Maggie Kang, left, Michelle L.M. Wong and Chris Appelhans accept the best animated feature film award for “KPop Demon Hunters” onstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Everything was going up, up, up for “KPop Demon Hunters” at the 98th Academy Awards.
After winning the Oscar for best animated feature on Sunday, March 15, writers and directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans gave powerful acceptance speeches. Then, as producer Michelle L.M. Wong began to speak, the microphone stand started going down, down, down into the stage.
“KPop Demon Hunters” (PG) is available to stream on Netflix.
But as the play-off music started to blare, the Fremont native and Mission San Jose High School graduate held her ground. The microphone rose to her lips and Wong completed her speech. Later, when accepting the best original song award for “Golden,” her compatriot Lee Yuhan, a co-writer on the track, wasn’t as lucky.
Article continues below this ad
Wong said the way she and Yuhan were treated is indicative of how animation and Asians are downplayed in Hollywood despite doing great box office numbers.
“We’re conditioned to experience these kinds of situations,” she said. “I don’t want to react in a negative way or bad mouth anyone. I need to come back with a constructive way of trying to stand up for Asians and animation — because it’s both.”
San Francisco Chronicle Logo
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
Speaking with the Chronicle from her Warner Bros. office in Los Angeles just days after the big night, Wong talked about her speech nearly getting cut off, the anticipated “KPop Demon Hunters” sequel and where she’d celebrate if the Oscars were hosted in the Bay Area.
Netflix’s “K-Pop Demon Hunters”
Netflix
This conversation was edited for length and clarity.
Article continues below this ad
Q: Where is your Oscar statuette right now?
A: It’s sitting on our island in the kitchen. The kitchen is where we all spend most of the time, and where I am most of the time, so it’s nice to just see it sitting there.
Q: Awards season just concluded. Was this your first and what were the stress levels like?
A: None of us have ever gone through the awards campaign so it was nice to enjoy these moments together. I definitely learned a lot. Like, no matter how stressful it was, it was nothing as stressful as the heart of production while making a movie. So it was fun-stressful.
I learned not to be afraid of public speaking. I’ve never enjoyed it, but it’s feeling far more comfortable now. And just learning how to navigate interviews and feeling more confident on the red carpet.
Article continues below this ad
Fremont-raised Michelle L.M. Wong holds her award for best animated feature film for “KPop Demon Hunters” at the 98th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 15, 2026.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Q: On the topic of public speaking, you nearly got cut off during your acceptance speech. What went through your mind?
A: First, I was mortified. We were the second award, so I was watching the countdown clock and I was like, “Oh my god!” And then when the mic started to descend, I was really bummed out, but I just needed to keep talking. I knew that they weren’t going to go to a commercial break because they had just come from one. So I just felt in my heart that I was going to yell my acceptance speech in the auditorium if I had to.
Q: Unfortunately, songwriter Lee Yuhan didn’t get the same treatment when “Golden” won for best original song. What did you think when Yuhan got played off stage?
A: We were very angry because we know that there were other people before them that took twice as long. We know that if it was Leonardo DiCaprio or whoever, they wouldn’t have done that. So it’s an unfortunate situation.
Article continues below this ad
I think the Academy needs to fix it. To me, they’re giving preferential treatment, whether it be because animation is always being looked upon as lesser or Asians are looked upon as lesser. That’s very, very frustrating.
Q: Tell me about the sequel. Are we going to get the Huntr/x and Saja Boys backstories? The internet has tons of theories.
A: The internet does have good ideas! In moviemaking, the story is really the most challenging part to craft. We haven’t started anything yet. We’re just trying to fulfill all of the asks and needs for the first “KPop Demon Hunters,” which has been quite overwhelming, and to focus on the award season. It’s been a lot. Everyone knew that we wouldn’t be able to start thinking about number two until after all this.
Maggie Kang, left, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong, winners of the best animated feature film award for “KPop Demon Hunters,” pose in the press room at the 98th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Q: What was it like growing up in Fremont in the 1970s-’80s?
Article continues below this ad
A: It was a different type of city at the time.
My dad immigrated from Hong Kong. He actually owned the first Chinese restaurant in Fremont, the House of Wong. My mom was Japanese. There weren’t many Asians in Fremont at the time. It was a struggle during those days.
I was a successful kid. I got pretty good grades. I was an honor student. I did sports. I was the president of my high school. But it was still a struggle. Like, I always felt lesser. It was a hard time to grow up being Asian, which wasn’t always accepted like today.
Now Fremont is predominantly multicultural with a big Asian community, which is really great for me and my family.
Q: If the Oscars were hosted in the Bay Area instead of Hollywood, where would you celebrate afterward?
A: I’m Chinese and Japanese, so my first instinct, as far as my taste, would be Chinese or Japanese (food). My favorite restaurant in Fremont is a Cantonese restaurant called Gourmet House. They have both amazing dim sum and Cantonese dishes that I grew up with.
But because there’re not a lot of big Korean restaurants in the Bay area, I think a place like Gary Danko (in San Francisco) would be nice.
Todd Inoue is a freelance writer.