Christian Deiparine

The cast of "Interior Chinatown" share their Hollywood journey from auditions to leading roles.

Article (news)

'Interior Chinatown' rewrites Hollywood's rules for Asian talents

TFC News

For the “Interior Chinatown” team, the new comedy series is a provocative, satirical exploration of stereotypes, identity, and what it means to belong. The cast, led by Jimmy O. Yang, Chloe Bennet, and Ronny Chieng, reveals the intense and personal journeys behind bringing these complex themes to life.&quot;Internally, I have to do, like, a lot of work,&quot; said Yang. &quot;But at the same time, it&#x27;s a lot of things that I&#x27;ve experienced myself, whether it&#x27;s like an invisible ceiling.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1732719426632ictown_101_mt_01480r.jpg" style="width:775px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Ronny Chieng is Fatty Choi and Jimmy Yang is Willis Wu in &quot;Interior Chinatown.&quot; (Courtesy: Hulu/Disney+ “Interior Chinatown”)"/>Ronny Chieng is Fatty Choi and Jimmy Yang is Willis Wu in &quot;Interior Chinatown.&quot; (Courtesy: Hulu/Disney+ “Interior Chinatown”)</div>For Yang, even the physical demands of the role challenged preconceptions, both his own and the audience&#x27;s.&quot;I’ve never done martial arts and I think as an Asian actor, or like as an Asian person, a lot of times people would expect you to know martial arts,&quot; he said. &quot;But I have never done any of it. So, I had to really train for three months to be somewhat decent at it. And I ended up doing all my fight scenes, so that was pretty cool.”For Chloe Bennet, the satirical nature of the show provided a much-needed outlet to process frustrations about her own experiences in Hollywood.&quot;I almost therapeutically needed to have this satirical outlet because it feels maddening otherwise,&quot; the actress said. &quot;The show is entirely laced with my own real-life frustrations or the confusion that comes when someone else assumes something of you.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1732719507730ictown_101_mt_02755r.jpg" style="width:725px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Chloe Bennet plays Detective Lana Lee in &quot;Interior Chinatown.&quot; (Courtesy: Hulu/Disney+ “Interior Chinatown”)"/>Chloe Bennet plays Detective Lana Lee in &quot;Interior Chinatown.&quot; (Courtesy: Hulu/Disney+ “Interior Chinatown”)</div>Ronny Chieng, meanwhile, sees the show as a unique opportunity to tackle not just stereotypes, but also the industry that perpetuates them.&quot;It&#x27;s an ambitious project that says a lot socially,&quot; he noted. &quot;The scale of it is very cool. And it’s a very meta story that’s commenting on television and show business itself. I can&#x27;t believe we got a chance to make it.&quot;&quot;May we all be so lucky to be a part of something so ambitious and well-written,&quot; Chieng added.Beneath the humor and action, “Interior Chinatown” delivers a powerful message about how we categorize people—and ourselves.The show is based on Charles Yu’s award-winning book of the same name.&quot;I think anyone, even if you&#x27;re not Asian American, can understand and relate to the idea that there are all of these ways we are subconsciously told how to value ourselves,&quot; said Bennet. &quot;My blunt takeaway is I hope an average white guy watches it and hopefully lets the world wash over him in such an entertaining way that maybe he could see himself.&quot;From humble beginnings in the audition room to leading roles in a groundbreaking show, the cast’s stories echo the journey of their characters: fighting to be seen and heard in a world that often tries to define them.&quot;It was just scraping by, you know?&quot; said Yang. &quot;Chinese teenager number one, person in line... It took many years. But now, to finally be the lead on this? It shows there’s a seat at the table.&quot;“Interior Chinatown” — now out on Hulu and Disney Plus — features a mostly Asian cast and includes a guest role by Filipino-American actress Meriden Angeles in one of the episodes.

The cast of "Interior Chinatown" share their Hollywood journey from auditions to leading roles.