Inner ChinatownBased on Charles Yu’s 2020 novel of the same name, it premiered on Hulu this month. The groundbreaking comedy series follows Willis Wu (played by Jimmy O. Yang from Silicon Valley fame), a disaffected young man who is tired of living a life waiting tables and playing clichéd Asian-Americans on crime shows. However, everything changes when he witnesses a real-life crime, which draws him into a police case of his own – and leads him to uncover family secrets linked to the mystery of his older brother.
Surprisingly meta in nature, Inner Chinatown reflects on how people are framed in stereotypes against their will, as well as, sometimes, forgotten even within their own community. How Willis goes from Generic Asian Male to Black and white for a fully realized character in the increasingly complex crime drama that has become his life, he begins to question all of his previously conceived notions. The series also has a fantastic cast, including Chloe Bennet (Agents of SHIELD) as Detective Lana Lee, Ronny Chieng (M3GAN) as Fatty Choi and Tzi Ma (Mulan) as Willis’ father, Joe.
TelaRant interviewed Yang about his role as Inner ChinatownWillis, and how his character represents feelings of restlessness and insecurity that are specific to Asian Americans while also being relatable to viewers of any background. Additionally, Yang shared how her own history in the entertainment industry mirrors Willis’ journey in unique ways.
Jimmy O. Yang Explains His Flawed But Lovable Character Inside Chinatown
“This is just another thing my brother did and I didn’t.”
Screen Speech: Jimmy, Interior Chinatown it’s phenomenal. I saw up to episode 5 and I need episode 6 immediately. Can you tell us about Willis and the way he looks up to his brother, Kung Fu Guy?
Jimmy O. Yang: He always lived in his brother’s shadow, [because] he became the Kung Fu guy and was always stuck in the background. Even in his family, he was the least favorite boy. His brother was the star, right? Then his brother disappears and of course, in his heart, he’s a grieving little brother who wants to find his brother, but there’s also a personal journey that he needs to go on. And sometimes it’s selfish.
He is saying he wants to find his brother, but there is also a [desire] do more with your life on your journey. At the end of episode 2, he says, “This is just another thing my brother did that I didn’t.” In a way, although he is sad about his brother’s disappearance, he is also very sad and upset about his own life.
In this sense, he is a conflicted and flawed character. He wants to do good for his family, but at the same time he needs to live for himself.
Screen Rant: There’s another great line in episode 4 that says, “Pretend long enough and you might lose yourself.” Can you talk about Willis’ journey as he uncovers information about his brother?
Jimmy O. Yang: Yes, I think I’m referring to his brother with that line when he discovers something unexpected about himself and turns his world upside down. But in fact, this line also refers to himself. He is pretending to sneak into the police station; in order to break out of his role behind the scenes at a restaurant as a generic Asian man. He sneaks in as a delivery man, he sneaks in as a technician, and so on. He’s also faking it.
I think a lot of people can relate to that. I’ve done that, I go to college and try to act like a different person. So I go to my job and act like a different person. I’m like, “Who am I anymore? Which version is real? Was this current version, or was the 10-year-old version real? Or maybe not.”
Willis, from inner Chinatown, is someone everyone stuck in a rut can relate to
“He wants to break with the role that society and his family have assigned to him.”
Screen Rant: I saw a lot of myself in Willis as we progressed through the show. How has his experience as a background actor waiting tables reflected or differed from your own journey in the entertainment industry?
Jimmy O. Yang: There are actually a lot of similarities as well. Firstly, I was a waiter at a Chinese restaurant called Chop Suey; a very generic Chinese restaurant. I was also a background actor and had many small roles; I was the #1 Chinese teenager, so it really reflected my journey, especially becoming the Tech Guy and stuff like that.
But the difference is also that he grew up in a very difficult environment in the SROs, in Chinatown. It’s something I’ve thankfully never experienced and rarely talk about or see when we talk about Chinatown. We only see the kitschy facade of the Chinese restaurant and we don’t see the people who live on top of these restaurants struggling. And a lot of times now they’re being displaced, through gentrification or something like that.
Investigating this, I was feeling what he would feel if he grew up and never left Chinatown. My life was the opposite. I was forced to leave Hong Kong and go to America, but Willis was stuck in his assigned role and place.
Screen Rant: I love the themes the show touches on. You can share your perspective on the topic of identity and representation within Inner Chinatown?
Jimmy O. Yang: Great question. I think Willis has always felt stuck in the background and invisible, which is a great metaphor for how often Asian Americans feel. After I came to this country growing up, I never saw myself on TV much. Lack of representation. And how do you think you can be an actor if you don’t see yourself as an actor? You almost have to be ignorant. And I was, I think, to some extent! Because I entered this area.
But you also need to have a fire in your belly, where you think, “No, no, no. I can be the change too,” and I think Willis is that. Although he thinks he is a loser, he has been a loser all his life, he has been stuck in the background… He wants to break out of the role that society and his family have assigned to him, and be more. That’s all that moves him; he wants to be more. And that in itself is not just about representation, and not just about the Asian-American journey, but about anyone. If you are unhappy with your job because you are working in your office, you want to get out of it. Life has to be more than that. I think that’s what makes Willis relatable in this series.
More about the interior of Chinatown, season 1
Based on the award-winning book of the same name by Charles Yu, the show follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural called Black & White. Relegated to the background, Willis does his job on screen, waiting tables, dreaming of a world beyond Chinatown and aspiring to be the protagonist of his own story. When Willis inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, he begins to unravel a criminal web in Chinatown, while uncovering his own family’s buried history and what it’s like to be in the spotlight.
Check back soon for our others Inner Chinatown interviews here:
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Archie Kao and Tzi Ma
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Charles Yu and Taika Waititi
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Lisa Gilroy and Sullivan Jones
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Ronny Chieng and Chloe Bennet
Source: Screen Rant Plus