Ming-Na Wen and ‘The Joy Luck Club' Author Amy Tan Recreate 1993 Photo

NEED TO KNOW Ming-Na Wen recently got together with Amy Tan, author of the 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club Wen, who starred in the novel's film adaptation in 1993, took the opportunity to recreate a moment from when the pair first met Wen has proudly shared that she and her Joy Luck Club castmates also keep in close touch Ming-Na Wen has a special appreciation for her friendship with Amy Tan. The Joy Luck Club star, 62, recently met up with the author of the 1989 novel that inspired the film and shared a photo of their get-together on Instagram. The photo is extra special because it recreated a shot from the first time they met, when she worked on the film in 1993. In the caption, Wen began, 'When your idol becomes a lifelong friend, it's an incredible blessing and gift.' 'Amy Tan was a badass when I first met her in 1993. We hung out a couple of weeks ago in NY, and she was totally gamed to recreate our photo from our first meet. Yeah, she's still a rockstar! And I got to show her my cookbook,' Wen raved. She continued, 'To stand next to my all-time favorite author 33 years later as an author myself... no words. Thank you, Amy, for being in my life. And for our love of Pursuit of Jade!! ❤️' The movie, based on the novel, follows four Chinese-American daughters, June (Wen), Waverly (Tamlyn Tomita), Rose (Rosalind Chao) and Lena (Lauren Tom), and their relationship with their mothers, who meet regularly as part of a social club. Upon its 1993 release, the drama, which featured an all-Asian cast, grossed more than $32 million at the box office and was met with positive critical reception. In a 2025 interview with Today, the cast expressed frustration that major award bodies snubbed the drama despite its box-office success. 'It was not even nominated for screenplay adaptation,' Wen said. Emphasizing the three decades that have passed since the release, she added, 'It needs to be addressed.' Chao mentioned that the movie also did not receive recognition in other non-acting categories, such as Best Director or Best Cinematography. Tom offered an optimistic perspective and noted, 'It's a different time now though,' which prompted Wen to say, 'And we're grateful.' Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'The Joy Luck Club' cast and crew with Amy Tan in 2018. MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty The four women have stayed in touch and reunited over the years, and shared a photo of themselves together in December 2023 on Instagram, when they recreated a scene from the film. 'Kicking off the holidays with my #JoyLuckClub sisters!' Wen captioned a sweet video of them posing for the snap 'Thanks for hosting the fab dinner and getting us all to do this, Lauren [Tom] & Curt [Kaplan]! Thanks Ollie for doing the video! You're an awesome instagram/Tiktok son!😂.' 'We have a group chat that is so constant that they're on mute from me,' Chao joked to Today. 'We're together for the first time in this environment,' Wen added of their televised reunion, 'but we've been together for the last 30 years.'