{"id":423676,"date":"2024-11-27T15:30:36","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T15:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=423676"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Interior-Chinatown-Taika-Waititi-Jimmy-O-Yang-Talk-Training-for-Kung-Fu-Scenes-More-VIDEO","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Interior-Chinatown-Taika-Waititi-Jimmy-O-Yang-Talk-Training-for-Kung-Fu-Scenes-More-VIDEO\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Interior Chinatown\u2019: Taika Waititi & Jimmy O. Yang Talk Training for Kung Fu Scenes & More (VIDEO)"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you haven\u2019t watched Interior Chinatown<\/em><\/a>\u2018s 10 episodes on Hulu<\/a> yet, you\u2019re missing out on one of the year\u2019s weirdest, wildest rides.<\/p>\n

Based on the National Book Award-winning novel from Charles Yu (the former writer for HBO\u2019s Westworld<\/em><\/a>\u00a0also serves as this series\u2019 showrunner), the meta romp follows Willis Wu (Jimmy O. Yang<\/a>), a bored waiter at his uncle Wong\u2019s (Archie Kao) Chinatown restaurant. Willis is also unknowingly (at first) a background character in cop procedural Black & White<\/em> (a spoof on Law & Order<\/em><\/a> and the like). With dreams of being a kung fu hero, Willis works his way from a background character into a lead, all while solving a years-in-the-making Chinatown-centric case under the guidance of glamorous transfer Detective Lana Lee (Chloe Bennet<\/a>,\u00a0Marvel\u2019s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.<\/em><\/a>). And it\u2019s all seemingly connected to his long-missing older brother (played by Chris Pang).<\/p>\n

The story gets even weirder as the mystery delves deeper into the recesses of Chinatown \u2014 and television tropes abound. It\u2019s silly and dazzling at times, but also dramatic. The exploration of family and generational expectations is presented as we see the entire Wu family struggle, particularly Willis, who feels like an outsider, even within his own family, especially since the disappearance of his revered sibling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI absolutely related to it, and I think that\u2019s the brilliance of Charlie Yu,\u201d Yang, who read the novel in just one day, admits. \u201cThe book was based on his own Asian-American experience of constantly feeling in the background. I was actually in the background of some shows \u2014 and some shows don\u2019t even want me in the background, that\u2019s how background I was. But I think that\u2019s what\u2019s great about it. It\u2019s also a universal story, whether you\u2019re Asian-American, whether you\u2019re from New Zealand, or if you\u2019ve ever just felt like you\u2019re invisible at times\u2026.or just felt like an underdog, this is a story for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"'Interior<\/a><\/p>\n
Related<\/div>\n

‘Interior Chinatown’ Creator Talks Book-to-TV Changes and Taika Waititi’s Influence<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe show is really meaningful for me,\u201d agrees executive producer Taika Waititi<\/a> (Time Bandits<\/a><\/em>, Our Flag Means Death<\/em><\/a>), who also directed the first episode. \u201cIt actually came about at a time that I really needed to re-embrace my creative side. I\u2019d been feeling a little out of touch with my filmmaking, and I came back into it with this show, and I\u2019m so proud of it. It\u2019s actually my favorite thing that I\u2019ve done in the last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out our video interview above for more from Waititi and Yang.<\/p>\n

Interior Chinatown<\/em>, Streaming Now, Hulu<\/strong><\/p>\n

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