicals, Making ½” models, Graphics, and sometimes doing small props for the show, and when I worked in the shops, we would build set pieces. I now realized I was actually doing some PR work when the Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet performed at Lincoln Center, and also the time when I helped the event company for the Met Gala I found it all very exciting and interesting to see how shows or events get delivered on grand openings. Which makes me very good at dealing with stress. I think every experience I had made me who I am today, which all starts from being more skilled in being a part of the Art Department to leading an Art Department towards collaborating with others.
Angran, what was the most difficult part about crafting the idea for the look of the mythological child-eating beast Nian along with the team?
AL: So, this is a great question, I was thinking about if I should mention some of this theory when the 1st question was up. As many people know, in the Chinese Mythological story, Nian is the beast who comes down from the mountains on Chinese New Year's Eve to eat children, so when I read Michelle’s story that she’s transforming this beast into a human form, I thought it was spectacular, especially when it involved this demon mask. I was actually very stunned by the idea of the mask becoming a very impactful element in this story. And in Nian, the script drew a line with bad children, so a lot of boundaries and giving it a more defined definition of Nian in relation to the bully theme made the story clear on its own. I had conversations with Michelle when we were talking about concepts, and the more we talked and shared our thoughts the more I realized there are many definitions that aren't so clear to people who are not familiar with the original concept and theme. And I really enjoyed the time when we explored ideas and I’d say because I’m very familiar with the original story, it will take me more time to listen to others' perspectives and think about their thoughts than to share my ideas and figure out the way to collaborate with the team. I don’t know if it makes sense though I’d say as a Chinese person I found it really challenging to design the ideas/elements that were based on my own cultural story, while simultaneously catering to the audience that wasn’t coming from the culture, I wanted to make it special and definitely enlightening.
Michelle, how did your experience working in the horror genre differ from previous genres of film you’ve worked on? How did your approach to storytelling shift when working on Nian?
MK: I’ve done a lot of work as an actor, but I’m still new to directing. Nian is my first horror film, but I made a short film called BITE that plays with psychological tension. Seeing that my own taste skews pretty dark, it’s actually reassuring that I’m able to apply that penchant for tension to horror. It’s a great space to be working in. It gives you the capacity for innovative visuals, in-camera effects, and socially relevant themes. So the genre is teaching me.
Angran, what personal touches did you add to the look of the film Nian? How can fans of your work identify your unique style?
AL: It’s very interesting that before Nian I never thought I had a specific style as a designer, but I remembered when Hulu/20 Digital first published 5 or 6 images of the Bite-Sized Halloween announcement from different episodes, I sent that article to my friends who had no idea I worked on Nian, and they somehow recognized the image of Gertie holding the demon mask against the chalkboard as my production design work. I was curious what made them say so, and they said because it has a lot of elements and it has a very mysterious feeling that draws your attention.
And I think that was a perfect way to describe my style, my personality, and the way I would love to continue approaching my craft down the road.
Michelle, what is the lesson of Nian? What are you hoping fans of horror will take away from this short?
MK: I think it’s pretty simple. Don’t be a shitty-ass racist! Seriously, what I wanted to do as a filmmaker was to be irreverent. I wanted this grandma to be non-traditional and more like the strong Asian matriarchs I'm familiar with, who’ve endured so much. They’re not passive. And I wanted to make a piece that would mourn how much violence has been directed at my AAPI community. I wrote it in response to all of the attacks that came out of the pandemic and to suggest that if you mess with someone’s point of origin, be careful, you don’t know what myths, ancestors, or cultural lineage is going to come for you.
Hulu’s Nian, the first episode of the latest season of the spooky hit series, ‘Bite Size Halloween.
A Chinese American girl faces her racist bully with the help of the Nian, a mythological creature said to eat bad children.
Written/Directed by Michelle Krusiec, Starring Lauren Mei, Ava DeVoe, Dawn Saito | Source: Hulu Channel/YouTube
— If you would like to keep up with both Angran and Michelle’s work, or learn more about Nian, be sure to visit their websites (Michelle Krusiec // Angran Li) or their IMdb pages (Michelle Krusiec // Angran Li).
