April 25, 2022
Watch: 'Fire Island' Trailer Starring Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang Arrives
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The trailer for "Fire Island," starring Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang and Margaret Cho, has finally arrived.
Set in the popular gay vacation destination, the film, directed by out filmmaker Andrew Ahn ("Spa Night," "Driveways"), follows two best friends as they embark on a weeklong trip. The film is inspired by Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."
Booster revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he came up with the idea for the film while reading the classic novel on his first ferry tip to Fire Island in 2016. Things came together after doing acid while on his vacation there.
"I know it sounds so stupid: 'You did acid on Fire Island and it changed your conception of self,'" the out comedian said. "But it really did move the needle towards self acceptance in a huge way."
Booster added that what resinated about "Pride and Prejudice" with him "was it being about chosen family and, specifically, my friendship with Bowen and the connection that we have as queer Asian men in a space that maybe isn't made for us and overcoming that. That was really powerful for me."
"Fire Island is oppressively white and inherently classist," he also told EW, later adding, "I remember it was a real struggle to scrounge up the money to be able to afford to go those first years but once we got there, it was like a part of myself had been unlocked. I didn't realize how much weight I was carrying around existing in largely heterosexual spaces."
"Fire Island" features an all-LGBTQ+ main cast and many of the crew behind the camera are members of the LGBTQ+ community, too. The film also stars Matt Rogers, Tomás Matos, and Torian Miller as well as "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Peppermint, who makes a cameo.
"My first big one out of the gate and I did it with my best friends in the world, in one of my favorite places in the world," Booster told EW. "I just don't know that there will ever be an experience like this for me in the rest of my career. I can hope, but I highly doubt it."
"Fire Island" hits Hulu on June 3. Check out the trailer below.