Sometimes life makes us feel like we’re not even the heroes of our own stories. Often, that idea is reinforced by societal norms and expectations. In Hulu’s latest series, Interior Chinatown, the concept of Asian Americans being the leads of our own life stories is analyzed in a humorous and very meta way.
Based on the book of the same name by Charles Yu, Interior Chinatown stars a predominantly Asian American cast, led by Jimmy O. Yang. Yang, who is an accomplished actor and comedian, often talks in his stand-ups about how he isn’t supposed to have made it in Hollywood because he doesn’t quite fit the stereotypes of those in the industry. In fact, despite 48 acting credits under his belt, Yang has never played the lead role in a live-action film or series. That all changes with Interior Chinatown, where Yang plays the every-man Asian American who feel sidelined in his own life story. The series also stars Ronny Chieng, Chloe Bennet, Tzi Ma, Archie Kao, Sullivan Jones and Lisa Gilroy.
I had the chance to speak with several members of the show’s cast about the unique detective noir story with an unexpected meta twist
“It’s wild and it’s also a long time coming. I feel like I’ve played every single number on the call sheet and finally leading up to this, which is in a way very meta, because that’s a similar journey that Willis [Wu] will go through,” Yang said about finally playing the lead role in a major series.
As Willis Wu, Yang plays an average Asian American guy who feels stuck working at a restaurant in Chinatown. Wu sees the exciting world beyond his borders and wants a chance to break out. However, he’s held back by a confluence of factors, including personal doubt, family obligations and visible and invisible societal hurdles.
“I really related to it just on a human level of what Willis is going through, especially in the beginning. [Willis] just wanted to kind of break out the box that he was assigned to, and then there’s all these invisible barriers keeping him and all the stuff he internalized, and it’s just an underdog story. And of course all the relationships with his parents, with his best friend, all of that stuff is just, on a human level, very relatable. So that, to me, it really resonated with me,” Yang said. “And then on a bigger level, I’m like, man, what Willis is going through is kind of what I went through as an Asian American actor. So that was wild. But at the same time, I’m like, man, I get to do some martial arts finally, in a show, so that was also pretty fun.”
Photo by Mike Taing/Hulu
Tzi Ma and Archie Kao have been working in this industry for decades, going back to 1979 for the veteran Ma. Both actors have seen it all, and noted how unique this project was in terms of diversity both in front of, and behind, the camera.
“Yeah, not just in front of the camera, but certainly in back of the camera,” Kao said about the diversity on set. “It was a very, for all the sets I’ve been on, this was just such a…I don’t how to express it. It was just like…”
“It’s a conscious effort. It didn’t happen like, you know, usually when we look across the other side and the crew side, there’s very little diversity on that side most of the time. But in this set you really see it,” Ma chimed in.
“It’s just a different feeling, absolutely, absolutely,” Kao agreed.
“Absolutely. Warm!” Ma added with a smile.
Photo by: Mike Taing/Hulu
For Jones and Gilroy, who play famed police detectives with little respect for Chinatown, they also found ways to subvert stereotypes in their roles.
“A real detective is anything, but we have these ideas of what they should look like and so it’s fun to play into the expectation of what they should look like, and then be like, ‘Actually, they’re different than what you think they should be like,'” Jones said.
Jones and Gilroy’s characters, Miles Turner and Sarah Green, are absolutely the stars of their lives and the lives of those around them. And for the most part, neither have much regard for others. Gilroy, who has a strong comedic background, talked about the balance of playing the straight role while keeping the humor.
“It is so much more vulnerable to be perceived as the voice of reason character, or to play something like, this is my first time playing something like this, and you know me, I was like an insecure mess the whole time. I was like, ‘Are they gonna like me? Will they think I’m funny?’ So it was a real challenge to adjust. But I think that’s where the comedy comes from. It’s like delivering the lines as straight as possible, and being a no-fun mom was kind of the joke within the joke,” Gilroy said.
Watch our full interviews below. Interior Chinatown is streaming now on Hulu.
About Interior Chinatown:
Based on Charles Yu’s award-winning book of the same name, the show follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural called “Black & White.” Relegated to the background, Willis goes through the motions of his on-screen job, waiting tables, dreaming about a world beyond Chinatown and aspiring to be the lead of his own story. When Willis inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, he begins to unravel a criminal web in Chinatown, while discovering his own family’s buried history and what it feels like to be in the spotlight. All 10 episodes of the series are now streaming on Hulu!
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
