- US stocks wobble as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Trump fills out cabinet as divisive picks shock Washington
- Son hits 50th South Korea goal in win, Australia-Saudi stalemate
- BHP, Vale cleared by Brazil court over 2015 dam disaster
- Satirical US outlet The Onion buys conspiracy site Infowars
- Scotland must emulate Croatia's 'conveyor belt of talent': Clarke
- Legal migration to OECD reaches new record in 2023
- Robinson edges Benazzi to succeed Beaumont as head of World Rugby
- India's capital shuts all primary schools due to smog
- Central bank independence 'fundamental' for good policy: Fed official
- Fritz beats De Minaur to eye ATP Finals last four, Sinner through
- Doris expecting a 'proper test' against Argentina
- Russia's exiled opposition hopes for rebirth with Berlin rally
- EU fines Meta $840 million for 'abusive' Facebook ad practices
- Springboks boss Erasmus expects England to 'play for Borthwick'
- Before Leicester, Ranieri's brush with glory with his beloved Roma
- Stock markets rise as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Australian Robinson edges Benazzi to head World Rugby
- US director Haynes to lead Berlinale 2025 jury
- Iran tells UN nuclear chief willing to resolve 'ambiguities'
- Coach owner Tapestry calls off Capri bid on regulatory blocks
- UK government announces ban on new coal mines
- US ski star Lindsey Vonn, 40, to attempt competitive return
- Ranieri comes out of retirement to lead hometown club Roma
- England recall Steward and Van Poortvliet for South Africa Test
- EU fines Meta 798 mn euros for Facebook ad antitrust breach
- Australian Brett Robinson graduates to rugby's top post
- Brazil looking for motive after attempted Supreme Court bombing
- Hotels on Booking.com can offer better rates elsewhere: EU
- EU deforestation ban in chaos as parliament loosens rules
- Springboks make 12 changes to team for England clash
- All Blacks fly-half Barrett returns from concussion against France
- UEFA launches investigation into Premier League referee Coote
- Monaco Formula One GP extended until 2031
- Climate finance: who is being asked to pay what at COP29?
- 'Terrible' AI has given tech an existential headache: activist
- COP29 host tries to calm waters after diplomatic turmoil
- Late drama as Saudis hold Australia in World Cup qualifier
- Stock markets diverge as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Israel warfare methods 'consistent with genocide': UN committee
- 'In-form leader' Fickou starts for France against New Zealand
- Iran activist kills himself after demanding release of prisoners
- Russia shuts Moscow's famed gulag museum
- London mayor says Trump attacks due to his ethnicity and religion
- Japan expect tough Indonesia test with World Cup spot in reach
- Uganda TikToker convicted for insulting president
- Thousands flee as Typhoon Usagi hits north Philippines
- Burberry launches turnaround plan as posts loss
- Fickou starts for France against New Zealand
- Spain flood epicentre survives fresh rain alert
CMSC | 0.1% | 24.635 | $ | |
SCS | -0.75% | 13.27 | $ | |
RIO | -0.42% | 60.366 | $ | |
BCE | -0.35% | 27.115 | $ | |
BTI | 0.52% | 35.605 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.08% | 24.71 | $ | |
JRI | 0.14% | 13.259 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.59% | 59.25 | $ | |
GSK | -0.11% | 35.07 | $ | |
RYCEF | -3.34% | 6.88 | $ | |
AZN | 0.62% | 65.7 | $ | |
BP | 0.85% | 28.815 | $ | |
BCC | -1.08% | 141.02 | $ | |
RELX | 0.16% | 46.195 | $ | |
VOD | -0.34% | 8.72 | $ | |
NGG | 0.78% | 62.61 | $ |
'Interior Chinatown' satirizes Asian roles in Hollywood... and beyond screen
A "meta" detective series in which a struggling Asian waiter becomes the unlikely hero of a police procedural-style criminal conspiracy, "Interior Chinatown" satirizes Hollywood's stereotypical treatment of minorities -- while also nodding to the progress the industry has belatedly made.
The new show, out on Disney-owned Hulu next Tuesday, is based on the critically adored novel by US author Charles Yu, who is of Taiwanese descent.
Yu's 2020 bestseller delivered a humorous takedown of racism in US society through the adventures of Willis Wu, a Hollywood extra reduced to playing roles like "Background Oriental Male" but who dreams of one day being promoted to "Kung Fu Guy."
Yu now serves as the TV series' creator and showrunner.
"I grew up watching TV in the '80s and '90s, and I just never saw Asians on TV. It's as if they didn't exist," he told a press conference in July.
"They existed in real life when I'd go outside, but they weren't somehow in my screen. And so, that sort of shaped me in wanting to tell this story."
Even a decade ago, Yu's literary creation would likely have been ignored by Hollywood.
But in recent years, breakout successes for Asian American productions like "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Everything Everywhere All At Once," not to mention South Korean hits "Parasite" and "Squid Game," have proven the commercial appetite for diverse storytelling.
Hong Kong-born US actor Jimmy O. Yang, who appeared in "Crazy Rich Asians," stars as Wu in "Interior Chinatown."
Oscar-winning New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi ("Jojo Rabbit") directs the pilot episode.
- 'Metaphor' -
Viewers are introduced to Wu as an ordinary waiter at a restaurant in Los Angeles's Chinatown -- but quickly find out that he also appears to reside within a police procedural.
In these scenes, "Interior Chinatown" adopts the visual codes and tropes of a TV cop drama. Wu is relegated to a background character role, as the series' Black and white cop duo solve crimes.
Even more strangely, unexplained cameras are shown filming Wu and his colleagues, reminiscent of "The Truman Show."
The distortion of reality echoes the premise of the original novel, which was itself written in the form of a television screenplay.
"It's such a great metaphor for what it means to be Asian American in this country," said Yang.
"But at the same time, it's a universal story of someone longing to be more, someone finding themselves in their career."
When Wu witnesses a kidnapping, twists and turns see this background actor take on increasingly important roles in the narrative of a criminal intrigue.
"He moves on to be kind of like a guest star. And then the tech guy, which, of course, I played before. So it really drew a lot of parallels to my own career," said Yang.
- 'Mind-bending' -
The series blends English, Mandarin and Cantonese dialogue.
Among its characters is Lana Lee, a mixed-race novice cop, who is assigned a case in Chinatown by superiors who incorrectly assume that she must know her way around the Asian neighborhood.
The irony was not lost on actress Chloe Bennet, born Chloe Wang to a Chinese father and white American mother, who in real life had to change her last name in order to land roles in Hollywood.
"My journey through the industry is so meta for Lana," she told the press conference.
"I literally was told at the beginning of my career... 'You're just not white enough to be the lead, but you're not Asian enough to be the Asian.'"
Wu's best friend Fatty Choi, played by comedian Ronny Chieng ("The Daily Show"), provides a hilarious counterpoint to audiences' pre-conceived notions of Asians as the "model minority."
A video game-addicted stoner, Choi aggressively lectures the restaurant's demanding white customers that they are "not the center of the universe."
"To do something this cool, this meta, this mind-bending and smart -- social commentary, but not hitting people over the head with it... this is the stuff that you only dream of being able to do," he said.
E.Schubert--BTB