Acclaimed author Charles Yu makes his debut as showrunner with Inner Chinatownwhich he adapted for the screen from his 2020 novel of the same name. Part comedy and part detective series, the meta-mystery premiered November 19 on Hulu, telling the story of Willis Wu (Silicon Valleyis Jimmy O. Yang). Willis is a background actor who waits tables and portrays Asian-American clichés in projects like the police procedural Black and whiteBut his life turns upside down when he witnesses a kidnapping in his hometown.
Inner Chinatown is executive produced by Taika Waititi and features a stellar cast that includes Chloe Bennet (Agents of SHIELD as Detective Lana Lee, who is specially assigned to the case but is not taken by her fellow officers, Ronny Chieng (M3GAN) as Willis’s unambitious co-worker Fatty Choi, as well as Tzi Ma (Mulan) and Diana Lin (The farewell) as Willis’ parents. The latter are still mourning the disappearance of their eldest son, whose fate is yet another mystery for which Willis seeks answers when he joins Detective Lee’s investigation.
TelaRant interviewed Waititi and Yu about turning the latter’s novel into a series and how Inner Chinatown reflects his own experiences in the entertainment industry. Yu revealed that he saw Willis’ parents and their struggles as Asian-American immigrants as the heart of the story, while Waititi referred to the protagonist’s imposter syndrome as a universally relatable arc for audiences everywhere.
The process of adapting the interior of Chinatown was not easy
“You need to start specifying what things are and what we are trying to convey.”
Screen Speech: Inner Chinatown it’s phenomenal. I’m going to go back and watch it again because I feel like there are little clues and information hidden throughout the episode so I can be a detective in the series. Charles, what was the journey of transformation like? Inner Chinatown from a novel to a series start?
Charles Yu: I had a book to write and I was stuck. [Laughs] The heart of the book was the story of Willis’ parents; they have these little pieces of their lives and they don’t feel like a story because they’re not the main characters to people. How do you turn this into a story?
I think the eureka moment was when it all came from Willis’ perspective. It’s like, “Oh, these immigrants’ kids are going to tell the story and try to do something with these little pieces.”
Screen Rant: Taika, in working with Charles, can you talk about maintaining the integrity of the source material while also exploring new creative ventures for the show?
Taika Waititi: Much of the adaptation process had already been done when I arrived. I read the first draft of the pilot and fell in love with it, and then I read the book and fell in love with it. I knew it would be a difficult task to translate all of this because a book is one thing, but then to make things clear and understandable, and explain the world and how it works and what the rules of the world are, that’s another thing on screen. You have to be very specific and lead the audience by the hand.
I put a lot of trust in Charlie and his knowledge of the world he created. He’s the brains of everything. Many of us on the sidelines would ask, “What does that part mean? What does he mean by that?” I didn’t know. “What does that mean?” You also did well to say, “I’m not sure. We should fix this!” But it’s a great collaboration. It’s great to work with someone who doesn’t worry about these things and understands that we need to start specifying what things are and what we’re trying to convey.
Inner Chinatown Tackles Imposter Syndrome Through Willis’ Journey of Self-Discovery
“You’re just saying this buzzword imposter syndrome and you don’t even know what it means.”
Screen Rant: Charles, there’s a line in episode 4 that I love: “If you pretend long enough, you might lose yourself.” Can you talk about Willis’ journey as he uncovers information about his brother?
Charles Yu: Thank you for quoting that line. I think it is in a lot of ways – it’s not an Easter egg, but there are ways you can get to the heart of the matter. I think this story starts with Willis, but extends to so many other characters. It’s about people hiding parts of themselves, and what we observe as Willis continually levels up is that he finds new ways of being.
There are other identities he can take on, but none of them exactly match who he is. But he’s growing through each of them, and I think as he searches for his brother as the season goes on, he’s also in a difficult situation. [journey of] self-discovery too.
Screen Rant: Sometimes I saw a lot of myself through Willis on this show. How has his experience as a background actor while waiting tables reflected or differed from your own journey in the entertainment industry?
Taika Waititi: I basically had the same journey as him. I started as a waiter and participated in many shows. I was actually a waiter in real life and so my first roles were as waiters. So that’s all I had then.
But I think we all go through life thinking we are the main characters in our own story, and we are. But I went through life not considering all the other players in my story and realizing, as I grew up, that they were all going through the same thing. Each of us is going through the same doubts and feelings of imposter syndrome and all those moments when you think, “Is this my destiny? Am I doing what I’m supposed to be doing? Is there something more for me?” I really relate to all of this and I think everyone can relate to this.
Charles Yu: impostor syndrome [is something] I always have. I mean, I’m sitting here right now talking about the show I worked on for years. Still, there’s something inside me that says, “You don’t know you’re going to fail.”
Taika Waititi: I feel like whenever I use the word imposter syndrome, I feel more like an imposter. I feel like everyone uses that term now, and when I hear it coming out of my mouth, I think, “Man, you’re just a fraud. You’re just saying you’re an imposter. You’re just saying this buzzword, imposter syndrome.” , and you don’t even know what that means.”
Charles Yu: I think so. [Laughs]
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 out our others Inner Chinatown interviews here:
Source: Screen Rant Plus