Gran Torino discussion questions
1. Thoughts?
2. What think of Walt? His racism? His actions? His reality?
Note: He reflects a subculture of white culture – white, blue collar, worked hard for my money and
home, made my own way for me and my family - as seen in his conversation with Thao about his garage
filled with tools.
How do we see his values playing out in his relationship with his children and grandchildren and with
Sue and Thao’s family?
3. What cross cultural relationships do we see in this movie? What are they like? What frictions are there?
Why?
What ethnicities are represented in this movie and how are they portrayed? (Latino, Black, White blue
collar, White urban kid?, Different generations of immigrant Hmong)
4. What is the neighborhood/context that these relationships are playing out in? What has and is happening
in Walt’s neighborhood?
5. What do you think of Walt’s solution to the final problem? Implications for us?
6. Let’s talk about the families in this movie – what are they like? (Walt’s family, Sue and Thao’s family)
7. What are the images of atonement and redemption in this movie?
8. What role do the sectors of a city (nonprofit, private and public) play in this neighborhood?
(ie Catholic church, Hmong religion, private individuals and businesses, cops)
Wiki summary
Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is a retired Polish American Ford factory worker and Korean War veteran. He
lives with his yellow Labrador, Daisy, in a Highland Park, Michigan neighborhood, formerly populated by
white families, now dominated by poor Asian immigrants and infested with gang violence. The movie begins
with Walt attending his wife's funeral, bristling at the shallow eulogy of young Father Janovich, and his own
sons, Mitch and Steve, with their self-absorbed families. Walt’s poor relationship with his family, and his own
deteriorating health, is shown at various points throughout the film.
Soon afterwards, a Hmong family, the Vang Lors, move in next door to Walt, much to his displeasure. Among
the family are teenagers Sue, and her brother, Thao. The shy Thao is pressured to join a local Hmong gang by
his cousin, and eventually agrees to an initiation which requires him to steal Walt’s prized car, a 1972 Ford
Gran Torino Sport. Walt interrupts the robbery, however, and Thao is forced to flee.
Meanwhile, Father Janovich visits Walt regularly, keeping the promise he made to Walt’s wife to watch over
him. Walt is initially reluctant but slowly opens up, revealing that he is still haunted by memories of Korea.
The Hmong gang returns to give Thao a second chance, but turns violent when he refuses. As Thao’s family
and other Hmong neighbours attempt to fend the gang off, the fight spills over onto Walt’s lawn. Furious, Walt
holds the gang at gun point and they retreat. The Hmong families are grateful to Walt, and Thao admits that it
was he who tried to steal the Gran Torino. Walt angrily demands to be left alone, and rejects the gifts brought to
him by his Hmong neighbours. A few days later, however, Walt rescues Sue who was being harassed by a gang
of black teenagers. Sue befriends Walt and invites him to a family barbecue on his birthday, explaining Hmong
culture and their alliance with American forces during the Vietnam War. Later, Walt develops a relationship
with Thao, initially using him to carry out odd jobs around the neighbourhood, and eventually getting him a job
in construction.
A short time later Thao is confronted and robbed by the Hmong gang on his way home from work. Walt
confronts one of the gang members demanding that they leave Thao alone. The gang responds by performing a
drive-by shooting on Walt's home and the Vang Lor home and beating and raping Sue. Thao is furious, and
urges Walt to take vengeance with him. Walt agrees but says that careful planning and caution is needed. He
goes for a haircut, buys a new suit, and then locks Thao in his basement. Walt finally confesses at this point that
during the war, he killed a young Communist soldier around Thao's age who "just wanted to give up", and that
he does not want Thao's soul to be tainted like his is.
Walt confronts the gang members outside their home. Cigarette in his mouth, he asks the gang for a light, and
then reaches under his jacket for his cigarette lighter. The gang guns him down, believing he was reaching for a
weapon. Walt falls dead to the ground. Police soon arrive at the scene and arrest the gang for murdering an
unarmed man.
Thao and Sue show up to Walt's funeral dressed in traditional Hmong clothing, with Father Janovich leading the
procession. The scene cuts to the reading of Walt's last will and testament, in which he completely snubs his
estranged and uncaring family. He leaves his house to Father Janovich's church, and his prized Gran Torino to
Thao. The movie ends with Thao driving the car off into the horizon, with Walt's dog, Daisy, in the passenger
seat.
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Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski, a bitter, isolated war veteran and retired automobile assembly line
worker, who can't get along with either his children or his neighbors. Walt at first views his Hmong
neighbors as foreign invaders; he further believes that Thao is a coward, especially after he tries to steal
his prized Gran Torino.
Bee Vang as Thao Vang Lor, or Toad "Referred by Walt", a quiet and shy young Hmong who is first
influenced by his gangster cousins, but Kowalski sets out to reform him after he attempts to steal his
prized Gran Torino. Through Walt, he learns how to do construction work and labor, and how to act like
a man, even getting help asking out his friend Youa.
Christopher Carley as Father Janovich, the young priest of Kowalski's neighborhood. Walt claims that
he doesn't know anything about life or death, but Janovich gradually learns through speaking with Walt,
coming to understand him and his motives. Janovich constantly reminds Walt of his wife's desire for
him to go to confession, which he does just before he dies. Janovich at the end of the film claims that
only after knowing Walt did he really know of life and death.
Ahney Her as Sue Lor, Thao's older sister, who is the first of Walt's Hmong neighbors to befriend him
after he rescues her. She has a lighthearted and witty personality, easily getting along with Walt despite
his grumpiness.
Doua Moua as Fong "Spider", Thao's cousin, who leads a gang of Hmong.
Brian Haley as Mitch Kowalski and Brian Howe as Steve Kowalski, Walt's arrogant sons, with whom he
does not get along very well, and who in turn dislike him. They only contact Walt out of their own selfserving materialistic interests.
Geraldine Hughes as Karen Kowalski, Walt's daughter-in-law, who shares her husband Mitch's view of
Walt.
Dreama Walker as Ashley Kowalski and Michael E. Kurowski as Josh Kowalski, Walt's spoiled, vain
grandchildren who don't care about him or his property
John Carroll Lynch as Barber Martin, Kowalski's barber, an old acquaintance of his.
Chee Thao as Grandma Vang Lor, The elder neighbor of Kowalski, who at first hates him the same way
he hated his other neighbors.
Choua Kue as Youa, Thao's girlfriend, who Walt convinces Thao to ask out after recognizing their
mutual interest. Walt, unable to pronounce her name correctly, simply refers to her as "Mrs. Yum-Yum".
Gran Torino was directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Nick Schenk.[4] It was produced by Village
Roadshow Pictures, Media Magik Entertainment and Malpaso Productions for film distributor Warner Bros.
Eastwood also produced alongside Malpaso partner Robert Lorenz and Bill Gerber.[5] The original script was
inspired by inner-ring suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, but filmmakers chose to produce Gran Torino in the
state of Michigan, becoming one of the first films to take advantage of the state's new law that provided
lucrative incentive packages to film productions.[6] Filming began in July 2008;[7] locations included Highland
Park, Detroit, Center Line,[8] Warren, Royal Oak, and Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.[9] Hmong crew, production
assistants, consultants and extras were used.[4][10]
In the early 1990s, Schenk became acquainted with the history and culture of the Hmong while working in a
factory in Minnesota.[11] He also learned how they had sided with the South Vietnamese forces and its U.S.
allies during the Vietnam War, only to wind up in refugee camps, at the mercy of northern Communist forces,
when American troops pulled out and the government forces were defeated.[11] Years later, he was deciding how
to develop a story involving a widowed Korean War veteran trying to handle the changes in his neighborhood
when he decided to place a Hmong family next door and create a culture clash.[11] He and Dave Johannson,
Schenk's brother's roommate, created an outline for the story.[11] Some industry insiders told Schenk that he
could not produce a film starring elderly characters as it could not be sold.[11] Through a friend Schenk sent the
screenplay to Warner Bros. producer Bill Gerber.[11] Eastwood was able to direct and star on the project as
filming for The Human Factor was delayed to early 2009, leaving sufficient time for filming during the
previous summer.[11] Eastwood said that he had a "fun and challenging role, and it's an oddball story."[11]
Warner Bros. suggested that the movie should be shot in Michigan due to tax rebates intended to lure television
and film productions to the state, and as a result of this incentive, most of the movie was filmed in Highland
Park, Michigan. Producer Robert Lorenz said that while the script was originally set in Minnesota, he chose
Michigan as the actual setting as Kowalski is a retired car plant worker. Eastwood wanted Hmong as cast
members, so casting director Ellen Chenoweth enlisted Hmong organizations and set up calls in Detroit, Fresno,
and St. Paul; Fresno and St. Paul have the two largest Hmong communities in the United States, while Detroit
also has an appreciable population of Hmong.[12] Chenoweth recruited Bee Vang in St. Paul and Ahney Her in
Detroit.[11]
Article in Asian Week
Not since Anne Fadiman’s bestselling 1997 book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down have Hmong
Americans had the chance to be so visible in mainstream pop culture: Director Clint Eastwood’s next film Gran
Torino, shot in Detroit in August, will feature an almost all-Hmong leading cast.
After holding open casting calls attended by hundreds of Hmong in the communities of Saint Paul, Fresno and
Detroit, Eastwood settled on ten Hmong leads and supporting players, all but one of whom are first-time actors.
Hmong crew, cultural consultants and dozens of extras were also hired.
The screenplay by Nick Schenck, a white Minnesotan, features Walt, a cantankerous Polish American man,
played by Eastwood, who has just lost his wife and is estranged from his children and grandchildren.
Disgruntled that his urban neighborhood is being populated by more and more Hmong arrivals, he keeps a
cautious distance until the nerdy teenage boy next door, Tao, tries to steal his vintage Gran Torino car to prove
himself to a Hmong gang. Walt extracts work from Tao as payback, and in the process, becomes friendly with
Tao and his family. He is tutored in Hmong culture, and his racist stance gradually chips away.
Hmong immigrants—who began arriving in the U.S. in 1975 after fighting alongside the CIA in the secret war
in Laos—have previously had almost no presence in Hollywood; their appearances have been limited to
colorfully costumed voiceless hilltribes in the backdrop of Southeast Asian war movies.
Two exceptions are Wa Yang, who had a small role in Letters from Iwo Jima, and Disney teen actress Brenda
Song, who is of Hmong and Thai descent and has a recurring role on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Song
also starred in the Disney TV movie, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, about a Chinese American prom queen
turned woman warrior. In order for Song to land mainstream Chinese roles, she’s had to bury her Hmong
heritage.
Hollywood Acting, Eastwood-Style
Eastwood hasn’t commented publicly on his motivations
behind doing Gran Torino, but in a 2006 interview with
Charlie Rose he said: “I feel I learn something on every
movie—about actors, about storytelling, about myself….The
exciting thing about movie making for me is the fact that you
do learn something new every picture….”
Maybe he felt that he identified with the character of Walt, at
least the paternal part. According to people on set, he is
generous and easy-going, gives gentle direction and mostly
wants to bring natural actors out to be themselves.
“Eastwood is the most humble person I’ve ever worked with,” said Ahney Her, the 16-year-old actress who
plays Tao’s older sister. “He makes you feel calm. He gives you that vibe that you’ll be OK.”
Her, from Lansing, Mich., has performed as a Hmong hip-hop dancer since she was 7 and has been training for
acting for the last three years.
But she was still incredulous that she was cast.
“Who would think that some random girl like me would get [the lead]?” she said.
Bee Vang, who plays the bookworm Tao, is another unlikely lead and even more studious in real life than his
character. Vang plans to go to medical school and at 16 is already taking pre-med classes at the University of
Minnesota. But he called getting this role “really life-changing” and now is considering other creative interests,
including visual arts and classical music.
Sonny Vue, who plays the lead gangster, also had no experience in front of the camera—his acting resume
includes just one high-school acting class. But the 19-year-old thinks he got the part because of his “Hmong
American look” (when he auditioned, he wore a t-shirt that boasted: “I’m Hiding From the Cops”) and his
“perfect Hmong street English,” the Saint Paul version of the ever-more-standardized hip-hop style that bonds
urban youth across the U.S. in defiance of authority.
Reversing Stereotypes or Remaking Them?
In a bid for authenticity, Eastwood—in his signature directing style—
encourages the actors to ad-lib lines, even in Hmong, that they think might
really have been said. Lee Mong Vang, 26, a self-described jokester, is
doing his part to increase the comedic content of the dialogue through his
role as Gangster #3: “I throw some funny lines out there. Clint is pretty
lenient.”
The actors in Gran Torino are aware that such a film is unprecedented:
Hmong in leading roles played by mostly first-time actors who are
portraying their own people to the mainstream.
Brooke Chia Thao, who plays Tao’s mother, called Eastwood “a miracle in the Hmong community. Until this
time, no one else has given us a chance to tell our own story.”
But some are skeptical, concerned that a film that relies on a clash of Asian stereotypes—model-minority geek
meets menacing, gun-toting gang—will entrench those stereotypes even more.
Elvis Thao, a 26-year-old hip-hop artist and community activist from Milwaukee, is hopeful, although he was
initially concerned about taking the role of Gangster #1 and perpetuating more stereotypes about Asian
gangsters. Ultimately he took the risk.
“As long as I distance myself from the character I’m playing, I’m hoping they’ll see what Hmong have to offer
[as actors],” Thao said.
A blog (eastwoodmovie-hmong. com/) has even sprung up, critiquing the movie and its cultural accuracy with
comments on everything from implausible Hmong names to skewed rituals and customs. Costumes are also up
for ridicule. A photo of the gangsters bears the caption: “What is the wardrobe department thinking? A Hmong
gangbanger accessorizing! Hmong gangbangers everywhere, u should be upset!”
The actors struggle, too, with their culture being made into spectacle. Even though a real Hmong shaman was
cast to play a ritualist, his expertise was overridden by the screenplay and the filming, which distorted the
ceremonial scenes by making them inaccurately exotic
The Future is Hmong Producers
This emphasis on “getting it right” can be understood as
coming from immigrants who have had more than their share
of negative media images. Media coverage recurrently portrays
Hmong as a poor fit for American society, focusing on
sensationalized stories of Hmong murderers, gang conflict,
teen marriage and cultural rigidity. The American populace is
more likely to know about Lia Lee’s parents “failing” to
comply with Lia’s doctors in The Spirit Catches You than about
the Hmong woman Mee Moua, who has been elected more
than once to the Minnesota state Senate.
Ever hopeful, actor Doua Moua, who also plays a gangster in
Gran Torino, anticipates that the film will open the door to more opportunities for Hmong producers and
directors. Thinking of the dozens of small production companies that make videos in Hmong language for
community entertainment, he envisions giving back to his people by working with up-and-coming Hmong
directors. The future, for Doua and many other Hmong, is not only to be cast by the Hollywood heavyweights
but to also take a shot at becoming heavyweights themselves.
And some like Wa Yang, an actor with several years of Hollywood experience, hopes Gran Torino will pique a
popular interest in Hmong.
“Maybe later,” Yang said, “a movie can be made that tells the story of how we ended up in the U.S.”
Louisa Schein (schein@rci.rutgers.edu) teaches Anthropology, Women’s and Gender Studies and Asian
American Studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She is writing a book about Hmong media. Ernesto M.
Renda contributed to this article.
http://www.asianweek.com/2008/10/03/eastwoods-next-film-features-hmong-american-cast-exclusiveinterviews-from-the-set-of-gran-torino/